Stories by WTTW News

Chicago’s top cop, Larry Snelling, announces his retirement. And the separation of church and state is under fire from a White House commission.

A report from the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission calls for a clawback of the separation of church and state, a fundamental American legal principle for more than two centuries. President Donald Trump created the commission via executive order last May.

State lawmakers failed to pass a legislation this spring that would help the state regulate the growing data center industry, and Gov. JB Pritzker suspended state incentives for new data center projects.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling announced Wednesday he plans to retire this month after three decades with the department and three years as its leader.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago announced conspiracy and fraud charges against a teenager with alleged involvement in a criminal cyber hacking group accused of committing dozens of “network intrusions” resulting in more than $100 million in ransom payments.

Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign for governor is embracing images made with artificial intelligence in social media posts. Gov. JB Pritzker’s campaign manager said the governor’s campaign has a policy against using AI in public-facing content.

Gov. JB Pritzker called for creating a new agency in 2023 to consolidate and streamline services for infants and toddlers under one roof.

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.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

It felt like 106 degrees in Chicago Tuesday, and more of the same is expected for Wednesday and Thursday as the combination of heat and humidity continue to create dangerous conditions.

Norman Powell has agreed to a two-year deal that could be worth up to $45 million with the Chicago Bulls, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday.

The U.S. Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship but gives President Donald Trump a big win for his immigration agenda. And Native American leaders share their feelings about America turning 250.

Americans nationwide are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, marked by the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, the country’s origins started before English settlers claimed the land as their own.

TPS designations are chosen for foreign nations with conditions that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, when the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately. The program allows individuals to live and work in the U.S. legally.

Previously, graduate students had been able to take out federal loans up to the full cost of their degree. Trump officials pushed for new loan caps to rein in student debt and lower tuition prices that they said had grown out of control.

The high court on Tuesday granted certiorari in the case brought by a pair of Cook County residents and gun rights activists who challenged the county’s existing law, which bars residents from owning, buying or transferring 125 rifles, such as the AR-15.

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.

Chicago’s next mayoral election is less than a year away and the list of candidates — and those considering a run — is growing ever larger. Here’s who is in so far.

“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.

The court’s six-justice conservative majority, which has repeatedly ruled against transgender Americans in the past year, ruled that state bans in Idaho and West Virginia don’t violate the Constitution.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday erased limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and president, striking down a federal election law that is more than 50 years old.

The justices relied on a long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.

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.

This bill would expand on prior laws and court rulings that have increasingly required judges to take defendants’ youth into account.

Rounding up today’s U.S. Supreme Court decisions on executive power and mail-in voting. And meet the latest candidate to announce a bid for mayor: Mike Quigley.

Community violence interventionists walk high-risk neighborhoods hoping to interrupt cycles of violence through direct outreach and trust-building. WTTW News spent the day with one team to see what it’s all about.