The new database launched after WTTW News reported the city spent $510.9 million on employee overtime in 2024 — 1.5% less than in 2023, with more than half of the total amount used to compensate Chicago Police Department officers for working extra hours.

Michael McClain and three codefendants — former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former contract lobbyist Jay Doherty — were each convicted of bribery conspiracy and willfully falsifying the utility company’s books in the 2023 “ComEd Four” trial.

The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.

The president’s association with Epstein is well-established and his name was included in records that his own Justice Department released back in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation.

Seventy-nine of the 92 cases brought as part of the pilot program have resulted in an indictment by a grand jury or a finding of probable cause by a judge, allowing a trial to proceed, according to data provided to WTTW News from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“There are some recommendations that are coming through,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “In due time, we’re going to release some of those recommendations.”

Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing icon in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and WWE said Thursday.

“Are You a Librarian? The Untold Story of Librarians” connects the history of public libraries, civil rights and literacy to the current political attacks on the public library system.

Former Sen. Carol Mosely Braun on her life and career. And remembering actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

Actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner died this week in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica. Warner became everyone’s brother playing Theo Huxtable in the long-running television hit “The Cosby Show.”

Carol Moseley Braun is making waves in the push for more diverse leaders in politics. In 1993, she became the country’s first Black woman senator — shuttling her into the national and cultural spotlight.

A Chicago City Council subject matter hearing reignited calls for an ordinance mandating bird-friendly building design requirements. “We know how to solve this, and for some reason we just haven’t,” said one speaker.

Here’s a soulful and sometimes silly six-pack of the artistic and the fantastic — our shortlist of Chicago shows to kick-start your heart and make your brain buzz.

The popular downtown event will return Sept. 7 and Oct. 5, closing vehicular traffic on State Street from Randolph Street to Jackson Boulevard. The event — now in its fifth year — features performances, food, drinks, shopping and local attractions.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has adopted a recommendation to remove thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed in the United States, even though there is no clear evidence of harm from the mercury-based preservative.