Stories by Blair Paddock

Northwestern University is proposing to give its more than 100-year-old Ryan Field a major makeover. The change is said to make the field accessible for people with disabilities, offer green spaces and — to some community members’ dismay — have the option for concerts and similar events.

Some South Shore residents have been without heat and hot water. Organizers said the situation highlights concerns over possible displacement and rising housing costs caused by the coming Obama Presidential Center, just blocks away.

Austin residents watched the WTTW News mayoral forum live Tuesday. Among their top priorities was a commitment to working with West Side communities that have experienced disinvestment.

For the past several years, the Chicago Police Department has solved an average of 50% of the city’s homicides per year. But that number, known as a clearance rate, is even lower for Black victims.

R. Kelly has already been convicted in other jurisdictions and sentenced to decades in prison, with more time likely to be added during a sentencing hearing next month.

A South Side community is getting up to $15 million to ensure it continues to tell the story of the Great Migration in the early 1900s. The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area stretches from the South Loop to Woodlawn and is home to natural, historic and cultural resources.

A coalition of community-led groups just received $10 million from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation to help fund a wide-ranging project. It’ll bring together a range of services and opportunities — from health and wellness, to arts and culture and beyond.

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.