Stories by Heather Cherone

“I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Whatever particular vulnerable group is being targeted today, another group will be next.”

Lawyer Ebony Lucas sued Ald. Lamont Robinson’s campaign and the 4th Ward Democratic Organization for launching what she called a “coordinated smear campaign.”

In all, Chicago taxpayers spent $120.3 million since January 2019 to resolve 31 lawsuits filed by Chicagoans injured during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has repeatedly told reporters that the diversity of his closest advisers is a source of pride and evidence that he is keeping his campaign promises to work to eliminate systemic racism and expand racial equity at City Hall.

Before the vote, Mayor Brandon Johnson repeatedly questioned whether the measure is constitutional and frequently said that he does not believe that expanding the city’s curfew would stop teen “trends” or “takeovers.”

Just five months into the year, Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $144.5 million to resolve nearly two and a half dozen lawsuits, exceeding its budget to resolve lawsuits alleging police misconduct by more than 76%, city records show.

“This is pretty much a wash,” Ald. Jason Ervin (28th Ward) said.

A final vote by the full City Council is set for Wednesday. If the measure takes effect, it would reshape Chicago’s curfew law and could set a template for other cities struggling with public safety challenges.

“We’re not going to be intimidated by the tyranny that’s coming from the federal government,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “The diversity of our city is our strength.”

“I’ve decided the most powerful way for me to defend our values and hold Donald Trump accountable is to help Democrats win back the House,” U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood said in a statement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has routinely touted his efforts to appoint the most racially diverse cabinet in Chicago history, told Pastor Byron Brazier he was pursuing a strategy to “ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business.”

If the plan backed by Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling wins the endorsement of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee at the meeting set for 1 p.m. Tuesday, a final vote could take place as soon as Wednesday.

The announcement is a major blow to Mayor Brandon Johnson, who fully embraced the Bears’ vision for a reimagined Museum Campus and endorsed the team’s call for taxpayers to pick up approximately $2.4 billion of the total $4.75 billion cost of the project.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer praised the revised policy as an example of what can be achieved through the consent decree process.

Leonard Gipson spent two years in jail and pleaded guilty in three cases that were based on evidence gathered by former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes.

Chicago taxpayers spent a total of $200 million between January 2019 and June 2024 to resolve lawsuits brought by more than three dozen people who were wrongfully convicted based on evidence gathered by the Chicago Police Department, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

There was snow on the ground and the temperature hovered around 5 degrees in the early morning hours of Feb. 8, 2021, when Briana Keys, now 39, got locked out of her Back of the Yards apartment, according to her lawsuit.

The much-loathed 2008 deal requires the city make “true-up” payments to Chicago Parking Meters to compensate the firm for lost revenue when meters are taken out of service by the city.

The lawsuit filed by John Velez, who spent 17 years in prison before his conviction in the murder of 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village was overturned, is set to go to trial on July 21, records show.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss joins state Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview, and progressive media star Kat Abughazaleh in the increasingly crowded race to replace U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represented Illinois' 9th District for 14 terms.

Federal prosecutors argued that former Ald. Carrie Austin would be able to stand trial as long as she was given additional medical care and breaks when necessary.

Despite Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trademark optimism, the unrelenting turmoil of the past two years, and his missteps in handling problems both new and old, has weakened his political standing, ensuring that if he runs for and wins a second term in office in 2027, he will have to do it the same way he won the first time: as an underdog.

The deal that former Ald. Danny Solis made to work as a government informant ensured he would avoid a trial and keep his city pension, which paid him nearly $109,000 last year.

That massive growth funneled $5.84 billion into the special districts designed to spur redevelopment and eradicate blight, according to five years of reports on TIF districts published by the Cook County Clerk’s Office examined by WTTW News.

Tax-increment financing wasn’t invented in Chicago, but former Mayor Richard M. Daley perfected it as he worked to transform Mud City into a gleaming metropolis.

Chicago faces an affordable housing shortfall of more than 119,000 units, and more than half of Chicagoans spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, making them burdened by housing costs.