School funding and a crackdown on THC — the latest from Springfield. And ahead of Memorial Day weekend, we hear stories from Latinos who served in the military.

The Chicago Board of Education unanimously approved a new agreement with unionized staffers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 73.

The Chicago Sky rookie said the perception that it’s only Indiana’s Caitlin Clark that’s raising the profile of the league is misleading. The league’s had tremendous growth in attendance, TV ratings and merchandise sold already.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter confirmed the union and school district have agreed to hold open bargaining sessions that will allow community stakeholders to attend negotiations for the first time.

Allies of the mayor used a parliamentary maneuver Wednesday to prevent a vote on the nomination of the Rev. Ira Acree to serve on the board of the Regional Transportation Authority, an acknowledgment they did not have the votes to confirm the politically connected pastor.

The bill would ban the practice of holding wildlife contests that reward participants with cash, prizes or inducements for killing fur-bearing animals. Much of the floor debate centered on contests that award the killing of coyotes as a method of population control.

Since April 1, 2023, the landscaping community in Evanston has been tasked with making a drastic change for climate and noise concerns: switching from gas- or propane-powered leaf blowers to electric. But not all landscapers are feeling pressure from the ban. The largest landscaper in Evanston also filed the most complaints against fellow landscapers. 

May 23 is World Turtle Day. Sure, it’s a fake holiday, but it’s a good reason to take a closer look at the many species that make their home in northern Illinois.