A photo of a flyer for the 988 helpline. (Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) The Trump administration is shutting down an LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will close its specialized services program for LGBTQ+ youth on July 17.
This Monday, WTTW News has stories on a hiring scandal at a CPS high school, a new initiative to help local pollinators and more. Lane Technical College Prep High School in Chicago is pictured on June 16, 2025. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) How did a former Chicago police officer fired for sexual misconduct involving a minor and placed on a do-not-hire list end up working for Chicago Public Schools?
Happy Friday, Chicago. It’s supposed to be hot this weekend, which means it’s a perfect time to check out the Park District’s pools. They open for the season tomorrow. Cottonwood drift. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Patty Wetli: By the time you all read this, I’ll be on vacation, tooling around the American West, visiting friends and spending as much time outdoors and away from a computer as humanly possible. I’m excited to see mountains and canyons and waterfalls and sweeping vistas — all the things I tend to think of as Nature with a capital N.
Good morning, Chicago. Today, WTTW News celebrates Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States. FILE - Chelsea Andrews, of Washington, waves the Juneteenth flag during a Juneteenth celebration at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, Monday, June 19, 2023. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, file) 160 years ago, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed, following the Civil War’s end and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Happy Wednesday. Tomorrow is Juneteenth, a federal holiday. Today, we have updates on ICE's plans in Chicago, piping plovers in the northern suburbs and more. U.S. Reps. Jonathan Jackson (left) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (right) speak Tuesday, June 17, 2025, after being denied access to a South Loop ICE facility. (WTTW News) Two Illinois congressmen were turned away Tuesday from a South Loop facility run by federal immigration agents where the congressmen said residents have been summoned via “scammy” texts only to be detained by authorities. U.S.
Good morning, Chicago. The Chicago City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a contentious “Snap Curfew” measure. Plus, updates on NASCAR-related street closures and park district swimming pools. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling addresses the news media on Monday, April 28, 2025, at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Good morning, it’s Monday. WTTW News has the latest on CPD shootings, an update on Municipal IDs and how Field Museum scientists hope a space rock that fell from the sky could explain the origins of life. (WTTW News) Chicago Police Department officers shot 12 people, killing six, during the first five months of 2025, the same number of people officers shot and killed in all of 2024, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News. That toll includes six people shot by police officers in the month of May alone. Two were killed, records show.
This Friday, read up on Gov. JB Pritzker’s pointed testimony to Congress, preparations for this weekend’s protests and a reflection on local coyotes. A coyote mom with pup are pictured in a file photo. (twildlife / iStock) Patty Wetli: This week, I received an email from the fella who thinks he and his dog likely prompted Graceland Cemetery’s ban on dogs from the grounds, at least while adult coyotes on the premises were actively defending their newborn pups.
WTTW News has the latest on the tough choices facing public transit as funding stalls in Springfield. Plus, a look at a new measure on short-term rentals and more. (Rawf8 / iStock) Chicago Transit Authority Acting President Nora Leerhsen said the agency has entered a “new phase” after the Illinois General Assembly failed last month to pass a measure tackling a $770 million budget gap for Chicago-area transit.
Today, WTTW News has stories on tariffs, Lake Michigan’s water cribs and the Joffrey Ballet. Plus, live music recommendations and more. (WTTW News) Businesses are starting to feel the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect Wednesday. The Trump administration is putting a 50% tax on these metals when they’re imported from other countries. Backers say it’s an effort to protect national security and promote more domestic manufacturing, but critics say it could needlessly drive up costs.
