(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

CPS officials on Thursday announced that the district’s 20th day enrollment, which serves as the official tally for the academic year, had risen by about 0.4% up to 323,291 students. That marks the first increase in student population in 12 years.

Joyce Chapman (City of Chicago)

“Chicago will miss her fighting spirit and her public service,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “I pray for her family during this trying time and send my deepest condolences to her friends, colleagues and loved ones.”

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis speaks to the crowd at an opening ceremony for the court's new learning center. (Peter Hancock / Capitol News Illinois)

Displays offer insight into role of judicial branch

“We’re very excited about it,” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said in an interview. “It tells the story about the Illinois court system from 1818 to today.”

UIC campus file photo. (WTTW News)

The goal of the Latino Research Initiative is to become a data hub for community groups, policy-makers and others.

(WTTW News)
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The front lawn of the Museum of Science and Industry nearly erupted as 90 volcanoes shot off in celebration of the Chicago institution’s 90th birthday. 

(WTTW News)
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“Many educators have been pushing for this for a long time, particularly adoptive parents, so I’m glad that this is moving forward,” board member Elizabeth Todd-Breland said during Wednesday's agenda review committee meeting.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Following years and years of declining enrollment, Chicago Public Schools officials believe the number of students currently attending district schools is in line with totals from the same time last year.

Children and instructors at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning. (Erica Gunderson / WTTW News)

Every year, the Carole Robertson Center for Learning holds ceremonies and social justice activities in remembrance of Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol McNair — the four little girls killed in a 1963 white supremacist attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

(WTTW News)
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A combination of economic factors, health access and misinformation pushed childhood vaccination figures down to dangerous levels in recent years for many illnesses, including measles, experts said.

Dr. Juan Mendoza (left) is a professor, protein engineer and computational biologist at the University of Chicago. (WTTW News)

This year, Juan Mendoza was named a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which funds efforts to bring more scientists from diverse backgrounds into scientific institutions. Mendoza said he got right to work on recruiting.

File photo of a child in a classroom. (WTTW News)

A report from the Century Foundation shows that without pandemic-era federal funding, thousands of providers would no longer be able to hire and pay staff, meaning rapid shutdowns in families with small children fending for themselves.

After his son (right) died, photographer Jose Refugio “Fugie” Almanza created a scholarship fund. (Provided)

After photographer Jose Refugio “Fugie” Almanza tragically lost his 12-year-old son, Almanza sought to turn his pain into purpose. He founded the Joseph Jr. Scholarship Foundation, which aims to help Latinos fund their college educations.

(WTTW News)
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In a letter sent this week, Reinberg Elementary principal Edwin Loch informed parents and families that a staffer has been pulled from the school following an allegation that they “engaged inappropriately with a student.”

(WTTW News)

The tentative agreement, announced late Wednesday, came just as educators at the city’s only privately managed, public arts high school were set to go on strike.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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“Pandemic relief fraud by CPS employees causes significant reputational harm to CPS and diminishes trust in the school district,” The Office of Inspector General wrote in the report.

Three people sit with a sign at a Campbell County, Wyo., Library Board meeting, July 23, 2023, in Gillette, Wyo. (Ed Glazar / Gillette News Record via AP)
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This summer, the state libraries in Montana, Missouri and Texas and the local library in Midland, Texas, announced they’re leaving the ALA, with possibly more to come. Right-wing lawmakers in at least nine other states demand similar action.