Stories by Associated Press

Cooper was shot in the back, and the bullet ripped through his body, severely damaging his aorta, liver, esophagus and spinal cord before exiting through his chest. He was taken first to Highland Park Hospital where he underwent a life-saving surgery, then spent in-patient stays at Comer Children’s Hospital and Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.

“The Garbologists” is an engaging, sharply written, and cleverly titled two-character play by Lindsay Joelle now receiving its first professional production by Northlight Theatre. The production follows two garbage collectors who have a competitive tension and developing connection. 

More than 60% of power customers in Puerto Rico remained without energy on Thursday, and a third of customers were without water — and local officials admitted they could not say when service would be fully restored.

A grand jury returned indictments on Wednesday against former Waukegan police Officer Dante Salinas in the Oct. 20, 2020, shooting that killed a 19-year-old local man, Marcellis Stinnette, and wounded his girlfriend.

Instead of growing to meet the demand, the number of farmers converting to organic is actually dropping. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture committed up to $300 million to recruit and help more farmers make the switch.

Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon issued a preliminary injunction against the ban that took effect one week ago. The injunction was sought by abortion clinic operators who argued in a lawsuit that the state constitution protects access to the medical procedure.

Sixth Municipal District Judge Carl Boyd, who was arrested this week on allegations of domestic battery, has been placed on restricted duties, the chief judge’s office announced.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is running for re-election, said it was not enough for the lawmakers to resign as leaders of the Democratic Party in the Illlinois Senate.

Employees at a Starbucks in west suburban Elmhurst say they’ve filed for union representation, joining hundreds of other coffee shops around the country and in the Chicago area.

Approval is given for a Chicago Fire practice facility on a former public housing site. Group of state’s attorneys sues to strike the state’s new law eliminating cash bail. Chicago City Council welcomes its newest member.

The Chicago Fire’s plan is set to transform the vacant Near West Side property into practice soccer fields and a training and administrative building. The empty land was part of the massive CHA complex known as the Addams-Brooks-Loomis-Abbott homes. 

Federal prosecutors charged state Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, with three felonies in relation to allegations he took a bribe from a red-light camera firm.. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

In January, Illinois will eliminate cash bail —  money paid to release someone from jail, as a guarantee that they will return for trial. But the change won’t go into effect if a trio of state’s attorneys have their way as they seek to have the law, dubbed by drafters as the SAFE-T Act, declared null and void.

In all, the payments approved Wednesday are equivalent to 30% of the city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

History lessons may recall that the U.S. helped liberate Nazi concentration camps after defeating Germany in World War II, but the entire story is far more complicated.

Despite the ingenuity the circus brought at one time, that’s since changed. That’s why the Museum of Science and Industry is saying goodbye to its collection in an upcoming auction. 

The new law is modeled on the city’s rules designed to protect immigrants from prohibiting members of the Chicago Police Department from cooperating with federal law enforcement agencies.

A measure was introduced to City Council to rename the Henry B. Clarke House as the Henry B. and Caroline Clarke/Bishop Louis Henry and Margaret Ford House. The change will better reflect all of the home’s most influential owners, city officials said.

Scaled to opera house grandeur, the production involves a total of 100 performers including a cast of strong actors, an ensemble of sensational dancers, a large chorus and the full Lyric Opera Orchestra.

The fire department tweeted the explosion occurred at West End and North Central avenues sometime Tuesday morning. At least eight people have been hospitalized, with three in "serious to critical" condition.

Victoria Moreno, 34, was ordered held without bail Wednesday following her arrest on charges of aggravated battery and attempted murder, though prosecutors said additional charges may be filed later if the victim succumbs to his injuries.

The Illinois Lottery said the prize for the July 29 drawing, which was the nation’s third-largest lottery prize, was claimed by two individuals who had agreed to split the prize if they won. They opted to take a lump sum payment of $780.5 million, lottery officials said Wednesday.

Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, is the culmination of the Democrat’s three-year civil investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization.

A building explosion rocks the West Side. Why finding workers to staff November’s election is proving difficult. Meet the plaintiff behind the massive Sterigenics court settlement. And a sweet treat on 26th Street.

“We have a serious shortage of judges and poll workers,” Cook County Clerk Yarbrough said. “The clerk’s office manages elections in suburban Cook County and we’ve seen our number of election judges shrink significantly in recent years. Over the last eight years, we’ve seen a reduction of about 40%.”

The company’s Willowbrook facility was closed in 2019, months after an EPA report discovered people living within 1.5 miles of the plant were 10 times more likely to develop cancer due to a gas called ethylene oxide that was used at the facility.