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.

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

Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76.

The Kansas City Royals plan to call up 45-year-old pitcher Rich Hill from the minors for a start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, marking the left-hander’s 21st season in the majors.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said.

The NASCAR Chicago Street Race, which is held downtown, originally agreed with the city to a three-year contract to host the racing event, with the option of an extension. However, the future of the event remains murky.

Whether they work with the latest digital programs or cut up old magazines with scissors, artists can turn collage into a medium of beauty, darkness and humor.

“Rosebud,” the famed wooden sled at the heart of Orson Welles’ classic 1941 movie “Citizen Kane,” has sold at auction for $14.75 million.

The vote marked the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and the White House suggested it won’t be the last. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway.

The 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment engaged in the first action of the Battle of Gettysburg, defending Union positions and delaying the advance of waves of Confederate infantry. Chicago's Rosehill Cemetery has a connection to that history.

Public television stations will be “forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,” PBS CEO Paula Kerger said Thursday, after the Senate voted in the middle of the night to approve a bill that cancels all the federal funding for the network and for NPR.

In this week’s diverse set of picks, none of the things are much like the others — except that every choice is a chance to flex and learn.

Speculation about the former first couple’s marriage has run rampant in recent months. Some of the rumors picked up steam after several public appearances where Michelle Obama did not join her husband, including President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

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

Richard Hunt created more public sculptures and monuments in the U.S. than any other artist — over 160 by the time he died in 2023. He spent more than 70 years grinding, welding and sculpting metal. A new exhibition provides an intimate look at his work.