The White House said Biden is also calling on Congress to impose financial penalties on oil and gas companies that lease public lands but aren’t producing. And he intends to invoke the Defense Production Act to encourage the mining of critical minerals for batteries in electric vehicles, part of a broader push to shift toward cleaner energy sources and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Two sources told WTTW News that Lightfoot will ask the Chicago City Council to confirm Deborah Witzburg as the city’s inspector general. Witzburg resigned as Chicago’s deputy inspector general for public safety on Nov. 1, saying she would apply for the top job.

The city’s street sweeping program kicks off April 1, which also means the return of “no parking” restrictions.

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to stop a portion of Jackson Park from being transformed into the home of the $500 million Obama Presidential Center.

A new city watchdog could be named soon, our Spotlight Politics team has that and more on political donations to gubernatorial candidate and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. Plus, theater with Hedy Weiss.

Chicago theater is in full bloom for the spring season with a number of new productions and a return of some classic favorites. Hedy Weiss, theater critic for WTTW News, joins “Chicago Tonight” to share her must-see recommendations. 

A deeply blue city in the center of an increasingly red Midwest could give Democrats a chance to reach voters in nearby swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, both of which proved crucial in President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump in 2020.

The Sun put on a spectacular show Wednesday, emitting a “significant solar flare,” according to NASA. Now scientists are bracing to see what the resulting space weather will have in store for Earth.

Eclectic collections, a musical about family, Mexican stews and reptiles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

An ordinance introduced in the city council in February would mandate that rideshare drivers make a minimum rate per trip, per mile, and per minute. And it would prevent rideshare companies from taking a commission of more than 20%.

Applications are now open for voters to request mail-in ballots for the upcoming June 28 primary. 

James Callion, 28, faces three counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon as well as single counts of armed habitual criminal and aggravated battery causing harm to a police officer.

The Mercury Theater hosts a production of “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh” that is brought to vivid life by a cast of six delightful actor/puppeteers who both operate and voice the familiar forest friends. 

The attorney for the convicted R&B singer is asking a federal judge for a delay until later this year, arguing they won’t be able to “protect (his) constitutional rights” at sentencing without compromising his Fifth Amendment rights.

President Joe Biden has moved to ease price pressures through opening oil reserves. Some governors, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, have called on the federal government to temporarily lift its tax on gasoline, though Illinois’ Gov. J.B. Pritzker was not a signatory to a letter making that request.