The cubs were named in partnership with Maasai lion guardians in Tanzania. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first City Council meeting since losing her reelection bid. How the next mayor of Chicago should think about public safety. A train merger approved despite opposition. And the art of tattooing.

Tattooing is a skill Ryan Henry taught himself nearly 14 years ago. It was about halfway through his career that Henry garnered national attention when his artwork was showcased on the show “Black Ink Crew Chicago.”

The proposal requires human service organizations that contract with the city and have more than 20 employees to agree not to fight efforts by their employees to unionize as long as workers agree not to disrupt the company’s operations while they organize.

Fresh endorsements in the race for Chicago mayor. The trial of the so-called "ComEd Four" is underway. And police Superintendent David Brown prepares to step down. Our politics team weighs in on those stories and more.

The voters of Chicago have spoken, and the message is loud and clear: The next mayor needs new strategies to reduce crime. The two contenders for Chicago’s mayoral runoff, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson, have differing views on how to address crime and violence.

“This is providing the means for us to collaborate not only within the Chicagoland area but to really make a difference in biodiversity hot spots across the globe,” said Chuck Knapp, vice president of conservation research at Shedd Aquarium.

Opening statements in the trial of the “ComEd Four” — who are accused of illegally currying favor with former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan — began Wednesday.

The Surface Transportation Board approved the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. Illinois congressional members and transit agencies previously expressed opposition to the move.

Drivers who park their cars in dedicated bicycle and bus lanes, as well as crosswalks, bus stops and no parking zones, will be ticketed if the infraction is captured by city cameras mounted on poles and on the front of buses and other city vehicles, officials said.

The proposal would launch the pilot program in dense neighborhoods and those pockmarked by vacant lots.

The ComEd bribery trial gets underway. The state’s high court hears challenges to the no-cash-bail bill that’s been put on hold. And debating NASCAR and other events closing Grant Park for most of the summer.

Coal ash, the byproduct created when plants burn coal for power, contains potentially dangerous materials like arsenic, mercury and cadmium that can endanger nearby water supplies. Since coal-fired power plants use a lot of water to keep their equipment cool, they’re often near bodies of water like Lake Michigan.

Grant Park could potentially be closed to the public for 40 days for July's NASCAR Chicago Street Race, including event setup and teardown. That's just one of many events blocking free access to the park this summer.

Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas’ plan to reverse decades of disinvestment on the South and West sides of Chicago focuses on the creation of an independent community development authority that would limit tChicago City Council members’ control of zoning in their wards.