Stories by Alexandra Silets

President Joe Biden attempts to save his campaign. And heading into the Republican National Convention, the state GOP names a new chair.

A New York jury finds Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts. What’s in the state’s biggest-ever budget. And is Chicago ready for this summer’s DNC?

Chicago City Council votes to end tipped minimum wage. The escalating migrant crisis exposes a city divided on what to do. And Northwestern’s fired head football coach sues his former employer.

Meet Ellis Chesbrough, Chicago’s first city engineer and designer of the water delivery system we still use today. WTTW News Explains how water cribs work out on Lake Michigan. 

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) is sponsoring a Chicago ordinance that would eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers. The proposal has the backing of Mayor Brandon Johnson.

The Chicago Bears kick off the season Sunday by taking on the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Former Bears tight end Emery Moorehead, a member of the 1985 Super Bowl championship team, joined “Chicago Tonight” to preview the season.

To fully fund renovations without direct taxpayer subsidies, Northwestern University said it needs revenue from at least six concerts. Many Evanston neighbors, however, are pushing back on that proposal. The issue is so divisive that a City Council meeting this week is expected to last several days.

In May, four of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s allies were found guilty on all charges of conspiring to bribe the former speaker to shepherd and pass ComEd’s legislative agenda. Madigan’s former chief of staff, Tim Mapes, was convicted last week of lying to federal prosecutors to protect “the boss.”

Chicago Public Schools’ first day of school saw a wave of new Spanish-speaking students who arrived in Chicago after seeking asylum in the United States. Those migrant students are dealing with both trauma and language barriers.

Larry Snelling gets Mayor Johnson’s nod to lead the Chicago Police Department. Illinois Democrats and Republicans call each other out at the state fair. And the playoff-contending Cubs walk all over the bottom-feeding Sox.

Mayor Brandon Johnson set to select a new police chief. Nobody gets in to see the wizard, according to a federally charged top Madigan aide. State Supreme Court rules on assault weapons. And the sinking Sox.

The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline reported a 9% uptick in contacts received between 2020 and 2021, according to The Network for Advocating Against Domestic Violence 2021 annual report. With those grim statistics, Illinois lawmakers hope updates to domestic violence laws will help survivors of abuse.

Trump arraigned on four felony counts tied to Jan. 6. Mayor Johnson defends police response to teenage troublemakers last weekend. Northwestern hires the former U.S. attorney general. And Cubs bat the team into playoff contention.

Chicago mourns the loss of Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz. Northwestern hit with more lawsuits. The city strikes peace with labor unions ahead of the 2024 DNC. And Mayor Johnson meets again with the Bears.

Northwestern players speak out as lawsuits multiply against the beleaguered athletics program. State prosecutors get ready to eliminate cash bail as state Supreme Court upholds law. Chicago City Council addresses snowy winter sidewalks. And remembering Tony Bennett.

The new president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition says he’s learned so much from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. that he’s basically a graduate of University of Jesse Jackson Sr. The Rev. Frederick Haynes III is only sort of kidding.

Teen girls are in crisis. Research found nearly 40% of girls studied in Chicago high schools are experiencing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as anxiety and depression from exposure to violence.

Allegations of sexual misconduct by Chicago police against migrants housed at a West Side station. The future of NASCAR in Chicago. And Mayor Brandon Johnson’s blueprint for the city’s future.

Chicago buckles down for this weekend’s NASCAR race. City residents choke down the world’s worst air quality. The president visits Chicago amid a major week of Supreme Court rulings. And Connor Bedard becomes a Hawk.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, says since profits from events go to the Chicago Park District’s general operations fund, the financial gains from Riot Fest don’t help his constituents directly. He has proposed a 2% community benefits tax.

Trump arraigned on historic 37-count federal indictment, and turns it into a political fundraising opportunity. City Council grills NASCAR officials as street closures pile up. And another bombshell political corruption conviction.

Most of the car companies manufacturing electric vehicles, a quickly growing market, have dropped AM radio from new vehicles. Because more than 40% of all radio listening is done in cars, there has been major pushback to the growing lack of AM access.

The state of Illinois’ reparations commission, known as the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission, is hard at work on a daunting mission.

More than 450 Catholic clerics and religious brothers abused nearly 2,000 children across six Illinois dioceses, according to a multi-year investigation from the state’s attorney general’s office, a total significantly higher than what the church itself had reported previously.

The Bears look beyond Chicago and Arlington Heights. Emotions run high over aid for asylum seekers. And back from the brink on a debt ceiling.

Tempers and emotions flared at Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting over the vote to use $51 million for migrants who are struggling to find shelter and food in the city.