A surge in COVID-19 infections prompts indoor mask mandates. Democrats and Republicans campaign at the Illinois State Fair. Officer Ella French is laid to rest. And a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has President Joe Biden on the defensive. 

The killing of a Chicago police officer highlights tension between police and the mayor. Chicago’s budget deficit shrinks. Census numbers show population growth. CPS announces a vaccine mandate.

The governor institutes a full pre-K through 12 mask mandate. The city’s casino process gets delayed. The governor’s race could get a new entrant. And fire sale Cubs take on the surging Sox.

Fears spike that Lollapalooza will be a super-spreader event, with thousands of locals and tourists attending amid surging delta variant cases. Meanwhile, masking mandates make a comeback. Illinois Republicans battle each other over the Jan. 6 committee hearings. And the Cubs shed their World Series stars.

The U.S. attorney general targets illegal guns. City Council approves civilian police oversight as shootings soar. Lollapalooza goes on despite rising COVID-19 cases. Gov. Pritzker makes it official.

A possible compromise on civilian police oversight. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg takes a Chicago infrastructure tour. And legislators whiff on ethics. 

A war of words ensues as the mayor and police chief blame the courts for the city’s violence. Joe Biden’s first stop in Illinois as president. The list of alderpeople under indictment grows. And the city pension debt swells.

Another day, another aldermanic federal indictment. The mayor coins the name “Burger King Ed,” and battles City Council over summer crime. Trump’s company gets indicted.

An iconic roadway is renamed after a chaotic City Council meeting. Tornadoes rip through the western suburbs. The mayor says violence is trending down, but the numbers don’t add up. And former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin is sentenced.

Mayor Lightfoot pushes for changes to the elected school board bill that already passed. City violence spikes again. Aldermen battle the mayor over liquor sales. And renaming Lake Shore Drive.

Remaps, school boards, ethics, budgets and more: We recap the flurry of activity in Springfield. Chicago is on track for a full reopening this month. Gov. Pritzker is coy about another term.

City officials prepare for summer violence. Lake Shore Drive name change gets a punt. Federal investigation now close to former House Speaker Madigan. And lawmakers down to the wire in Springfield.

The mayor gets mixed grades on her two-year anniversary and controversy follows her policy of offering interviews based on race. A dreaded Tribune deal goes through. And Lollapalooza will be back in full force for summer.

Illinois enters the reopening bridge phase as summer festivals are announced. Leaked emails spell trouble for the mayor. Rahm may be headed to Japan. And the sudden death of a Chicago star-architect.

Illinois is on track to open fully in June. Cultural institutions prepare for their return. High-profile political corruption cases heat up in court. And bombshell resignations both at CPS and COPA.

A current and former alderman indicted. Another police shooting video released. Trouble over renaming Lake Shore Drive after DuSable. And the Bears shock the NFL Draft and land quarterback Justin Fields.