Stories by Andrew Montequin

Chicago’s first fully elected school board is taking shape, with just a few races still too close to call. With 20 districts, and at least six new faces, the new board is sure to bring together a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.

The first ever fully elected Chicago Board of Education is taking shape as the dust settles from Tuesday’s election.

Last month, the DOJ announced plans to send election monitors to polling places around the country. Meanwhile, rumors are swirling about the possibility of immigration or other federal agents showing up. But local voting rights advocates are still hoping for a “boring” Election Day.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is fighting for his political life on two fronts. In February, he’ll face voters and up to 15 challengers in his bid for a second term on City Hall’s fifth floor. But before then, he’ll work to sway some of the stiff opposition among City Council members who successfully passed their own version of a budget last year. Johnson last week introduced his $17.6 billion budget proposal, which includes new spending on city services and hundreds of millions of dollars in borrowing to resolve police misconduct lawsuits — but avoids raising property taxes.

With Medicaid work requirements set to go into effect in the new year, local healthcare providers are bracing for a sharp increase in the number of uninsured patients.

Plans to convert a Bridgeport railyard into an Amtrak maintenance facility will receive an environmental review as part of the permitting process, a reversal after the project originally qualified for a categorical exclusion.

Mayoral hopefuls line up to get their name on the ballot — how is the race shaping up so far? And the incumbent lays out his vision for the city budget.

A malfunction with an AR-style rifle is likely all that stopped a potential mass shooting at a Hindu temple in west suburban Aurora earlier this month. Now local members of the Hindu community are saying more can be done to prevent future attacks.

With 14,000 employees and over $2 billion lent in Chicago over the past five years, JPMorgan Chase has a significant footprint in the city. CEO Jamie Dimon sat down with “Chicago Tonight” for an exclusive broadcast interview.

College sports fans have watched the business of the game change dramatically in recent years, from rising payments to players to unlimited transfers between schools. The Protect College Sports Act passed the U.S. Senate 77-22 last week.

In the coming months, the court is set to hear arguments over Cook County’s ban on assault weapons, a greenhouse gas emissions case that could affect a Chicago lawsuit and a Colorado case on the separation of church and state in school funding.

Sexual assault on college campuses is making headlines across the country. A former student at Cornell University filed a lawsuit earlier this month accusing the school and local law enforcement of mishandling her report alleging she was gang raped in a fraternity house for hours.

Large, resource-intensive data centers have drawn increased public attention in recent years as their construction ramped up around the country. But in an urban environment like Chicago, data centers of all sizes can have a big impact.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ground beef prices hit $7.16 per pound in August 2026, a 7.9% jump from 2025. That’s more than double the overall annual inflation rate of 3.4%, and nearly triple the rate for food overall.

Friday will mark 25 years since the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Between the attacks themselves, the lasting health impacts on survivors and ensuing wars, the death toll for Americans is in the tens of thousands.

It’s been one year since “Operation Midway Blitz” began, when federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol ramped up arrests of immigrants throughout the Chicago region.

Questions remain about possible gaps in state oversight nearly a month after an investigation turned up 56 decomposing bodies at the South Chicago Chapel funeral home.

It’s back to school for CPS students, but not without threat of midyear layoffs for teachers. And a look at the planned route for the so-called O’Hare Flyer express train.

Tuesday will mark two weeks since a derecho swept through Illinois and northwest Indiana, with winds damaging homes, uprooting trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands.

The median sale price for homes in Chicago hit $425,000 in July, according to data from Illinois Realtors. That’s a 13.3% increase from last year. Across the state, the median price of $338,000 represented a 6% increase in a year.

For decades, four species of invasive carp have been working their way toward the Great Lakes. On their way, they’ve left a trail of decimated native fish populations and injured boaters.

Candidate John Kelly kicked off his first-ever campaign in July, but that doesn’t mean he’s a stranger to City Hall. Prior to joining the race, Kelly spent his career as a lobbyist, representing well-known clients in the city including the White Sox, the United Center and Bally’s.

Public concern has grown around data centers’ energy usage, noise pollution, water consumption and emissions. Now, as Chicago leaders race to catch up, they won’t be starting from square one.

Between tornadoes, wildfire smoke, flooding and heat, the weather in Chicago this summer has been nothing short of extreme. But winter is coming.

Across two hospitals, 16 community health centers and Cook County Jail, Cook County Health aims to provide healthcare to patients, regardless of their ability to pay. But with federal policy changes looming, the health system’s budget is facing new challenges.

Though Illinois leads the nation in nuclear energy generation, a recently lifted moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction means the race is on to bring new plants online — a task that can take years.