Stories by Blair Paddock

Awaiting the white smoke in the never-ending U.S. House speaker sweepstakes. Illinois House members pass an assault weapons ban in the middle of the night. And the Bears' season mercifully comes to an end.

A total of 35% of legal-aged U.S. adults skipped alcohol for the entirety of January in 2022 — that’s an increase from 21% in 2019, according to food and drink research firm CGA.

Advocacy groups around the city have banded together in an effort to shift that shame by trying to address the root causes of gender-based violence. The Survivor Power Institute, made up of 10 organization across Chicago, launched their pilot in November.

February’s municipal elections are not just about the race for mayor or Chicago City Council. There are also dozens of candidates running for brand new positions: police district councils.

The approval of TIF money to fund the southern expansion of the Red Line could have a big impact on the historic public housing community of Altgeld Gardens.

Developers announce plans for Fulton Market. And Palatine-based grill company Weber is going private —a quick year after their public bid.

Poverty and violence are part of the West Side community area’s story. But community members say there’s much more to it, and residents are making new traditions. 

If you are a homeowner in certain portions of the city, you’ve seen your bill go up quite a bit. On the predominately Latino Lower West Side, there was an increase of 46%, according to a new study.

Inflation, gas prices, retail — we take a look at the top business stories of the year and look into our crystal ball for 2023.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has a big night as Illinois Republicans scramble to rebuild. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

The so-called “Workers’ Rights Amendment” aims to codify in the state constitution the right to form a union and collectively bargain over a host of issues. It would effectively prohibit any future anti-union legislation, like right-to-work laws.

Earlier this fall, the Anti-Defamation League released a report identifying over 370 people it believes currently work in law enforcement nationwide that were included on a leaked far-right Oath Keepers membership list. 

Chicago Teachers Union candidate Brandon Johnson enters race for mayor. Candidates for statewide offices tussle in debates as election nears. Mayor Lori Lightfoot gets rebuke in City Council. And the suddenly hot Bears head to Dallas.

In a rare move, City Council members rejected the mayor's attempt to name an ally as a committee chair. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

While a large part of the job for Illinois’ attorney general involves consumer protections, the election comes at a time when there are pivotal legal issues are playing out within the state and nationwide.

Reuben Jonathan Miller, a sociologist, criminologist and social worker, whose work studies the long-term impacts of incarceration on individuals and their families, was awarded a MacArthur fellowship. 

Michael Madigan indicted again. Pritzker racks up endorsements as polls show Democrats pulling away in Illinois. The House January 6 Committee wraps up testimony. And bumbling Bears lose third in a row in Thursday night snoozefest.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot uses her 2023 budget to show off progressive policies, despite being at odds with Chicago’s progressive political community. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

The museum has been in the making for some 15 years and will be the only cultural institution devoted to telling the story of public housing in the United States, according to museum organizers.

HIV diagnoses in Chicago during 2020 were the lowest reported since 1987, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health’s latest HIV/STI data report.

There are more than 500 employment laws, policies and sanctions that prevent people with criminal records from accessing employment in Illinois. While those barriers exist in many industries, some employers focus specifically on hiring people who are re-entering society after prison.

After the Dobbs Supreme Court decision, the legality of telemedicine abortion in some states isn’t clear for providers and patients.

A record can include everything from an arrest— not necessarily even a conviction — to years spent in prison. But even once that criminal case has run its course in the legal system, oftentimes the punishment continues.

One in 20 tap water samples taken from thousands of Chicagoans found lead levels at or above federal limits, according to a recent analysis by the Guardian. It also found that nine of the top 10 ZIP codes with the largest percentages of high test results were in neighborhoods with majority Black and Latino residents.

The latest damage comes after the park has been used for three massive Chicago festivals this summer: Summer Smash in June, Heatwave in July and Riot Fest this past weekend. Riot Fest alone brings some 40,000 attendees to the park each day.

A recent study from the CDC finds that in a sample of nearly 2,000 people who had monkeypox, 38% also had HIV infection and 41% had an STI in the preceding year. Those rates are much higher than the rates of HIV and STIs in the general population.