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A protester faces a line of police officers in Chicago on Saturday, May 30, 2020. (Hugo Balta / WTTW News)

Taxpayers Spent at Least $5.6M to Settle, Defend Lawsuits Accusing CPD Officers of Misconduct During Protests, Unrest in 2020: Analysis

Nearly $2 million of that toll went to pay private lawyers to defend the conduct of CPD officers from late May until mid-August 2020, one of the most tumultuous periods in Chicago history, according to records obtained by WTTW News.

Protesters pause at the 76th Street overpass on the Dan Ryan Expressway on July 7, 2018. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)

New Bill Would Make It a Felony for Protesters to Block Major Roads in Illinois

Former president Donald Trump, center, awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Trump Tried to ‘Corrupt’ the 2016 Election, Prosecutor Alleges as Hush Money Trial Gets Underway

President Donald Trump delivers remarks on Medicare at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019, in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

Not Just Ukraine: Trump Now Calls for China to Probe Bidens

Oct 3, 2019 | Associated Press
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., listens at a news conference with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as House Democrats move ahead in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

Schiff: Trump’s ‘Rant’ Reinforces Urgency of Impeachment Inquiry

Oct 3, 2019 | Amanda Vinicky
(Belova59 / Pixabay)

Researchers Develop Blood Tests to Detect Diabetic Complications, Cancer

Oct 3, 2019 | Kristen Thometz
A new abortion clinic is quietly being built by Planned Parenthood in Fairview Heights, Illinois, just 12 miles across the Mississippi River east of St. Louis, as Missouri women concerned about the uncertain future of a St. Louis clinic flock across the state line. (AP Photo / Jim Salter)

New Abortion Clinic Being Built in Illinois, Near St. Louis

Oct 3, 2019 | Associated Press
A Divvy docking station in the Chicago’s West Loop. (Tony Webster / Flickr)

Lyft Blocks Bike-Sharing Access on Popular App – But Chicago Riders Won’t Be Affected

Oct 2, 2019 | Nick Blumberg
In this June 5, 2014, file photo, a man makes a submarine sandwich with mortadella, cooked salami, ham, Genoa salami and sweet capicola at a delicatessen in Massachusetts. (AP Photo / Elise Amendola, File)

How Risky is Eating Red Meat? New Papers Provoke Controversy

Oct 2, 2019 | Associated Press

Spotlight Politics: Watchdog Releases Sexual Harassment Report

Oct 2, 2019 | Amanda Vinicky
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey speaks with WTTW News on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.

Chicago Teachers Union Sets Oct. 17 Date for Strike If No Deal Reached

Oct 2, 2019 | Brandis Friedman
Naomi Klein appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Oct. 2, 2019.

Naomi Klein on the ‘Burning Case’ for a Green New Deal

Oct 2, 2019 | Quinn Myers
A southbound Metra Electric District train departs 79th Street station. (vxla / Flickr)

Lightfoot, Preckwinkle Clash Over Metra Electric Proposal

Oct 2, 2019 | Alexandra Silets
(WTTW News)

Crain’s Headlines: TV Ratings Show Drop in Cubs’ Popularity

Oct 2, 2019 | WTTW News
Dr. May Berenbaum, professor of entomology and head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois (Courtesy University of Illinois)

Fearing the ‘Insect Apocalypse’? Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

Oct 2, 2019 | Alex Ruppenthal
(Couleur / Pixabay)

10 Things to Do This Weekend: Oct. 3-6

Oct 2, 2019 | Kristen Thometz
South lion at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Heather Paul / Flickr)

Ask Geoffrey: The History of the Art Institute Lions

Oct 2, 2019 | Quinn Myers
Unpublished work © 2017 The Estate of Vivian Maier. All rights reserved.

Vivian Maier Photos, Artifacts Donated to University of Chicago

Oct 2, 2019 | Marc Vitali
From left: Scott Parkinson, Stef Tovar, David Parkes, Jed Feder and Bri Sudia in TimeLine Theatre Company’s “Oslo.” (Photo by Brett Beiner Photography)

‘Oslo’ An Enthralling Exploration of How Personal Diplomacy (Almost) Worked

Oct 2, 2019 | Hedy Weiss
Attorney Jed Stone, center, speaks during a news conference Wednesday discussing his new petition for Marni Yang's freedom. He is surrounded by Yang's children, left, Andrew and Emily, and her father Larry Merar. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)

New Evidence Will Clear Marni Yang of Gruesome 2007 Murder, Attorneys Claim

Yang convicted of killing Rhoni Reuter, pregnant girlfriend of former Chicago Bears star Shaun Gayle

Oct 2, 2019 | Matt Masterson
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets the media in Rome, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. (AP Photo / Andrew Medichini)

Pompeo Acknowledges He was on Trump Call at Center of Probe

Oct 2, 2019 | Associated Press

Free Art Collections at CPS Based on Unique ‘Art Subscription’ Model

Oct 1, 2019 | Angel Idowu
SEIU Local 73 members gather at City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. (WTTW News)

Teachers, Support Staff, Park District: A City on Triple Strike?

Oct 1, 2019 | Amanda Vinicky
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence participate in an Armed Forces welcome ceremony for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

Pompeo, Democrats Trade Intimidation Charges in Trump Probe

Oct 1, 2019 | Associated Press
In this July 29, 2019 file photo, Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for President Donald Trump, wipes his forehead as he listens to Trump speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

House Democrats Subpoena Giuliani in Trump Impeachment Probe

Oct 1, 2019 | Associated Press
(JonKline / Pixabay)

Crain’s Headlines: US Manufacturing at 10-Year Low

Oct 1, 2019 | WTTW News
Troy LaRaviere appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Oct. 1, 2019.

As Teachers Strike Looms, Principals Group Says CPS Misrepresented Its Views

Oct 1, 2019 | Nick Blumberg
Mars visualization with satellite imagery overlay. (Kevin Gill / Flickr)

Elon Musk Unveils Prototype for Mars Rocket

Oct 1, 2019 | Paul Caine
This June 6, 2017 file photo shows an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly after a news conference about deaths from fentanyl exposure, at DEA Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Watchdog Finds DEA was ‘Slow to Respond’ to Opioid Epidemic

Oct 1, 2019 | Associated Press
New sensory features allow Field Museum visitors to smell the rotting-flesh stench of Sue the T. Rex’s breath. (Martin Baumgaertner / Field Museum)

You Can Now Smell Sue the T. Rex’s Breath at the Field Museum

Oct 1, 2019 | Alex Ruppenthal
(Freestocks-photos / Pixabay)

‘Help is Here’: Statewide Campaign Aims to Reach People Who Use Drugs

Oct 1, 2019 | Kristen Thometz
Rebecca Spence in “Every Brilliant Thing.” (Photo credit: Michael Brosilow)

In ‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ A List Becomes a Reminder of Why Life is Worth Living

Oct 1, 2019 | Hedy Weiss
(Thomas Hawk / Flickr)

Man Falsely Convicted of 1993 Murder Says He Was Framed by Former Police Detective

Oct 1, 2019 | Matt Masterson
This July 4, 2010 file photo shows American opera singer Jessye Norman performing on the Stravinski Hall stage at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland. (AP Photo / Keystone / Dominic Favre, File)

Jessye Norman, International Opera Star, Dead at 74

Oct 1, 2019 | Associated Press
(SeaweedJeezus / Pixabay)

Cannabis Tourism: Will Legalized Marijuana Bring Reefer Madness to Illinois?

Sep 30, 2019 | Andrea Guthmann