Stories by Hannah Meisel — Capitol News Illinois

“OGs for Harris” who supported the vice president in 2019 reunited for a celebratory brunch last week outside of official DNC programming.

And yes, the salted caramel spice cake can be made into a shake.

Ronnie Hunt was charged with conveying articles useful for the escape of a prisoner, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin said Tuesday. Martin said “additional charges are probable.” She did not respond to a question about whether Hunt is represented by an attorney.

Not only was the Arizona ruling a missed opportunity for the justices to explain when they will engage in election and voting cases, experts say it has also heightened concern that the court is unevenly applying a murky legal principle intended to reduce chaos rather than add to it.

The Republican ticket of former President Donald Trump and running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is set to visit several swing states this week. While the Democratic team of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is going on a bus tour of Georgia. 

Martinez said he has not been told by anyone in the Johnson administration that his job is on the line, and in an interview on “Chicago Tonight” Monday evening, maintained there’s “never been better alignment between our district, our board … the city, the mayor, and I would argue even the unions” as they all know and want CPS to have more money.

Anthony Gay spent more than 20 years in solitary confinement. He also became an advocate against the practice. He had just been granted compassionate medical release from federal custody, just days before his 51st birthday. He died of lung and liver cancer.

As Chicago Public School kids are back in class, we talk to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. And what to know about Chicago’s excessive heat warning.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the recall a more urgent classification Friday after making its original announcement Aug. 15. The new classification said the affected product may temporarily cause adverse health consequences but is unlikely to cause serious or irreversible medical issues.

Cornel West, a leftist academic, progressive activist and long-shot presidential candidate, is at the center of multiple legal and political battles as Democrats and Republicans seek to use the impacts of third-party candidates who could take support from their opponents. 

The National Park Foundation, which Congress created in the 1960s to support national parks, will receive the donation from Indianapolis-based foundation Lilly Endowment Inc. The park foundation described the gift on Monday as the largest grant in history benefiting U.S. national parks.

A recent court filing shows that the company is rejecting the leases of an additional 23 locations by Saturday, Aug. 31, joining the more than 100 restaurants that Red Lobster closed earlier this summer. Once complete, the chain will have around 500 outlets left — a sharp decline from the 650 it had just last year.

Paleontologists have found more than 260 dinosaur footprints from the Early Cretaceous Period in Brazil and Cameroon, now more than 3,700 miles apart on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The current dispute centers on the muting of microphones when a candidate isn’t speaking, a condition both Biden and Trump accepted for their June debate hosted by CNN. Both sides are accusing the other of gaming the system to protect their candidate.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 35 people were shot over the weekend in 28 separate incidents.

WTTW News Director Jay Smith sat down with our political team to reflect on the Democratic National Convention for a behind-the-scenes look at what covering the convention was like, and to help provide insights into the stories that emerged from the week.

Chicago is under an excessive heat warning through Tuesday night, with temperatures expected to soar into the mid- to upper-90s and humidity that will make it feel even hotter.

The amount that the jersey sold for topped fellow Yankee Mickey Mantle's 1952 rookie card, which the Dallas-based auction house sold for $12.6 million in 2022.

They’ve now been on the space station more than 11 weeks, however, and NASA announced Saturday that they would remain there through early 2025. 

While Harris has improved on President Joe Biden’s standing in many states — putting Nevada and Arizona back in play, for example — the basic shape of the crucial Senate races that will determine the majority is the same. Democrats were overperforming the top of the ticket when Biden was the nominee and they still are under Harris.

Kamala Harris makes history as she becomes the Democratic nominee for president. Meanwhile, former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger torches Donald Trump.

A law banning political parties from waiting until after the primary election to place a state legislative candidate on the general election ballot won’t keep any Republicans from running this November.

Adam Kinzinger, from Channahon, served in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. He chose not to run for reelection in 2022 after publicly breaking with the Trump administration over Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol.

After a string of fall-like days, the real August is showing up this weekend to reclaim summer. 

Mike Royko was Chicago’s Prince of Print. At his peak, he wrote five columns a week that could lift underdogs or level overlords. In 1972, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary at the Chicago Daily News, and he later wrote for the Sun-Times and the Tribune. Royko was also complicated.

Folks at home may have seen a celebration of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz when balloons dropped on the final evening of the Democratic National Convention. The balloon crew knew otherwise — this job was personal.