Stories by Shelby Hawkins

Nearly 2 million Illinois residents, including 900,000 people in Cook County, face losing their benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if Congress fails to pass a budget by Nov. 1.

Illinois lawmakers head back to Springfield next week to finish out their fall veto session with plenty on the agenda.

Tonika Lewis Johnson is a social justice artist, photographer and author from Englewood whose work highlights systemic racism and disinvestment in Chicago. The multihyphenate is one of 22 fellows granted this year’s prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term kicked off last week with culture-war topics and presidential authority on the docket.

Dozens of young women and girls from across the city filled the Kehrein Center for the Arts on Saturday as they gathered for the 14th annual Chicago Day of the Girl to celebrate the creativity, confidence and sisterhood.

Virgil Abloh shifted the meaning of luxury and who gets to participate in it. The streetwear-loving son of Ghanaian immigrants had a meteoric rise in the fashion industry — aptly calling himself a fashion “maker” rather than designer.

Local businessman and former Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, 79, welcomes the possibility of soldiers in the city. “This is very personal to me,” Wilson said. “I’ve lost a son to violence.”

“America’s Test Kitchen” has been at it for 25 years — with hosts trying out different cooking techniques, reviewing kitchen gadgets and perfecting recipes.

Vending machines containing free Narcan will be placed at five CTA stations throughout Chicago as part of a six-month pilot initiative between the CTA and Cook County Health.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has spurred public discourse on political violence and the rhetoric that perpetuates it. Reactions to Kirk’s death range from anger and grief to indifference and relief, revealing the longstanding chasm in American political ideology.

With the possibility of a National Guard deployment in Chicago, advocates for people experiencing homelessness are concerned about how a military presence might affect the vulnerable population. Washington, D.C., saw more than 50 encampment clearings since the National Guard arrived there.

The Chicago Bears enter a new era Monday in a highly anticipated matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears are playing with a few major changes this season. Namely, new leadership.

Chicago braces for a wave of immigration agents and National Guard troops. And the Chicago Board of Education backs a budget Mayor Brandon Johnson opposed.

President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, calling the city “a killing field” despite violent crime being on a downward trend.

CPS leaders said they crafted a budget proposal to keep cuts out of the classroom, but the plan leans heavily on one-time funding, raising questions about long-term stability.

The bill is designed to make sure that Chicago police officers and firefighters earn pension benefits at the same level as downstate first responders.

Federal funding cuts and allegations of mismanagement prompted the closures of most operations at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Uptown, while Oak Park’s West Suburban Medical Center is facing a similar fate.

A $693 million investment into the Pullman neighborhood has generated a $1.5 billion economic impact, according to a newly released study commissioned by the nonprofit real estate developer Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI).

The encampment along the North Shore Channel is now set to be removed, possibly displacing dozens.

Two notorious physicians-turned-fugitives wanted in Chicago live lavishly in Dubai. And Mayor Brandon Johnson tries to take aim at smoking on the CTA.

“Are You a Librarian? The Untold Story of Librarians” connects the history of public libraries, civil rights and literacy to the current political attacks on the public library system.

“My kids grew up smelling dead animals and rotting fish,” said Ljiljana Radocaj, a mother and resident of the 10th Ward. “It’s the most horrific smell — you can’t even describe it. You can just run from it.”

Layoffs and shakeups to immigration courts across the country — including here. And the City Council signs off on new ethics reforms after long negotiations.

Amid growing global tensions, major gaps in diplomatic relations and fitful efforts to reduce the weapons stockpile, some experts are warning it’s time for world leaders to renew their focus on preventing nuclear war.

Sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies are particularly common for college-aged people. A 2023 report from the CDC found that nearly half of all reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were among people aged 15 to 24.

Texas and the rest of the nation are mourning as the death toll rises to 120 almost a week after catastrophic flooding devastated parts of the state over Fourth of July weekend.