Chicago’s lakefront is famously open and free. So why is a prime section of Montrose Beach roped off every summer? Because it’s for the birds. Literally. The piping plovers. WTTW News explains.

The finding from the administration is the latest intensification in the White House’s battle with Harvard, which lost more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants after rejecting a list of federal demands calling for sweeping changes to campus governance, hiring and admissions.

Without the limits on party spending, large donors would be able to skirt caps on individual contributions to a candidate by directing unlimited sums to the party with the understanding that the money will be spent on behalf of the candidate, supporters of the law say.

Chicago officials held the first of four “budget engagement roundtables” designed to gather feedback about the city’s 2026 budget.

Gov. JB Pritzker makes it official — he’s running for a third term. And the interim CPS CEO says Chicago schools face an even higher deficit than had been reported.

A conservative majority left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide. Trump’s order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally.

The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama’s signature law, often referred to as Obamacare.

The decision was not a final ruling in the case, but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will win in the end.

The exhibition “Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World” transports visitors to a time when Japan was emerging from the feudal era and modern cities were booming.

Lupe Fiasco, born Wasalu Jaco in Chicago, will bring his sharp-tongued raps like “Kick Push” and “Superstar” to Grant Park on Sept. 5.

“I step into this role with a deep sense of responsibility and an unwavering commitment to the students, families and the educators who make this district extraordinary,” interim CPS CEO Macquline King said Thursday.

It’s official: Gov. JB Pritzker says he’s running for a third term. And we hear from some Congress members who got turned away from ICE facilities.

Some members of Congress are saying they’ve been turned away from local ICE facilities as they seek transparency on the conditions detainees are experiencing. Federal appropriations law allows members of Congress to perform oversight of these facilities, unannounced.

For the people who sell copies of the magazine, it’s more than just a job. It’s often their way out of challenges such as poverty, homelessness, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary who became one of television’s most honored journalists with hundreds of hours of programming at PBS, masterfully using a visual medium to illuminate a world of ideas, died Thursday at age 91.