Stories by paul caine

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan takes the stand in his own defense. And a battle over hemp regulation has the mayor and governor on opposing sides.

Chicago Bears fans had high hopes for this season. A No. 1 draft pick quarterback and wins early on had some dreaming of the playoffs. But a 10-game losing streak put an end to those dreams and cost head coach Matt Eberflus his job.

Takeaways from the New Orleans terror attack. And sparring over a new contract for Chicago Public Schools teachers.

We look back at the biggest stories of the year. Michael Madigan’s landmark corruption trial. The city gets a budget — eventually. And the CPS CEO gets a pink slip.

Is this the end of the line for Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez? And Mayor Brandon Johnson finally gets his budget passed.

Why the mayor called off a budget vote. Pritzker pushes back on mass deportations. And calls for a crackdown on unregulated hemp.

Forrest Claypool served twice as Richard M. Daley’s chief of staff and had a unique perspective on his leadership. Claypool is out now with a new book painting a behind-the-scenes portrait of Chicago’s longest serving mayor.

What’s in a new city budget proposal. Chicago Public Schools’ CEO rejects a buyout. And a pivotal week in the Michael Madigan trial.

Is he playing turkey — or serious? The potential local impact of Trump’s gambit on tariffs. And what has to happen before the year ends.

President-elect Trump starts planning his return to Washington — and picking his Cabinet. And the City Council unanimously votes down Mayor Johnson’s proposed property tax hike.

President-elect Donald Trump prepares for a second term. Meanwhile, Democrats are left to digest and come to terms with a crushing defeat.

What’s on the line as Election Day approaches. And Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget pitch includes property tax hike.

The Chicago Bears snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Now instead of the playoffs, the talk is of a heartbreaking and improbable loss that some Bears players are calling the worst they’ve ever experienced.

Inside the courtroom where former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is on trial. And Chicago gets an entirely new school board.

United Nations human rights investigators said in a statement: “These heinous alleged human rights violations appear to a significant extent to be rooted in systemic racism and have disproportionately affected people of African and Latin American descent.”

What a possible White Sox sale could mean for Chicago. And CPS board members skip out on the City Council.

Northeastern Illinois University has certainly seen its fair share of turmoil in recent years, including a narrowly averted strike and the departure of the former university president following a vote of no-confidence by faculty. Now, Katrina Bell-Jordan is officially taking the reins of leadership at NEIU .

The mayor brings in a new school board while the district faces a budget crunch. And alderpeople jam up City Council, angry over the CPS board and the end of ShotSpotter.

The entire CPS board calls it quits. Early voting gets underway in Chicago. And the presidential contest comes to the Midwest.

The Chicago White Sox may have won five of their last six games, but it was all too little, too late. The 2024 White Sox officially set a new record for Major League Baseball futility Friday in their 4-1 loss to Detroit, which became their 121st loss of the season.

A new front in the battle for control of Chicago Public Schools. And the high stakes of corruption in City Hall.

Millions watched Harris and Trump face off in the presidential debate — but will it move the needle? And efforts to curb a looming Chicago budget deficit.

Safety and the prospect of guns for self-defense on the CTA. Chicago’s deal with a grocer that’s saddled with debt. And the latest in the presidential race.

For football fans, the wait is nearly over. The NFL regular season is set to kick off this week. And after a disappointing last few seasons — arguably decades — there’s excitement brewing once again at Soldier Field.

The school year starts, and already CPS leaders are buried in homework. Work begins on Chicago’s permanent casino. And the city stares down a nearly billion-dollar deficit.

Kamala Harris makes history as she becomes the Democratic nominee for president. Meanwhile, former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger torches Donald Trump.