Stories by Blake Thor

Join WTTW as we launch our Firsthand: Democracy initiative. We explore the state of civic participation and hear how some Chicagoans are working to strengthen democracy.

The Reader was recently acquired by Noisy Creek, a startup publishing company based in Washington state focused on acquiring and restoring troubled alternative news sources.

The blitz is on as Indiana pushes to become the new home of the Chicago Bears. State lawmakers there are considering Senate Bill 27, which would allow a government authority to buy land and finance the construction of a new NFL stadium.

The Chicago City Council will vote Feb. 18 on a proposal that would allow the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to investigate whether CPD officers have violated city law by helping federal immigration agents.

The Chicago Bears’ season officially ended Sunday in an overtime thriller against the Los Angeles Rams, but the saga of the team’s future home is still playing out.

Peoples Gas is asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a $202 million rate increase, while Nicor Gas is seeking its own rate hike of $221 million.

The Cinderella season continues as “Da Bears” gear up for a divisional round showdown against the Rams on Sunday. Caleb Williams and company kept their Super Bowl hopes alive against the Green Bay Packers last Saturday, overcoming an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Illinois and Minnesota officials are separately suing the Trump administration over the enforcement tactics used by federal immigration agents. The lawsuits seek broader limits on the conduct of immigration agents in both states.

Will it be “Bear Down” or Bears down and out? That’s what fans are wondering as the Chicago Bears head into the postseason against none other than their archrival Green Bay Packers.

Students at 32 Illinois Full-Service Community Schools returned from winter break to major changes, after 708 school programs were discontinued and 277 staff were laid off beginning in mid-December.

Administration officials say Maduro’s capture was a law enforcement action that merely used military resources and therefore did not require congressional approval, referencing a drug trafficking indictment issued by the Department of Justice in March.

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.

For many Latino families and business owners, everyday routines became suddenly complicated with the added fear of masked federal agents patrolling neighborhood streets, often in unmarked vehicles.

Judge Debra Ann Seaton denied a 60-day extension request saying “it would be inhumane for this court not to relocate people as quickly as possible,” citing gas leaks and plumbing issues. Many residents said they had nowhere to go.

A group of alderpeople led by 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn is pushing an ordinance to ban the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products in Chicago.

The proposal has drawn pushback from the nursing community, which argues the reclassification could limit students’ financial access to advanced nursing degrees.

Chicago Budget Director Annette Guzman joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the budget negotiations.

Alds. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), William Hall (6th Ward) and Bill Conway (34th Ward) joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the ongoing budget negotiations. Here’s a snapshot of where they stand.

Author and historian Jill Lepore’s new book examines the political gridlock that has left many voters disillusioned with both parties and skeptical of the government’s ability to solve problems. She suggests more frequent changes to the constitutional system as a possible alternative.

The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month.

Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed, with thousands more still on the job without pay. Programs like SNAP are set to run dry of funding come Saturday.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, released a statement on immigration last week. “Let me be clear. The Church stands with migrants,” Cupich said. Here’s where four more of Chicago’s faith leaders stand on the issue.

Budget negotiations between members of the Chicago City Council have accelerated following Mayor Brandon Johnson’s initial proposal, which he unveiled last week.

“The Gales of November” takes a look back at the SS Edmund Fitzgerald nearly 50 years after its sinking. The 729-foot Great Lakes freighter sank in Lake Superior during a strong storm, killing all 29 crew members.

About 4.8 million people are expected to lose their Affordable Care Act coverage in 2026 if Congress does not extend a set of enhanced subsidies created under the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. That includes about 100,000 people in Illinois.

The federal government entered its sixth day of a shutdown Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of employees furloughed.