Stories by Heather Cherone

The advisory urging Chicagoans at stay home in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for 21 days, expiring the day before the first Chicago Public Schools students are set to go back to in-person class.

New rules requiring nonprofit organizations to register as lobbyists will not take effect until at least April 1 amid an outcry about the impact of the new regulations and delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mark Flessner, the city’s top lawyer, resigned Sunday amid a growing furor over Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of the revelation that Chicago police officers handcuffed a naked woman during a mistaken raid in February 2019.

Three aldermen dropped their call for a special meeting of the Chicago City Council late Friday, amid a growing furor over Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of a video showing Chicago police officers handcuffing a naked woman during a mistaken raid of her home in February 2019.

The pandemic in Illinois reached another sobering mark on Friday, whenhealth officials reported 15,015 total deaths linked to the pandemic and 886,805 infections. 

The agenda for Tuesday’s special meeting includes an order that would stop the city’s Law Department from sanctioning Anjanette Young, the social worker whose home was raided, for releasing the video of the raid.

City officials shut down a 50-person party in West Town early Sunday for violating rules designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Chicago officials said Thursday.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday acknowledged that she has known since November 2019 that Chicago police officers handcuffed a naked woman during a mistaken raid of her home in February 2019.

The agency charged with investigating allegations of police misconduct improperly closed probes prompted by anonymous complaints that were supported by evidence of wrongdoing, according to a new audit by Chicago’s watchdog.

The teen, who was not identified, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in connection with the death of retired Chicago Fire Department Lt. Dwain Williams.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday apologized to Anjanette Young, the Chicago woman who was handcuffed while naked by police officers who mistakenly raided her home in February 2019.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduced a measure Wednesday to expand protections for immigrants by blocking Chicago Police from cooperating with federal immigration agents.

Aldermen on Tuesday advanced a scaled-back effort to test whether Chicago’s affordable housing crisis could be eased by permitting basement, attic and coach house dwellings in five areas of the city.

Travelers coming to Chicago from nearly every U.S. state, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, must quarantine for 10 days or record a negative test for COVID-19, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office announced Tuesday.

The unanimous opinion issued Monday is the first public enforcement of rules governing the use of social media by elected officials in Chicago. In keeping with the ethics board’s rules, the official was not named.

A COVID-19 vaccination was administered for the first time Tuesday morning in Austin, a Chicago neighborhood ravaged by the virus. Mayor Lori Lightfoot called it “history in the making.”

Renaming 17 miles of Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, Chicago’s first permanent non-Indigenous settler, would be a massive undertaking without precedent in the city’s history, city officials told aldermen Friday.

The board voted unanimously on Monday to fine the 21st Ward alderman $5,000 for violating the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance by defending clients in criminal cases involving the Chicago Police Department.

An effort to require Chicago police officers to allow those arrested access to a phone within an hour of being detained remains stymied, nearly 19 months after Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) called on police brass to follow state law.

A Black high school student who was dragged down the stairs and tased by a police officer stationed at Marshall High School should get $300,000 to settle her lawsuit against the city, aldermen agreed Monday.

Alds. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) and Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) said the effort to create the new taxing district to fund security, attract businesses and spruce up the streets and sidewalks was pushed through too quickly and should not move forward.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday that Illinois’ ban on evictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic would be extended until Jan. 11 amid a sustained second surge of COVID-19 cases.

New data shows Chicagoans took approximately 640,000 rides on electric scooters during a four-month second trial run. That represents a significant decline from the initial test of the scooters in Chicago between June and July 2019.

“Many employees have told us they do not feel safe, nor do they feel the branches are safe for patrons, given the city's current positivity rate,” said Anders Lindall, a spokesman for AFSCME Council 31, which represents about 900 library employees.

An average of 1,729 Chicagoans have been diagnosed each day with the coronavirus during the past week, a 30% increase from the previous week, according to Chicago Department of Public Health data. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she was “deeply disappointed” that Lakeview Ald. Tom Tunney allowed diners to eat inside his restaurant in defiance of a ban imposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to curb the spread of COVID-19.