Longtime Chicago Housing Authority resident A.H. said she’s faced subpar work and maintenance issues in recent years, including a damaged living room ceiling and flooded basement. (Provided by A.H.)

One longtime CHA resident said the potential sale of her home is part of a longtime pattern of neglect and retaliation from management companies and a failure of proper oversight from the CHA — a pattern echoed by claims from four other leaseholders or resident advocates in neighborhoods around the city.

Chicago Police Department Headquarters, 3510 S Michigan Ave. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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Chicago spent $197.7 million to resolve lawsuits alleging more than 1,000 Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Of that total, $91.3 million came from settlements involving 116 officers whose conduct led to multiple payouts.

File photo of a railroad crossing. (Jared Rutecki / WTTW News)

Many of the country’s worst rail crossings are located in diverse suburbs south and southwest of Chicago

Many of the country’s worst rail crossings are located in diverse suburbs south and southwest of Chicago. Some will be helped by big construction projects while others get creative finding potential solutions.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

It took less than five months for the Chicago Police Department to exhaust the $100 million earmarked for overtime set by the Chicago City Council as part of the city’s 2023 budget, according to data obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

A company is pitching to turn the building at 62 S. Broadway in Aurora into a residential development. (WTTW News)
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A company with ties to Mayor Richard Irvin and a high-level city official is interested in developing three city-owned properties in west suburban Aurora, information obtained by WTTW News shows.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, Nikolas Rodriguez, and Laura Ayala-Clarke on the night Rodriguez says they first met.

Furniture Store Owner Laura Ayala-Clarke Denies Charges, Says Attorney is Handling Claims

Two former employees of Laura Ayala-Clarke, the girlfriend of Mayor Richard Irvin of west suburban Aurora, claim she failed to pay them for several weeks of work and isn’t running her business on the up-and-up. She recently was approved for a city grant. 

Laura’s Furniture in Aurora. (WTTW News)

A review of the grant application for Laura’s Furniture shows the company misrepresented whether it had previously received COVID-related government funding.

(WTTW News)

In 1978, Illinois shifted from an indeterminate to a determinate sentencing system — effectively eliminating parole as most people are familiar with it. Now some advocates are calling for changes to allow inmates over 55 the chance to be paroled.

(DePaul’s Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence)

Those impersonating licensed drivers can easily order counterfeit rideshare company stickers or magnetic taxi labels online. Other tactics include claiming their payment system is malfunctioning so that the ride must instead be charged on third-party payment platforms.

At last week’s council meeting, aldermen also approved an additional $8,124 grant to the Aurora Business Center on top of a $75,000 payout the company received last year. (WTTW News)

The owners of two Aurora companies — a furniture store and an office building — are in personal relationships with top city officials, WTTW News has found. An analysis of campaign finance records also uncovered that a majority of recent donations to Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign fund are from people doing business with or getting incentives from the city.

An Institute of the Islamic Education building in Elgin is pictured, with the home occupied by Mohammad Saleem to the right. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

A brief exchange was all it took for convicted sexual predator and faith leader to be granted permission to live within feet of a school — something not normally permitted under Illinois’ sex offender laws.

Pontiac Correctional Center (WTTW News)

The conditions that come with Pontiac Correctional Center’s age are just part of the reason inmates and advocates call it inhumane. Another reason is the climate inside. WTTW News details the issues facing the maximum security prison. 

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Advocates for Latino Chicagoans told WTTW News that they believe Lightfoot failed to fulfill promises to ensure those she chose to lead city departments and to serve on city panels represented the city’s racial and ethnic diversity.

(WTTW News)

DCFS gained more than 100 employees between 2021 and 2022. Public health employees declined.

WTTW News analyzed state salary data and found some departments got smaller or had a noticeable uptick in employees leaving. Even in agencies that grew, employee churn was evident. We walk you through the numbers. 

Jedi Rucizka, 2, of Chicago, was hospitalized for lead poisoning. (WTTW News)

Paint containing lead has been outlawed in Chicago since 1978, but a WTTW News investigation has found the vast majority of Chicago’s housing stock still contains potentially toxic levels of the substance.

An overturned rail car is pictured at the crash site in East Palestine, Ohio. (Environmental Protection Agency)
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Federal data show 272 hazardous materials releases involving trains in Illinois in the last decade. Predicting when and where environmental problems will manifest is difficult, but the risk is real.