Health officials have told Americans to expect a yearly update to COVID-19 vaccines, just like they are recommended to get a new shot each fall to protect against the latest flu strains. But many Americans aren’t heeding the CDC’s advice.

Long before the Aztecs or the Maya, there were the Olmecs. Their people once lived along the southeast border of Mexico in what is now Veracruz; they are considered one of the most influential civilizations of Mesoamerica.

President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, are set to make history on CNN Thursday night as they meet for their first 2024 debate. It’ll be the first time a president and former president have ever debated.

On Nov. 22, 1981, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Ian Stewart showed up at the Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St., to jam with their musical mentor, Muddy Waters. Two WTTW crew members were there and share their memories. 

Some of the city’s most vulnerable populations are still facing barriers of access when it comes to receiving equitable health care. The Black community faces notable obstacles when it comes to addressing mental illness.

The Board of Education on Thursday approved a resolution that will grant school leaders the ability to begin spending their funding allocations when the 2025 fiscal year begins next month — even as the full district budget has not yet been finished.

The Rolling Stones must be the most Chicago-centric band on the planet that isn’t from Chicago. In celebration of the Rolling Stones return to Chicago on their “Hackney Diamonds” tour, here are historic highlights from the many times the world’s greatest rock and roll band visited. 

Eight months after the measure was approved, Streets and San has yet to write a single ticket, despite receiving reports about dozens of scofflaws from sleepless Chicagoans.

“Many homeowners are going to be shocked and angry when they get their bills,” Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said.

The death of a man incarcerated at Stateville prison has advocates asking questions. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s promises big advancements in mental health care access. And how even the slowest runners can embrace the sport. 

Eight-time marathoner Martinus Evans says he didn’t always feel welcomed in the sport. He now wants to help others feel good about picking up their running shoes. 

The new Department of Early Childhood, which will become operational in July 2026, will take over programs currently housed across three state agencies, including funding for preschool programs, child care centers and the licensing of day care centers.

Kinzinger, a military pilot who emerged as a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol was attacked by Trump’s supporters, described Trump as “a direct threat to every fundamental American value” in a video announcing the Biden endorsement.

Robert Crimo III, who was expected to plead guilty Wednesday, instead appeared in a Lake County courtroom packed with victims of the shooting and rejected an agreement in which he would have pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree murder and dozens of other charges.

The U.S. Supreme Court may have thrown a wrench into some of the biggest corruption cases across Illinois — including the upcoming trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan — with a new ruling that redefines federal bribery statutes.