Stories by WTTW News

Some SNAP funds will be released as the government shutdown drags on. And meet the Adler Planetarium’s new president.

The museum is celebrating its own history as the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere by preparing for its centennial celebration in 2030.

The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month.

The MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Illinois filed a lawsuit alleging ICE officials are denying detainees access to their attorneys and subjecting them to mistreatment and overcrowding. Federal officials have denied those accusations.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place Nov. 21 in Millennium Park.

Get ready for fun with this Chicago festival guide to neighborhood street fests, art shows, outdoor concerts, cultural celebrations and summer events of all sizes across Chicago and the suburbs.

Key legal principles at the heart of conservative challenges to major initiatives in the Biden years are driving the arguments in the fight against Trump’s tariffs, which is set for arguments at the high court on Wednesday.

The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs about $8 billion per month nationally.

The first big electoral test of Trump’s second term is taking shape, when Virginia and New Jersey will elect governors, California will vote on a measure to redraw its congressional maps, and New York City will pick its next mayor.

State lawmakers ride to the rescue for Chicago-area public transit. And federal prosecutors file charges against anti-immigration enforcement protesters.

U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis had ordered Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino to appear in her courtroom every weekday at 6 p.m. to recap the events of the day and inform her of any use of force.

Chicago has a number of towering timekeepers, some of them works of art, some of them landmarks, and all of them a reminder that time never stands still.

The suit, brought on behalf of Broadview detainees by the MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Illinois, claims ICE officials have “cut off detainees from the outside world” by preventing them from making confidential phone calls to their lawyer or a prospective lawyer.

“From the public health perspective, it is about protecting the children and protecting adults who don’t really know what is in the products they’re consuming,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige said.

The program serves about one in eight Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food.

The filibuster is a longstanding parliamentary tool that halts action on most bills unless 60 senators in the 100-member chamber vote to move forward. Over the years, it has stymied policy priorities for Democrats and Republicans alike.

Doctors prescribe prazosin, which relaxes blood vessels, to help lower blood pressure. It also is sometimes prescribed for nightmares and other sleep disturbances caused by post-traumatic stress disorder.

A West Side resident, Remel Terry has been a member of the commission, better known as the CCPSA, since it was launched in 2022.

State lawmakers approved new funding for public transportation agencies without large statewide tax increases previously proposed.

Monthly premiums for 2026 plans are expected to be higher for those enrolling in ACA exchange plans because COVID-era subsidies are expiring.

The government shutdown hits the 30-day mark — how it’s impacting both sides of the political aisle. And millions are bracing for higher health care costs if Congress fails to extend tax credits.

Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed, with thousands more still on the job without pay. Programs like SNAP are set to run dry of funding come Saturday.

El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a tradition that dates back centuries. The Mexican holiday honors deceased loved ones by creating altars and sharing memories.

“You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game someplace,” U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said in court.

Medical providers are deciding whether they can continue offering telehealth services without the guarantee of reimbursement or whether they need to halt virtual visits altogether.

Ruben Torres Maldonado, who was detained by immigration agents earlier this month and whose teenage daughter is fighting cancer, is set to be released from custody after a judge on Thursday granted him a bond.