Stories by Blair Paddock

The Bears are still in talks to make an Illinois stadium deal. And the Supreme Court expands the Trump administration’s power over immigration enforcement.

The Chicago Bulls announced Friday that an heir to the Walmart fortune has acquired a minority stake in the team and the United Center.

Alexander Iniguez Mercado, 20, is accused of participating in a group chat on the messaging app Signal with others who appeared to discuss plans for the attack.

The Trevor Project, the leading nonprofit for suicide prevention in LGBTQ+ young people, may not be allowed to offer the service it had helped develop for the 988 Lifeline just a few years ago.

The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come there are signs of tension between the justices.

July 1 marks a second New Year’s Day in Illinois as a new budget takes effect along with more than a dozen new state laws.

A look at the tentative agreement between the U.S. and Iran. And soccer fans celebrate the World Cup.

In a neighborhood where nearly 90% of residents identify as Latino and many families are rooted in Catholic traditions, the queer-led Gage Park Latinx Council has grown into a hub for families.

The monthlong tournament marks the first men’s World Cup hosted in North America since 1994. It also comes as the sport enjoys greater popularity in the United States ahead of another major stretch of international competitions like the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The U.S. and Iran are still debating terms of an interim peace deal, including issues such as getting ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The executive order that first establishes an Office of Gun Violence Reduction comes in the aftermath of weekend violence that led advocates to renew calls for the city to establish a Department of Gun Violence Reduction.

The minimum age for a driving test will be raised from 79 to 87, although drivers 79 and older will still be required to take a vision test, and if they have a driving violation, a written test.

It’s part of a four-year upwards trend that experts say is mostly normal weather variation but could be part of long-term severe weather increases related to climate change.

The Supreme Court sided with the maker of the Roundup weedkiller Thursday in a ruling expected to block thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people the product could cause cancer.

The justices, in a 6-3 decision, overturned a lower court order blocking the practice that limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day, first under the Obama administration and then expanded during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The 6-3 decision overturns lower court orders and allows the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end temporary protected status, a program that protects a total of 1.3 million people from 17 countries.

A federal judge on Thursday halted President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot.

The announcement comes just months after Mayor Brandon Johnon moved to oust Brewer when he served as chair of the Chicago Housing Authority.

The Chicago Financial Future Task Force published a final report Thursday that included 58 policy recommendations, such as instituting a downtown congestion fee, restructuring electricity tax rates and instituting property tax increases based on the national consumer price index.

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

“While Chicago’s creative economy generates extraordinary economic value, many artists and creative workers continue to face economic insecurity,” said Arts Alliance Illinois Executive Director Claire Rice.

Details into new proposals to keep the Bears in Illinois. And meet people behind the scenes at the Obama Presidential Center.

There are a host of locals who acted as the behind-the-scenes cast to prepare the Obama Presidential Center for its opening ceremony.

“(The Bears) haven’t said, ‘OK, we’re done. We don’t want to talk anymore, we don’t want to hear from you, we are moving to Indiana,’” state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said. “There’s at least one site we know they’re very interested in, in Illinois, and that’s Arlington Heights.”

The bill is designed to protect abortion-seekers in Illinois from potential retaliation by shielding their digital medical records from out-of-state entities.

Tickets will become available to the general public on July 8. Founding members of the Obama Foundation will receive presale access starting one week earlier on July 1.