Metra has launched a survey to get feedback on potentially renaming lines to make the system “easier to understand for new and occasional riders,” according to the rail service on Monday.

The Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools each released findings Monday which showed, for the first time in several years, that the state is seeing some improvements in the number of educator hires.

Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will host a new weekly podcast series starting this month featuring a special guest pulled from the world of entertainment, sports, health and business.

Chicago is home to a plateful of iconic foods. But more than anything else, Chicago is known for its hot dogs and its pizza. WTTW News explains.

Ald Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) is set to leave the City Council March 31 in order to lead the Chicago Park District, where he will oversee the city’s 600 parks and 6,000 employees.

For decades, the Presidential Management Fellows program was seen as a building block for the civil service with the expectation that the few who earned the position would one day become leaders in the federal workforce. Now the road ahead is uncertain.

Jerseys worn by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in the first NBA games of their careers could sell for millions of dollars when they go up for auction this spring.

Shohei Ohtani’s bat is ready for the Los Angeles Dodgers while Shota Imanaga has looked good on the mound for the Chicago Cubs with less than 10 days remaining before baseball’s regular-season opener in Japan.

In the last five years, voters in 33 Illinois counties have been asked if they want to consider separating from Chicago’s Cook County to form a new state. Each time, a majority said yes. Some politicians in neighboring Indiana seem up for the idea.

The funding freeze has sparked panic among grant recipients who are stranded outside their home countries without clarity on the future of their programs or the money needed to support themselves.

The monarch butterfly population has rebounded from a near record low number in 2024, according to the latest annual survey conducted by the World Wildlife Fund-Mexico.

Budget Director Annette Guzman told WTTW News the dashboard was designed to answer questions she and her team fielded during the fraught negotiations over the city’s 2025 budget.

Illinois’ prison population continues to shrink, with facilities now having a 26% vacancy rate, leading some of those inside and their advocates to question the state’s plan to build two new prisons.

“He didn’t deserve 16 shots,” said Charlotta Pritchett, Timothy Glaze’s partner of seven years. “I can’t find any justification in that.”

As part of the program, the city provides repairs, and homeowners are not required to pay back any repair costs. Registration for a chance to apply begins at 9 a.m. Monday, March 10, and runs through 5 p.m. Friday, March 21.