City leaders present a united front on crime. Competition from all corners this election year. And tackling the Bears’ new hires.

In a statement released by her office to WTTW News on Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said a collaboration would not be possible until Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans acknowledges the courts “part in making Chicago neighborhoods less safe.”

The meeting will include three members of the City Council’s Black Caucus, three members of the Latino Caucus and three other members of the City Council. Harris, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s floor leader, is a member of the Black Caucus.

During a speech to the Union League Club of Chicago, Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans said he would assign five additional judges to the criminal division of the Cook County Court in an effort to ensure that cases progress from charges to resolution faster. 

In a White House ceremony marking a moment of national transition, President Joe Biden praised retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, who will have spent nearly 28 years on the high court by the time he leaves at the end of the term, as “a model public servant at a time of great division in this country.”

The Chicago Fire soccer team unveiled plans Thursday to transform 30 acres of vacant land on the city’s Near West Side into a training facility.

Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan blasted Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s public safety strategy as a complete failure on Wednesday during a speech to the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, the clearest sign yet that he may be gearing up to run for mayor of Chicago in 2023.

“We have paid as a city, as taxpayers, an unbelievable heavy toll for [Burge’s] crimes,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, giving Presoemt Joe Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency.

An amendment to the Park District’s code has been submitted to formally create the Office of Prevention and Accountability. The public can take a look at the language and comment within the next 45 days on whether it hits or misses the mark.

The first campaign salvo by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin erroneously claims he deserves credit for “calling out” the Illinois National Guard once protests turned violent on June 1 and falsely claims that Chicago officials “did nothing to stop looting.”

Wednesday marks two weeks since Chicago Public Schools students returned to class — after a standoff between the teachers’ union and the district over COVID-19 protocols resulted in canceled classes. Union leadership already has another fight on its hands.

Ukraine’s leaders sought Tuesday to reassure the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and received a shipment of U.S. military equipment to shore up their defenses.

City Council members have yet to redraw the city's ward maps. They’re contending with a controversial ordinance to go after street gangs’ profits. And, the city’s watchdog released two reports on a botched smokestack demolition and a wrongful police raid, while the city's without a permanent inspector general.

The Little Village arch is the first structure designed by a Mexican American architect to get landmark status in Chicago, officials said. 

An investigative report from the Office of Congressional Ethics released Monday detailed a “substantial reason to believe” that Newman promised federal employment to a political opponent.