Stories by Heather Cherone

Mayor Brandon Johnson refused to fire Jason Lee, one of his closest aides, at the recommendation of Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, telling WTTW News that Lee “engaged in no wrongdoing.”

During 2 1/2 hours of arguments, the court’s six conservative justices seemed inclined to effectively strike down a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana because it relied too heavily on race.

The formation of the group touches off a new chapter in a partisan battle over public health measures that has been heightened by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers declining to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans signed an order banning federal immigration agents from arresting people around local courthouses without a warrant.

Chicago and suburban Cook County residents will have opportunities Saturday and through the next several months to receive free flu and COVID-19 shots, as local public health departments roll out their immunization outreach efforts.

In the past 12 days, Department of Homeland Security Agents have deployed tear gas against Chicagoans who gathered to protest their efforts to detain people they believe to be in the county illegally four times: in Logan Square on Oct. 3; in Brighton Park on Oct. 4; in Albany Park on Sunday and in East Side Tuesday.

The event series, hosted by DCASE and the Chicago Film Office, includes a film screening series with post-screening conversations featuring acclaimed guest speakers, along with a live performance, that aims to honor two of Chicago’s most iconic voices in film criticism.

The case of mistaken identity was revealed in a scientific paper published Wednesday in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

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

Millions could soon face higher health insurance costs — what you should know. And the local impact of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the news media and protesters.

A federal judge last week temporarily barred federal agents from using “riot control weapons” like tear gas and pepper spray on reporters and protesters who aren’t an immediate threat. That order applies to the Northern District of Illinois.

About 4.8 million people are expected to lose their Affordable Care Act coverage in 2026 if Congress does not extend a set of enhanced subsidies created under the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. That includes about 100,000 people in Illinois.

Monday’s Columbus Day parade kicked off for the 73rd time in Chicago amid renewed attention on the legacy the day celebrates.

Riders would see their base fare for both bus and rail to increase by $0.25 — bringing the fare up to $2.50 for buses and $2.75 for rail — starting on Feb. 1, 2026, according to a CTA budget proposal released Monday.

Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas on Chicago’s Southeast Side on Tuesday morning after a crowd gathered at the scene of a car crash involving those agents.

Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward) said the proposals will revitalize Broadway, which has not seen any new housing built on its west side for two decades, by making the commercial district more affordable and accessible.

The dispute highlights the remarkable push by the Department of Homeland Security to insert a political message into the airport security experience that virtually every air traveler must go through.

Attorneys for Debbie Brockman said she has not been charged with any crimes after federal authorities including Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino accused her of throwing items at agents last Friday.

In his music, D’Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion into a sound that helped spearhead the neo-soul movement of the 1990s.

The 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones described the shooting as a hoax staged by crisis actors.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Illinois Drivers Alliance plan to launch “Know Your Rights” trainings for rideshare drivers across the Chicago area, while also working to add signage around the O’Hare rideshare lot prohibiting entry for civil immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge LaShonda Hunt last week ordered that ICE “dismantle and remove” the fence around the Broadview processing center by midnight Tuesday after local officials argued it had been constructed illegally.

An appeals court allowed U.S. District Court Judge April Perry’s ruling blocking the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois to stand, while halting her order stopping President Donald Trump from federalizing those troops.

The U.S. Supreme Court takes up LGBTQ rights and executive power. And remembering Loyola’s beloved Sister Jean.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term kicked off last week with culture-war topics and presidential authority on the docket.

Sandy Alomar Sr., an All-Star infielder during his playing days in the 1960s and ‘70s who went on to coach in the majors and manage in his native Puerto Rico, has died. He was 81.