Stories by Heather Cherone

The much-loathed 2008 deal requires the city make “true-up” payments to Chicago Parking Meters to compensate the firm for lost revenue when meters are taken out of service by the city.

The lawsuit filed by John Velez, who spent 17 years in prison before his conviction in the murder of 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village was overturned, is set to go to trial on July 21, records show.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss joins state Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview, and progressive media star Kat Abughazaleh in the increasingly crowded race to replace U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represented Illinois' 9th District for 14 terms.

Federal prosecutors argued that former Ald. Carrie Austin would be able to stand trial as long as she was given additional medical care and breaks when necessary.

Despite Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trademark optimism, the unrelenting turmoil of the past two years, and his missteps in handling problems both new and old, has weakened his political standing, ensuring that if he runs for and wins a second term in office in 2027, he will have to do it the same way he won the first time: as an underdog.

The deal that former Ald. Danny Solis made to work as a government informant ensured he would avoid a trial and keep his city pension, which paid him nearly $109,000 last year.

That massive growth funneled $5.84 billion into the special districts designed to spur redevelopment and eradicate blight, according to five years of reports on TIF districts published by the Cook County Clerk’s Office examined by WTTW News.

Tax-increment financing wasn’t invented in Chicago, but former Mayor Richard M. Daley perfected it as he worked to transform Mud City into a gleaming metropolis.

Chicago faces an affordable housing shortfall of more than 119,000 units, and more than half of Chicagoans spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, making them burdened by housing costs.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is set to appear June 12 before Congress alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. All three are Democrats.

“I won’t rush to judgment, but I will say this as the chief executive of this city: Constitutional policing ensures that our public employees are adhering to a standard that reflects our values. If you don’t do that, you won’t have a place in the city government,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday.

The long anticipated announcement is sure to touch off a chain reaction as ambitious politicians prepare to run to represent Illinois’s 9th Congressional District, which stretches from Chicago’s North Side through northwest Cook County to southwest Lake County and southeast McHenry County.

Jessica Vasquez, who served as former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa’s chief of staff when he represented the 35th Ward on the Chicago City Council, will replace Ald. Anthony Quezada, who was tapped to take Ramirez-Rosa’s seat by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that the five officers collectively committed 47 violations of departmental rules designed to protect the rights of Chicagoans during two traffic stops and should be suspended for a total of 91 days, records show.

Black and Latino homeowners were forced to cover “a disproportionate share of the burden,” according to the latest analysis from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ research team.

Nor will another statue of the Italian explorer return to Arrigo Park in Little Italy, under an agreement between Chicago’s Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the Chicago Park District to resolve a lawsuit.

After more than five hours of debate, the Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee took no action on the plan, backed by Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling but opposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

The cases are the first to be diagnosed in Cook County since March 8, 2024, when an outbreak of measles that began in a Pilsen shelter for migrants sickened 67 people.

A proposal to allow Chicago Police Department officials to impose a curfew anywhere in the city with just 30 minutes notice is set to face a key test Wednesday amid growing concern the measure is unworkable and unconstitutional.

Mayor Brandon Johnson Johnson declined Monday to say whether Chicago police officers should continue making traffic stops for minor violations to find evidence of an unrelated crime.

City officials agreed in June 2023 to expand the consent decree to include when officers can stop and search Chicagoans, which are officially known as investigatory stops.

Chicago police officers would not be banned from making traffic stops based on minor registration or equipment violations that are designed to fund evidence of “unrelated” crimes, under a new policy unveiled Thursday by Chicago Police Department leaders.

“For too long, the middle class has been centered on the campaign trail but sidelined when it comes to real governance,” newly announced U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said.

The injunction issued by U.S. District Judge William Orrick does not apply to Chicago or Cook County but is likely to bolster efforts by city officials to prevent President Donald Trump from blowing a $3 billion hole in Chicago’s budget.

The 40-member task force will be charged with developing “Chicago’s first comprehensive reparations study, a critical step forward in acknowledging, addressing and repairing generations of harm experienced by Black communities,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

U.S. District Court Judge John F. Kness granted federal prosecutors’ request to hold an evidentiary hearing about whether the former alderperson is healthy enough to stand trial.