It's Monday and this newsletter producer's bracket is already busted. Take a minute from college hoops to catch up on these stories from WTTW News.  Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory A federal report card gave Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory barely passing grades, continuing recent developments that included the exit of its director and a high-profile whistleblower report documenting a series of potential problems at the national laboratory.

Happy Friday! Read on for the latest on the CPS budget, transportation and a spring break travel forecast.  The National Weather Service operates 160 of these doppler radar stations, which allow forecasters to "see" the formation of tornadoes and issue warnings. (Credit: Goodvibes Photo / iStock) Patty Wetli: When I first started covering the urban nature beat at WTTW News five years ago, I wouldn’t have guessed that reporting on weather would be such a big part of the job.

It’s cold again (and snowy?). When will it end? Hope you filled out your bracket in time, Chicago. Here’s what else is happening today.  (terimakasih0 / Pixabay) Illinois students have yet to recover from pandemic-era learning losses, according to a recent study from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative that showed less than a quarter of school districts are “back to pre-pandemic levels in English language arts.” The figure is even lower for math scores.  One change Gov. J.B.

It's up and down weather this week. While it was warm and windy yesterday, it's rainy today with a chill on the horizon. Stay grounded with these stories from WTTW News.  Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses the news media on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, alongside Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione Zayas and Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski.

It’s Tuesday. Baseball is back (the Cubs lost their season opener in Tokyo this morning) and we’re filling out our March Madness brackets. Here’s what else is happening in Chicago.  Endangered sunflower sea stars — debuting at Shedd Aquarium — can grow as many as 24 arms and have as many as 15,000 tube legs. (Shedd Aquarium) A group of microscopic sunflower sea star larva arrived at Shedd Aquarium last year and have been bulking up behind the scenes ever since. Now, after growing 16,000%, they’re ready to make their public debut.

Whether you spent your weekend drinking green beer or relaxing at home, start the week with these stories from WTTW News.  An accessible pedestrian signal, or APS, at the intersection of Lincoln and Catalpa avenues on March 13, 2025. (Nick Blumberg / WTTW News) A federal judge has ordered the city of Chicago to make about 71% of its 2,713 signalized intersections with pedestrian crossings accessible to people who are blind or have low vision within 10 years – with the remainder made accessible within a further five years.

Happy Friday. It’s supposed to hit 70 degrees. Enjoy it.  Dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day is a decades-old tradition. (Tzido / iStock) Patty Wetli: The Chicago River is about to get its annual St.

Look up tonight, Chicago. There’s a total lunar eclipse and WTTW News has the details.  A file photo of workers at a COVID-19 testing site. (WTTW News) More than 1.2 million Americans have died from COVID-19. Despite having one of the most sophisticated health care systems in the world, the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic fell well short when compared to other developed nations. So, five years after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, is the United States any better prepared to weather the next pandemic?

Another day, another needed dose of sunshine this week. Read on for stories from WTTW News on COPA, funding threats to Illinois universities and more.  Andrea Kersten, chief administrator of Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, appears on “Chicago Tonight” on June 28, 2023.

It’s Tuesday. Let’s talk city jobs, monarch butterflies and cheeseburgers.  (WTTW News) Elected officials and Chicagoans concerned about the number of vacant city positions will soon have a new way of keeping track of what jobs are empty with a new database, officials announced Monday.