The budget gap is nearly three times the size of the gap forecasted by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot as she left office, but is still smaller than any projected shortfall since 2019.

The state Department of Agriculture, which hosts the fair each year, reported on Tuesday that about 708,000 people attended the fair, an 11% increase from 2022.  

A kick-off event Sept. 16 is aimed at recruiting more volunteer stewards, whose work helps safeguard the nature preserve’s endangered and threatened species.

The agency said the products are illegally marketed to treat conditions including conjunctivitis — known as pink eye — glaucoma and cataracts, and some of the warnings cited sterility issues with the products.

In a set of conflicting data, the Labor Department said the consumer price index rose 3.7% in August from a year ago, up from a 3.2% annual pace in July. Yet excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices rose 4.3%, a step back from 4.7% in July and the smallest increase in nearly two years. 

Will Chicago’s tipped minimum wage soon be a thing of the past? The U.S. vs. Google in a major antitrust trial. Illinois’s secretary of state testifies in Washington. And glass art from war-torn Ukraine.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) is sponsoring a Chicago ordinance that would eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers. The proposal has the backing of Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Prosecutors opened a landmark antitrust trial against Google with sweeping allegations that the company intentionally stifled competition challenging its massive search engine, accusing the tech giant of spending billions to operate an illegal monopoly that has harmed every computer and mobile device user in the U.S.

Bowmouth Guitarfish, also called Shark Rays, are hunted for their fins and thorns. Three rescued pups have arrived at Shedd Aquarium.

The programs are for noncitizens over age 42 who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if not for their immigration status.

The endorsement from the CDC and the committee means the vaccines will be covered by public and private insurance plans. The new vaccines have been updated to fend off the currently circulating viruses that cause COVID-19.

Djavan Conway, who served as an intergovernmental affairs advisor on Johnson’s transition leadership team, acknowledged he failed to terminate his registration as a City Hall lobbyist in January 2021, according to the settlement agreement he reached with the Chicago Board of Ethics.

If the appeal before the Chicago-based First District Appellate Court fails, Smollett will have to finish a 150-day stint in jail that his trial judge ordered during his 2022 sentencing. 

The leading decongestant used by millions of Americans is likely no better than a dummy pill, according to government experts who reviewed the latest research on the long-questioned drug ingredient.

Child poverty in the U.S. more than doubled and median household income declined last year when coronavirus pandemic-era benefits expired and inflation kept rising, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.