Stories by Abena Bediako

Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop will close Oct. 1, while a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. All of the residents will be offered space in one of the 14 shelters the city will continue to operate, officials said.

A new mural is set to be unveiled at the Chicago Public Library’s Uptown Branch across the street from the now closed Gherkin Records.

In 2008, Marcel Brown was arrested for murder at the age of 18. He spent a decade in prison before being exonerated. A federal jury awarded him a record-setting $50 million when he sued the city over his wrongful conviction.

“There wasn’t enough data there specifically about Mexicanos in Chicago,” said Jose Muñoz, CEO and executive director of La Casa Norte. “There were a lot of data sets about Latinos in general. But a lot of those conversations with the Mexican community were being lost.”

Illinois became the first state to eliminate cash bail exactly one year ago Wednesday. Supporters said the law is intended to address equity issues, while opponents feared a spike in crime. New research paints a preliminary picture.

Chicago is facing a $223 million budget gap this year, and the city is projecting a nearly $1 billion shortfall in the 2025 fiscal year.

Advocates in Illinois are pushing for higher wages and better benefits in an effort to retain child care workers. The effort comes after a center in Bronzeville recently shut its doors, the CEO says, due to a lack of staff. 

Illinois has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws. However, firearm legislation in neighboring states has a significant impact on Illinois. Despite the restrictions and regulations in place, gun trafficking still poses a problem.

From mass deportation to a pathway to citizenship, immigration has been a defining issue in this year’s presidential campaign. 

Advocates are raising concerns about the location of these facilities and the impact they will have on both those behind the prison’s walls and its employees. 

The program allows undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card and eventually citizenship without leaving the country, a process known as “parole in place.” The White House estimated about 500,000 people were eligible for the program. 

The Republican ticket of former President Donald Trump and running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is set to visit several swing states this week. While the Democratic team of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is going on a bus tour of Georgia. 

A Chicago church is launching a strategic voting initiative, bringing in local and national star power like the Rev. Al Sharpton to engage more Black voters and encourage them to coalesce around one candidate.

Vice President Kamala Harris had a whirlwind week in which she formally secured the Democratic nomination and announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. For Illinois members of the U.S. Congress, that shift will change the tenor of the convention set to hit Chicago.

Chicago is preparing to host the major event — and most importantly — keep everyone safe. Local and federal law enforcement agencies have been organizing their security details since April 2023. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women. A new state law aims to remedy that by expanding insurance coverage during and after pregnancy. 

A series of events inspired the four co-founders to start Raíces Chicago Story Coalition, a nonprofit capacity-building organization that supports archival and storytelling projects by and about Latino communities. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases started to rise the week ending May 18 and have seen a steady incline since. With the start of the new school year right around the corner — just what is the latest COVID-19 guidance?

The changes are detailed in the zoo’s $500 million Next Century Plan, which is in anticipation of the zoo’s 100th anniversary in 2034. Dr. Mike Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo, joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the plan.

Organizers and voters have already started rallying behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president. More than 40,000 Black women joined a Zoom call — with another 50,000 streaming on other platforms — this past Sunday to express their support.

Black people in Illinois are incarcerated at a rate seven and a half times higher than their White counterparts, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. And the national incarceration rate of Black people is six times the rate of White people.

The Grant Park Advisory Council voiced concerns to the Chicago Park District and the city regarding NASCAR’s contributions.