Stories by Associated Press

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer home in Highland Park starts its season Saturday night with chief conductor Marin Alsop leading a program with pianist Yunchan Lim and flautist Lizzo.

Wrongful convictions have long been the most expensive kind of police misconduct in Chicago, costing taxpayers $131.5 million in the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

Roy Flowers started his boxing club in 2021 in the hopes of creating healthy, supportive spaces for the youth in his community. “I just wanted to be the mentor that I wish I had.”

The South Side native is not a career politician but comes with a diverse resume. He’s a co-owner of the iconic Wiener’s Circle and co-owns the city’s first Black-owned marijuana dispensary alongside his brother and mom.

The memorial aims to honor the more than 125 Black men, women and children who were tortured by disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, and the officers under his command, on Chicago’s South Side from the 1970s to 1990s.

South Side native Matt Brewer on his bid for Chicago mayor. And some SNAP costs are shifting to states — what that means for Illinois.

According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, more than 12 million monthly SNAP payments are made to more than 1.9 million people in Illinois.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch stopped short of calling on Ammons to resign from her seat but said he is temporarily removing her from “any and all House Democratic Caucus meetings, from all House committees, and from accessing Speaker's Office staff and resources.”

The jury found President Donald Trump attacked writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996 in a department store dressing room, and defamed her after she publicly talked about it in a 2019 memoir during Trump’s first term.

Maggi Tudor faces 10 to 16 months in prison and a fine of $5,500 to $55,000.

Team physician Michael Terry said Connor Bedard is expected “to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.” The NHL hasn’t announced its regular-season schedule, but the Blackhawks played their first game last season on Oct. 7.

Residents from the North Side of Chicago to the north suburbs reported feeling the effects of what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a 2.9 magnitude earthquake Wednesday.

An unprecedented international rescue effort is underway to find new homes for some 30 beluga whales. Shedd Aquarium is answering the call.

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

Concerns over the city’s budget as the mayor says some revenue sources haven’t materialized. And reports of immigration enforcement are surging around the country — what’s happening in Chicago?

Reports of immigration-related arrests around the country surged at the end of June, including 10,000 arrests over a five-day period.

Last fall, the Chicago Department of Public Health and the University of Illinois Chicago joined forces to install 277 air quality monitors around the city, the largest system of its kind in the United States.

“I want to say this clearly,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “There were other options. We did not need to cede to big money interests and fall back on the tired practice of balancing budgets on the backs of working people.”

Mini underground reservoirs are Chicago’s latest solution to its flooding problem. But there’s no one silver bullet, officials said.

Chicago Park District rules prohibit parks from being renamed for anyone who has not yet been dead a year. The rules also prohibit parks from being named for anyone endorsing “a specific religious affiliation.”

Johnson Products Company became the first Black-owned business listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1971 and was a national sponsor of the hit television show “Soul Train.”

The City Council’s Ethics and Government Oversight Committee’s endorsement sends the nonbinding resolution calling for the resignation of the top federal prosector in Chicago to the full City Council for a final vote on July 15.

The City Council’s Ethics and Government Oversight Committee voted unanimously to advance a measure that would amend the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance to ban employees from using insider information to bet on prediction markets.

Nee began her career as a nurse, and later became an interventional cardiologist, treating complex and high-risk heart conditions, according to a biography. While working at Hines VA Hospital, Nee spoke out about failures in patient care that put veterans at risk.

The Chicago Police Department has overspent its budget five years in a row, according to Chicago’s annual financial reports.