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Day 20 With No House Speaker as Republicans Struggle and Lower-Level Names Reach for the Gavel

Nine lower-level Republican lawmakers are now running to be speaker, leader of the House and second in second in line to the presidency — none with any clear shot for the gavel.

Chicago Immigration Attorney Facing Fraud Charges Faked Job Offers and Advised Clients to Enter Sham Marriages, Prosecutors Say

Mohammad Reza Baniassadi allegedly conspired to provide fraudulent information to U.S. immigration authorities to obtain benefits for his foreign national clients over the course of seven years.

12-Year-Old Boy Among 7 People Killed By Gunfire Over Weekend in Chicago: Police

The victim — who was identified as Damien Green, according to Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office records — was one of 23 total people who were shot in 22 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

City Council Set to Scrutinize Johnson’s Plan to Reorganize Chicago Police Department

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 spending plan would increase the overall CPD budget to nearly $2 billion, accounting for more than 31% of the city’s $5.7 billion corporate fund, by far the most of any city agency or department.

Illinois Lawmakers Return to Springfield for Veto Session. From Tax Breaks to Nuclear Power Plants, Here’s What’s on the Agenda

Members of the Illinois legislature will reunite on Tuesday to take care of any unfinished business before the year’s end, including deciding the ultimate fate of measures rejected in whole or in part by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Controversial Pipeline Canceled Amid Safety Concerns, Regulatory Pushback

The plan included several hundred miles of pipeline in Illinois which terminated at sequestration sites designed to store carbon dioxide underground. The project was met with significant pushback from environmentalists and landowners.

Police Union, Johnson Reach Deal to 2-Year Contract Extension with Bigger Raises, Bonuses for Cops

The deal, which must be approved by the Chicago City Council, resolves the issues left over from the contract agreement reached by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in July 2021 that ended the longest union negotiations in the city’s history.

Evanston Mother and Daughter Held Hostage by Hamas Have Been Released

Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, were out of the Gaza Strip and in the hands of the Israeli military, an army spokesman said. Hamas said it released them for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government.

Week in Review: Protests Over Migrant Tent Camp; Chicago Budget Hearings

An Evanston mother and daughter held hostage by Hamas are released. And immigration protests turn chaotic as a Chicago alderwoman gets physically assaulted.

The CSO in Bravura Renderings of Works by George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein: Review

WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss recommends an evening spent with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor James Gaffigan and the extraordinary pianist Conrad Tao.

Which States Are Truly In The Midwest? A New Poll Covering 22 States Has People Online Divided … And a Little Salty

A new study that aims to explore Midwest state boundaries and identity was a result of over 11,000 responses across 22 states.

House Republicans Reject Jim Jordan’s Speaker Bid a Third Time as Opposition Deepens

The Republicans have no realistic or workable plan to unite the fractured GOP majority, elect a new speaker and return to the work of Congress that has been languishing since hard-liners ousted Kevin McCarthy at the start of the month.

In Chicago Ceremony, 300-Year-Old Painting Stolen by American Soldier During World War II Returned to German Museum

Art Recovery International, a company focused on locating and recovering stolen and looted art, tracked down the painting after a person in Chicago reached out claiming to possess a “stolen or looted painting” that their uncle brought back to the U.S. after serving in World War II.

In Move Away From Namesake’s History, Chicago Audubon Society Announces New Name: Chicago Bird Alliance

The Chicago organization is joined by chapters in Detroit and Wisconsin in dropping “Audubon” and adopting the more inclusive, collaborative “Alliance.”

What Does It Mean That Chicago Is a Sanctuary City? Here’s What to Know

Here’s what it means for Chicago to be a sanctuary city and how that status has fueled the debate over Chicago’s newest arrivals.