After passing an emissions test, motorists can purchase their vehicle registration sticker at the DMV’s annex building without having to pay the additional $9.50 charged by outside vendors, according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.

Federal education authorities have threatened to withhold grant money from Chicago Public Schools unless the district agrees to do away with its Black Student Success Plan and revises policies regarding transgender students.

Seven current and formerly incarcerated women filed federal lawsuits over the last week alleging sexual assault, harassment and institutional retaliation at Illinois’ primary women’s prison, Logan Correctional Center.

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and others on Wednesday said the tactics employed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have undermined the have left families “torn apart.”

The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and it lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy.

Nine preservation projects in Illinois, including three in Chicago, are being recognized as part of an annual awards program highlighting “exceptional preservation efforts,” the preservation nonprofit Landmarks Illinois announced Wednesday.

A suburban Cook County resident in their 60s has died from the West Nile virus, the Cook County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday. The risk of West Nile virus in suburban Cook County remains high, according to the public health agency.

Describing extraordinary turmoil inside the nation’s health agencies, Monarez and former CDC Chief Medical Officer Chief Debra Houry described exchanges in which Kennedy or political advisers rebuffed data supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Without establishing any link to last week’s shooting, the Republican president and members of his administration have discussed classifying some groups as domestic terrorists, ordering racketeering investigations and revoking tax-exempt status for progressive nonprofits.

According to Climate Central, summer temperatures are extending deeper into fall in more than 90% of major U.S. cities.

An appeals court ruled last month that Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct have the right to ask an arbitrator — and not the Chicago Police Board — to decide their fate, but those proceedings must take place in public.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

More back-and-forth on whether President Donald Trump plans to send troops to Chicago. And the Federal Reserve considers cutting the interest rate — what you should know.

What was once thought to be a mainly coastal phenomenon is now showing up in most major cities in the U.S. and around the world.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is widely expected to cut its key rate by a quarter point to about 4.1%, which would be the first reduction since last December.