Stories by Medill Illinois News Bureau

The Food Safety Act passed out of the Senate Public Health Committee this week. It would ban the use of four chemicals in Illinois foods: brominated vegetable oil, red dye No. 3, potassium bromate and propylparaben.

These five picks spotlight Black History Month, including one absolute must-see that will cost you just a dollar.

Elon Musk, one of President Donald Trump’s most powerful advisers, has orchestrated an unprecedented financial incentive for people to leave their government jobs, promising several months of pay in return for their resignation.

In “Lobby Hero,” four characters get caught in a web of lies as they try to provide cover for themselves, their family and their friends.

Backers of Trump’s decision say DEI practices were discriminatory and promoted inequity. But advocates argue social equity initiatives are essential to create a fair and balanced society.

Virginia McCaskey, who inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, has died. She was 102.

The surprising January heat record coincides with a new study by a climate science heavyweight, former top NASA scientist James Hansen, and others arguing that global warming is accelerating. It’s a claim that’s dividing the research community.

The City Council’s Finance Committee is set to consider the proposed settlement on Monday, which calls for taxpayers to pay $20 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $7 million. A final vote of the City Council could come on Feb. 19.

State lawmakers debating the future of Chicago-area transit have a new proposal to mull over, after a labor-backed coalition announced it would file a bill calling for reforming public transportation but stopping short of merging CTA, Metra, Pace and RTA.

A Chicago Police Department spokesperson told WTTW News in a statement the department does not “utilize quotas” for traffic stops.

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are being targeted — a look at the potential impact. And actress Keke Palmer on embracing her natural beauty.

The Chicago-area native recently returned to the city to celebrate natural hair and Black Heritage Month at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. She’s on a high after starring alongside SZA in the country’s No. 1 comedy flick “One of Them Days.”

The Chicago Stars FC will be under new legal obligations as part of a groundbreaking settlement that requires the National Women’s Soccer League to create a $5 million restitution fund after substantiated claims of mistreatment and abuse.

Kin-first foster systems decrease the risk of abuse and create a higher chance of achieving permanent placement for kids, according to Casey Family Programs, the nation’s largest foundation focused on foster care.

City Clerk Anna Valencia said she would take additional steps to ensure “this does not happen again.”

While the train operator was found to have alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that this was not what caused the Nov. 16, 2023, collision north of the Howard Street CTA station.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appearance is likely to represent a flashpoint in the ongoing battle with the GOP-controlled U.S House and the Trump administration, which is attempting to strip self-proclaimed sanctuary cities of all federal funding.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.

Adler Planetarium announced Wednesday that Michelle Larson is stepping down as president and CEO after more than a decade on the job.

A CNN review of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s past comments shows he has been for more than a decade a major supporter of foreign aid and USAID, which in fiscal year 2023 distributed more than $40 billion in foreign aid to more than 160 different countries.

The offer — which tells federal employees that they can quit their jobs and receive roughly eight months of pay and benefits — had up until Tuesday not been made available to most national security roles in an apparent cognizance of their critical function to the security of the nation.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said no court in the country has endorsed the Trump administration’s interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. “This court will not be the first,” she said.

President Donald Trump’s suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who smiled several times as the president detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the U.S. to take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Gene “Daddy G” Barge, an admired and durable saxophone player, songwriter and producer who worked on hits by Natalie Cole, oversaw recordings by Muddy Waters, performed with the Rolling Stones and helped inspire the dance classic “Quarter to Three,” has died in Chicago. He was 98.

James Gibson said he implicated himself in a 1989 double murder after being burned, punched, kicked and slapped by Chicago Police detectives supervised by disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge during a three-day interrogation.

The renewed tension between Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city’s business leaders comes after Johnson endured a bruising battle over the city’s 2025 budget and is under intense pressure from President Donald Trump.