Need a break from holiday festivities? Want a fun fact for your family get-together? WTTW News has you covered.  Theater Wit’s “Who’s Holiday!” (Credit: Charles Osgood) Is there a better way to deal with your belligerent out-of-state uncle than investing in culture that brings people together? Brighten your Black Friday — and Saturday and Sunday — by taking part in a communal experience in the arts. Preferably something that would make your uncle cry uncle.

We hope you have a lovely day of rest, good food and plenty of time with loved ones tomorrow. Before you do, read up on what’s happening in Chicago courtesy of WTTW News.  The parking lot along Wentworth Avenue in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood in October 2024. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois) Disgraced former Alderman Danny Solis took the witness stand Tuesday in Michael Madigan's corruption trial.

Thanksgiving is on the horizon. Before you take some needed rest, catch up on these local stories from WTTW News.  Chicago Police Department Headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday he would reverse deep cuts to the number of employees charged with implementing the federal court order requiring the Chicago Police Department to stop routinely violating residents’ constitutional rights, bowing to intense pressure from advocates for police reform.

Happy Monday, Chicago. Hope you’re looking forward to Thanksgiving. Here are the stories you need to know as you prep your holiday meal plan.  A southbound CTA Red Line train is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) With transit advocates hopeful the long-awaited Red Line Extension will kick off next year, the Chicago Transit Authority is racing to finalize the $1.9 billion in federal funding needed to complete the 5.6-mile project before the Biden administration leaves office.

Well, yesterday’s snow was a winter wonderland if you work from home and not ideal if you had to commute. Get cozy with these stories from WTTW News.  (Credit: Patty Wetli / WTTW News)  Patty Wetli: It’s budget season in Chicago and we tuned into Streets and Sanitation’s session in front of City Council on Wednesday. Commissioner Cole Stallard was in the hot seat for more than six hours and alderpeople peppered him with questions, only a handful of which were related to the department’s proposed 2025 budget (all $352.9 million of it).

Good morning, Chicago. Did you get snow this morning? Warm up with these essential local stories from WTTW News.  A rendering of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park proposed for the Southeast Side. (Credit: Lamar Johnson Collaborative) The push to approve a quantum computing campus at the former U.S. Steel South Works site has been moving at quantum speed, opponents say, and they want the Chicago Plan Commission to pump the brakes on the process to allow for additional community input.

A new collaboration between ProPublica and WTTW News dives into the five and a half years since CPD agreed to judicial oversight and why the consent decree has done so little for reform.  A police vehicle passes by the 12th District Chicago Police Department in Illinois on Nov. 2, 2024. (Credit: Sarahbeth Maney/ProPublica)  Chicago police agreed to judicial oversight in 2019. Over the past five years since the consent decree went into effect, CPD has complied with just 9% of its requirements.

To gain insight into the impact of prison closures, WTTW News looked back on the last prison the state shut down: Dwight Correctional Center. Read on for this and more local stories.  The administration building of Dwight Correctional Center is pictured on Sept. 19, 2024. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News) Hi, it’s Blair Paddock on WTTW News’ investigative team. I’ve spent most of the year covering prisons — specifically the impending closures and rebuilds of Stateville and Logan correctional centers.

WTTW News hopes you had a nice weekend, Chicago. Read on for an update on a Cook County osprey found in South America and a heartwarming story about a fantastic artist with an unconventional and resilient approach.

It’s the weekend, Chicago. Read on for a new column from Patty Wetli, a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a man who was incarcerated at Stateville, and more from WTTW News. 

City in a Garden: Back to the Future