Stories by Heather Cherone

The Chicago Board of Ethics fined indicted former Ald. Carrie Austin’s son, who works as an assistant commissioner in the Department of Streets and Sanitation, $7,000 on Monday for supervising his former sister-in-law for six years, in violation of the city’s governmental ethics ordinance.

Advocates hope new funding can build on lessons the state learned since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in opening new shelters and accommodations that better meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

Michael Madigan faces questions from prosecutors in his corruption trial. One on one with the CTU president on contract negotiations. And Chicago’s history as a sanctuary city.

The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools still have not reached a contract deal. Meanwhile, the CPS Board of Education’s publicly elected members will be sworn in this week, and the district will be on the search for a new leader since the current board fired CEO Pedro Martinez.

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors has been responding to an increase in calls for help in rescuing wild birds suffering from avian influenza.

On Monday morning, Chicago Animal Care and Control responded to a report of a coyote at the Humboldt Park Aldi store.

Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter plans to resign on Jan. 31. He plans to take a job as the president and CEO of Saint Anthony Hospital on the city’s West Side.

Michael Madigan, who is charged alongside his longtime right-hand man Michael McClain, is alleged to have orchestrated multiple corruption schemes, wielding his political power to reward loyal allies and enrich himself. They have each pleaded not guilty.

The IRS is distributing about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who didn’t receive their COVID stimulus payments.

Daniel Levin, a prominent real estate developer, Chicago civic leader and longtime supporter of WFMT and WTTW, died Jan. 11. He was 94.

Some state lawmakers and several organizations are advocating for Illinois to become the first state in the U.S. to fully legalize the exchange of money for sex among consenting adults.

About a million Americans a year are expected to develop dementia by 2060, roughly double today’s toll, researchers reported Monday.

The bill repeals a requirement that those seeking a name change publish a notice in a local newspaper.

For four decades, Chicago has held the designation of a sanctuary city — but what does it mean, and how has Chicago’s status endured? WTTW News explains.

By the end of the year, users of iPhones or Apple watches should also be able to store a digital version of their Illinois driver’s license or state ID in their Apple wallet.

Lia Merminga has been the director of Fermilab in suburban Batavia since 2022. FermiForward Discovery Group, the lab’s new management and operations contractor, said in a message to staff it was immediately launching a search for its new director.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan takes the stand in his own defense. And a battle over hemp regulation has the mayor and governor on opposing sides.

Nearly 70% of those revenues came from the $44 million in flat fees Bally’s agreed to pay in 2023 and 2024 as part of the deal approved by the City Council in 2022 that ended a 30-year effort to bring casino gambling to Chicago.

To get straight to the point: “Hitt Records,” the musical revue now receiving its world premiere at the Black Ensemble Theater, is an absolute knockout, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss.

Voting is open online through Jan. 21. Chicago residents can vote for as many as six names, and the top vote getters will represent one snowplow in each of the city’s six snow districts.

Billing itself as a farm-to-fable tale, “Shucked” reminds audiences that it’s OK to have a great time at the theater. It has hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt songs to go along with the bushels of cornball humor.

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) said he would ask his colleagues to vote Wednesday on the measure advanced by the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee in October after working for months behind the scenes to marshal support.

On Monday night, the year’s first full moon will pass in front of Mars and cause the planet to momentarily disappear from view.

Voters can choose from 10 designs for a new flag, the current flag, the 1918 centennial flag or 1968 sesquicentennial flag.

The bill prohibits an employer from firing someone for missing quotas because of these bathroom and meal breaks and ensures that if the employee believes they're wrongly disciplined, they have a right to sue.

Under a measure that cleared the General Assembly this week, departments would have until July 1 to put the new rule in place. It still needs a signature from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to become law.