Stories by Nick Blumberg

We’re looking ahead to the stories likely to shape 2026 — from immigration enforcement and midterm elections to Chicago’s budget struggles and a new school board.

Of the pregnancy-related deaths that occurred in 2021 and 2022, committees found 91% could have been prevented.

On an icy January evening in 1963, a Cessna returning from Florida crashed into a brick ranch home across from Luther North High School in Portage Park. Four people were killed, including the pilot’s wife and young daughter. The crash left a lasting memory in the neighborhood.

Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that he’s removing the Guard troops for now. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!” he wrote.

Chicagoans will get a small break on their grocery bills but be forced to pony up to cover a host of tax and fee hikes that a deeply divided Chicago City Council approved to fill a massive budget shortfall over the objections of Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Chicago may see its fewest homicides in years. And residents are calling for a referendum on the new quantum campus.

The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park is set to become the largest quantum development in the United States. Some Southeast Side residents have voiced concerns over gentrification, environmental impacts and energy use.

Flu activity in suburban Cook County jumped from “low” to “high” during the week ending in Dec. 20, according to health officials. Chicago’s public health department reported “high” levels of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for flu late last week.

Illinois lawmakers responded to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrant communities with new legal protections for students and guidelines for schools that will take effect Jan. 1. Lawmakers also focused on the use of AI in education.

President Donald Trump, whose loss of the House halfway through his first term led to two impeachments, is trying to keep history from repeating — and doing so in ways his opponents say are intended to manipulate next year’s election landscape.

More artists have canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center following the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the facility.

With only a handful of days left before the calendar turns to 2026, Chicago is on pace to see its lowest homicide total since at least 2014.

New laws are taking effect in the new year — what you should know. And America’s fight for independence is documented in a new series.

The Intuit Art Museum in West Town champions the work of self-taught artists, those who create art outside of the mainstream art world. “Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago” has been extended through March 22.

Previous winners include “Mrs. O’Leary’s Plow,” “Casimir Plowaski” and “Snower Wacker.”

The festivities will take place along the Chicago Riverwalk at Wacker Drive from Wells Street to Lake Street, with a main stage located at Wacker and Franklin, officials said.

It is not the first time the state and federal government have been entangled in litigation relating to immigration policy.

The money is a small fraction of what the U.S. has contributed in the past but reflects what the administration believes is a generous amount that will maintain the United States’ status as the world’s largest humanitarian donor.

Supporters of the gunshot detection system said it helped officers save lives when shootings were not reported to emergency services. ShotSpotter was never used to dispatch paramedics.

We’re looking back at the stories that defined 2025 — from a massive immigration crackdown and congressional musical chairs to city budget battles and a hometown Holy Father.

Kwanzaa has become a nationally recognized celebration of African culture and community in the United States since its founding in 1966 and also is celebrated in countries with large African descendant populations.

Nearly 300 new Illinois laws will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Chicago is once again hosting collection sites for real trees at 27 locations around the city, Jan. 3-17.

Revisiting some of our favorite conversations that we've had on "Chicago Tonight" this year.

The mayor lets the budget he objects to go into effect. And a Chicagoan wins CNN’s Hero of the Year Award.

Quilen Blackwell, whose nonprofit Southside Blooms transforms vacant lots on Chicago’s South Side into flower farms that employ at-risk young people, is the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year.