Stories by Heather Cherone

After more than three and a half hours of tense questioning, the dispute triggered by the City Council’s decision to green-light video gambling terminals in every Chicago bar and restaurant remained deadlocked.

The grants from the Department of Agriculture are part of a three-year-old program aimed at making it easier for local farmers to process and distribute food locally. In total, 61 organizations received grants, 16 of them in Cook County and the other 45 distributed among 34 other counties.

The Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight unanimously voted to advance a revised package of reforms first introduced in May 2024, sending it to the full City Council for a final vote on Sept. 23.

Chicago’s Office of Inspector General published a new report evaluating the CFD’s hiring and promotion processes, finding that while the initial firefighter and EMT applicant pool reflected the city’s racial and ethnic diversity, that representation shifted as applicants moved through the hiring process.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office has reached a settlement agreement with the Northern Illinois Gas Company to cut the natural gas utility’s requested rate increase by approximately $140 million.

Starting this month through November, the Chicago Public Library will present book discussions, science talks, films, creative workshops and cultural experiences tied to the book selection. One Book, One Chicago for the first time will include dedicated programming for children and teens.

The park, which serves as an entry to the 606 Bloomingdale Trail, would honor one of Chicago’s most acclaimed street artists.

This year’s Open House Chicago will feature more than 200 locations across 30 Chicago neighborhoods, including 20 sites that are new to the festival, according to a Wednesday announcement. The festival takes place Oct. 17-18.

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

Approximately 6,527 people in Chicago lacked a permanent place to sleep on Jan. 22, according to the annual “point-in-time” count, which sends volunteers out to count the number of unsheltered people on the city’s streets on a single night.

It’s been one year since “Operation Midway Blitz” began, when federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol ramped up arrests of immigrants throughout the Chicago region.

“Operation Midway Blitz,” one year later. We look back and ahead on the state of immigration enforcement. And football season is nearly here — what to expect from the Bears this year.

The Chicago Bears will play their first game of the 2026-2027 NFL season this Sunday against the Panthers in Charlotte. The game marks the beginning of head coach Ben Johnson’s sophomore campaign after he led the Bears to an 11-6 record last season.

The report, “Hunkering Down: The Hidden Economic Cost of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Cook County, IL,” was released by UIC’s Great Cities Institute. The report also found an estimated $107 million was lost in local sales tax revenue.

Disability rights groups allege the law is discriminatory against disabled people, who they argue are more susceptible to physician bias and therefore coercion to end their own lives.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 37 total people were shot in 30 separate shooting incidents between Friday and Monday evenings.

The abandoned rock quarry in rural Massac County gives divers an opportunity to explore submerged treasures, including airplanes, a school bus, a pickup truck, a motorcycle and a train car.

New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records about air quality following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, showing city officials at the time knew conditions around Ground Zero were unsafe to breathe despite repeated assurances to the public.

Democrats have found themselves competing in states that once seemed beyond their reach as Trump’s slipping approval ratings and voters’ dissatisfaction with the economy create a difficult political environment for Republicans.

nationwide outbreak of cyclospora tied to contaminated lettuce has heightened safety concerns about imported food, while underscoring a longer-term trend: U.S. regulators are conducting fewer international inspections.

Organizers have announced an addition to the upcoming open water Chicago River Swim: the Big Jump.

The planned expansion comes as SkyART gears up to host a free community block party on Sept. 12 in celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The celebration will be held at SkyART West in Garfield Park.

An audit found several documentation lapses by the Department of Children and Family Services, including failures to provide evidence of routine healthcare for children in state custody.

The Lake Shore Drive bridge malfunctions after a lift — creating an hourslong traffic snafu. And the city sues a South Chicago funeral home where dozens of bodies were found decomposing.

Enes Kanter Freedom is alleging that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was ejected from the Sky’s WNBA game against the Indiana Fever on Aug. 23. He is seeking damages and the removal of his ban when it comes to attending games at Wintrust Arena.

Chicago public safety officials are urging caution for boaters and anyone else planning to enjoy time on Lake Michigan during the extended Labor Day holiday weekend.