Stories by Eunice Alpasan

Emmett Till was a Black teenager from Chicago who was abducted, tortured and killed in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a White woman in Mississippi. Till was 14 years old. Following Till’s murder, his mother insisted on an open casket funeral to show his mutilated body.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office will provide blue envelopes free of charge at DMV facilities and participating law enforcement agencies across the state, according to Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. The statewide blue envelope program officially launches January 1, 2027.

State and local health officials have still not identified a cause or source behind the higher number of cyclosporiasis cases the state and the city is seeing compared to previous years. The disease, which can cause frequent and watery diarrhea, is spread by consuming contaminated food or water.

Mobile vaccination clinics will be held at community events and back-to-school fairs throughout suburban Cook County through mid-October. Vaccines for those ages 6 months to 18 years old will be provided at no cost, regardless of immigration or insurance status.

An outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasitic infection has hit more than half of U.S. states, including in Illinois, which has 194 confirmed and probable cases as of Monday.

Advocates gathered in the Back of the Yards to sound the alarm over an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on the Southwest Side, including in the nearby neighborhoods of Gage Park and Brighton Park.

The memorial aims to honor the more than 125 Black men, women and children who were tortured by disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, and the officers under his command, on Chicago’s South Side from the 1970s to 1990s.

Johnson Products Company became the first Black-owned business listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1971 and was a national sponsor of the hit television show “Soul Train.”

Nee began her career as a nurse, and later became an interventional cardiologist, treating complex and high-risk heart conditions, according to a biography. While working at Hines VA Hospital, Nee spoke out about failures in patient care that put veterans at risk.

O’Hare’s busiest day of the six-day holiday travel period is expected to be Sunday, when more than 300,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport.

Pavement failures, buckling and blowouts can occur with little warning during periods of prolonged heat and humidity, resulting in uneven driving surfaces, according to IDOT.

A divided Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in a 6-3 ruling Tuesday, striking down President Donald Trump’s executive order that claimed children born in the U.S. to people who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not U.S. citizens.

“We encourage you to review your paycheck to ensure you’re being paid the appropriate wage,” Cook County Department of Human Rights and Ethics Executive Director Jennifer King said.

Dangerous heat and humidity are expected this week, particularly Monday through Wednesday with high temperatures in the mid-90s and heat index values – what temperatures will feel like when also factoring in humidity — reaching above 105 degrees.

The executive order that first establishes an Office of Gun Violence Reduction comes in the aftermath of weekend violence that led advocates to renew calls for the city to establish a Department of Gun Violence Reduction.

The announcement comes just months after Mayor Brandon Johnon moved to oust Brewer when he served as chair of the Chicago Housing Authority.

“While Chicago’s creative economy generates extraordinary economic value, many artists and creative workers continue to face economic insecurity,” said Arts Alliance Illinois Executive Director Claire Rice.

Tickets will become available to the general public on July 8. Founding members of the Obama Foundation will receive presale access starting one week earlier on July 1.

The program, launched in 2021, aims to provide payments to Black residents and descendants of Black residents who experienced housing discrimination in the city between 1919 and 1969.

The $20 million includes $5 million awarded through the county’s community violence intervention grant initiative and a new $15 million funding opportunity that will launch later this year, according to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

The projected budget gap facing the county next year is fueled by the impact of litigation related to Safe Roads Amendment, growing payroll and pension liabilities, increasing employee benefit costs and Medicaid enrollment declines due to federal policy changes, according to a budget forecast presentation.

The portrait by artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby is on display at the Obama Presidential Center. The unveiling of the portrait — which weaves together archival images, family albums and symbolic elements — comes ahead of the center’s grand opening celebrations this week.

Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital rallied outside the hospital Thursday in a planned one-day strike after they allege nurses were fired by management in retaliation for trying to form a union. The hospital denied retaliating against employees.

With the FIFA Men’s World Cup kicking off later this week, immigration rights groups in Chicago are demanding the Trump administration end what they describe as “discriminatory restrictions” that are preventing soccer teams and fans from fully participating in events.

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Wednesday afternoon for a $7 billion project that aims to overhaul the area surrounding the United Center on the Near West Side.

“Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” features 10 artworks by Chicago-born artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, along with a recreation of his childhood living room from the Robert Taylor Homes public housing project.