Voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide Chicago's first mayoral runoff since the city changed to a nonpartisan election system. They'll also decide who will represent 18 wards in the City Council, and some incumbents could be thrown out. We analyze the mayoral and aldermanic races with a panel of political experts.

The two mayoral candidates vote early, along with a record number of Chicago voters. Do the early voting numbers bode well for one candidate over another? We have the latest details.

Could spiking crime numbers hurt Mayor Rahm Emanuel's re-election chances one week from the April 7 runoff? According to challenger Jesús "Chuy" García, the uptick in homicides mean that "Rahm has not prioritized public safety." On Wednesday, García said "the numbers look really grim" and that if he is elected mayor, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy would have to go. We have the details.

Late last month, the Illinois Legislature passed a stopgap budget fix to plug a $1.6 billion deficit and avoid running out of money before the end of Fiscal Year 2015. With Fiscal Year 2016 starting July 1, the legislature is focused on refining the budget proposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner in February. We discuss where budget negotiations are with a panel of lawmakers.

Ald. James Cappleman was elected in 2011 as a candidate for change. The former social worker, who is one of the Chicago City Council's openly gay members, has been heavily supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's PAC in his re-election bid. He's facing an April runoff against lawyer Amy Crawford, who is also openly gay.

We share what you had to say about our mayoral runoff forum in tonight's viewer feedback.

Chicago mayoral candidates Rahm Emanuel and Jesús "Chuy" García gave a brief news conference following the forum.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenger Jesús "Chuy" García went head-to-head in a live forum hosted by Phil Ponce and live streamed at wttw.com.

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth announced she will run for Senate in 2016 against incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk. 

Indiana's passage of a so-called religious freedom law has sparked an angry backlash from those who assert that it gives license to businesses to discriminate against same-sex couples on religious grounds. Already there has been a massive backlash against the law, with leaders of business—including Apple's CEO Tim Cook—decrying the law.

First-term Ald. John Arena, a member of the City Council's Progressive Caucus and a frequent thorn in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's side, faces a runoff rematch with Chicago Police Lt. John Garrido in the race to represent the northwest side's 45th Ward.

We share what you had to say about Jesse Jackson Jr.'s release from prison, contract negotiations between CPS and CTU, and Chicago's urban coyotes in tonight's viewer feedback.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists continue their conversation online with a discussion of journalists appearing in political advertising.  

Two local men were arrested on charges of aiding the ISIS terror group.

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been released from a federal prison in Alabama after his 2013 conviction for tax evasion and misuse of campaign funds. His next stop will be a halfway house, likely located in the Washington, D.C. area.

First-term Ald. Michele Smith is fighting to keep her Lincoln Park aldermanic seat in a bitter battle with challenger Caroline Vickrey. They go head to head.