Stories by Nick Blumberg

A federal judge has sharp questions about the handling of the “Broadview Six” prosecution. And the White Sox win a playoff series for the first time in more than 20 years.

Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600 announced Thursday they will begin their strike Oct. 19, days after 96% of its voting members said they were in favor of a work stoppage.

Through the first three quarters of 2026, Chicago is on pace for fewer homicides than it recorded in 2025, a year that closed with the city’s fewest recorded killings in 60 years.

Hiring dropped from a revised 133,000 in August, the Labor Department said. The unemployment rate rose to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1% in August.

Potential wrongdoing in Chicago’s U.S. Attorney’s Office — will a special prosecutor investigate? And the Sox sweep, but the Cubs stumble.

Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable was already looking ahead just minutes after his team won its first playoff series in 21 years by sweeping the Houston Astros in their AL Wild Card Series.

Early voting for the November general election kicked off Thursday at two locations in downtown Chicago, with more early voting locations across the city expected to open later this month.

A federal judge has not yet ruled on whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate possible wrongdoing by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office in the botched “Broadview Six” case. But the judge does intend to conduct additional fact-finding.

Gov. JB Pritzker met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and businessman Pat Ryan, who owns a stake in the Chicago Bears, on Thursday in what the governor’s office described as a “productive meeting” focused on keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been ordered not to engage in high-speed car chases and to make vehicle stops only if they have completed specific training, under new internal guidance.

The vote comes after journalists at the suburban newspaper announced efforts in August to form a union following the layoffs of a dozen staffers. The layoffs occurred less than two months after the publication was acquired by Tribune Publishing.

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has announced its annual search for the city’s official Christmas tree, which will be the centerpiece of holiday celebrations in Millennium Park.

Chicago taxpayers should pay more than $260.8 million to 17 men who spent more than 383 years in prison after they were coerced into confessing to crimes by a disgraced former Chicago police detective, city lawyers recommended.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

A Chicago-based law firm is suing current and former Trump administration officials in connection with the death of Renee Good, whose fatal shooting in Minneapolis early this year sparked nationwide protests against the president’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts.

This one-time crown jewel of Chicago’s movie palaces has sat empty for decades amidst multiple attempts to revive the dormant, 101-year-old theater and restore it to its former glory.

Chicago taxpayers have already spent at least $52 million since the start of 2026 to settle nine lawsuits brought by people who were injured or on behalf of those killed during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

Changes to Medicaid eligibility take effect Thursday, impacting about 9,300 lawfully present immigrants in Illinois. Refugees, survivors of human trafficking and people who have been granted asylum are among those no longer covered.

Some immigrants are set to lose Medicaid coverage this week — a look at the impact in Illinois. And can universities do more to support survivors of sexual assault?

Sexual assault on college campuses is making headlines across the country. A former student at Cornell University filed a lawsuit earlier this month accusing the school and local law enforcement of mishandling her report alleging she was gang raped in a fraternity house for hours.

The scammers also planned for a second $272,000 drop, telling her to hand over the gold to a federal agent who would give the code word ‘poker queen.’ This time, she called their bluff.

The new 1.5-mile dedicated bus lane will be installed on northbound Michigan Avenue between Roosevelt Road and Wacker Drive in an effort to reduce delays along the downtown corridor, the city announced Wednesday.

The U.S. can deport the leader of Wisconsin’s largest mosque — an outspoken advocate of Palestinian rights — on the grounds that he is a threat to national security, an immigration judge ruled.

With Republicans struggling to overcome President Donald Trump’s low standing, Democrats are on the offensive. In the midst of such confidence, however, Democrats are ignoring glaring vulnerabilities that threaten to undermine the unstoppable blue wave they say is coming.

The Chicago Park District is grappling with a new state law governing the use of e-bikes and other micromobility devices.

Former Chicago Board of Education vice president Sendhil Revuluri is ending his campaign to become the board’s first-ever elected president, blaming “special-interest cash” for blocking out the “voices of real Chicagoans.”