Stories by Shelby Hawkins

This weekend house music lovers will dance, shake and bounce to celebrate 35 years of the Chosen Few Picnic and Festival in Jackson Park, where the event first started back in 1990. About 40,000 fans are expected to be at Saturday’s event.

President Donald Trump’s so-called “big beautiful bill” pledges to fill those gaps, setting aside $12.5 billion to modernize the air traffic control system.

In Illinois, 1.9 million residents receive SNAP benefits, including more than 891,000 people in Cook County. Approximately 3.4 million Illinoisans are covered by Medicaid.

Ballroom’s pageantry comes to life in the form of balls. Participants and houses compete in various categories for prizes, money and trophies. Some of the categories are: Runway, Vogue Femme, and Realness.

Tricia Hersey is known as the Nap Bishop. The Chicago native founded the Nap Ministry in 2016 under the framework “rest is resistance,” a tool used to resist and dismantle systems of oppression.

President Donald Trump recently imposed a travel ban on 12 countries, with restrictions on visitors from seven more. A memo from the U.S. Department of State revealed that 36 additional countries could soon face full or partial entry restrictions.

A new report found that fathers’ participation in peer groups positively impacted their mental well-being, communication skills and motivation to be involved in their children’s lives.

Federal health officials issued new guidance last week on who should have the COVID-19 vaccine, and it no longer includes healthy children and healthy pregnant women.

The bill would legalize the use of prescription drugs that aid in dying, what’s commonly referred to as physician-assisted suicide.

The opera spotlights the women who challenged segregation in Montgomery, using classical music infused with sounds of gospel, jazz and the blues to tell the story centered around seven women.

Nationwide protests erupted in the summer of 2020, a so-called racial reckoning, shortly after a video of the killing surfaced online. Residents took to the streets demanding systemic change to policing and the prison system.

Mayor Brandon Johnson marks two years in office. And the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on birthright citizenship.

In a surprise twist, the papal conclave elects a Chicago native as the new pope. And Mayor Brandon Johnson gets a big win on affordable housing.

Amid falling birth rates, the administration is thinking up potential incentives for future mothers that include: a $5,000 postpartum baby bonus, and a “National Medal of Motherhood” for women who have more than six children.

The life and legacy of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who is largely referred to as Chicago’s founder, is being honored at a new park just east of where the Haitian-born trader settled near the river.

The U.S.-China trade war has been ratcheting up for nearly a month now. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on almost all U.S. trading partners April 2 in what he declared “Liberation Day,” with China becoming the main target.

While there is skepticism among some in the Jewish community over the sincerity of the Trump administration’s policies, some others are welcoming the actions as a positive step forward and the nation’s most aggressive push against anti-Jewish hate yet.

Singer, poet and South Side native Jamila Woods has been using music as a tool for self-healing for most of her life. She first found the power of an artistic community in her grandmother’s church choir and now finds a similar solace through connections with fans and musicians alike.

Chicago is now home to the National Public Housing Museum, a first of its kind institution created alongside people who’ve lived in public housing.

So-called “teen takeovers” have been a popular trend among some young people for years, and the large gatherings are already making headlines again as summer approaches. This chaotic scene reignited a debate on the citywide curfew for unaccompanied minors with calls to change the current curfew from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The United States Postal Service has been facing a slew of challenges for years following the rise of the internet and a subsequent decline in physical mail. And things recently got even more complicated.

Residents of the 25th Ward, which includes Little Village and Pilsen, are being asked to participate in a survey to rank their main infrastructure priorities.

UChicago is among nearly 50 institutions under investigation for alleged racial discrimination related to DEI programs. Namely, the college’s partnership with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that aims to increase diversity in the business world.

Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and had been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

“For many people with Down syndrome, the question ‘to be or not to be’ is not just philosophical — it is personal,” said Chela de Ferrari, the show’s director and writer. “Society often decides who gets to take up space, whose voices are heard, whose stories matter.”

The Small Business Administration is relocating its regional Chicago office, as well as those in five other metropolitan cities. Local SBAs are tasked with providing funding, education and resources to small business owners, operating as a lifeline to both aspiring business owners and longtime entrepreneurs.