Stories by Shelby Hawkins

Gov. JB Pritzker signs a bill to allow terminally ill adults to die on their own terms. And residents of a troubled South Shore building are being evicted.

Cook County has its first new chief judge in more than two decades after Charles Beach was sworn in to the position earlier this month.

An advisory committee overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine advisory board will meet Thursday to discuss the medical guidance of the hepatitis B vaccine, which is currently given at birth.

Started by the World Health Organization as a way to honor individuals who died in the epidemic, World AIDS Day raises international awareness about the ongoing public health crisis.

Many Chicagoans impacted by the new rules live in divested neighborhoods already suffering from a lack of access to nutritious food.

The Cook County Board of Review, the office tasked with settling appeals, announced that everyone who lives in a Cook County township that’s already closed its 2025 property tax appeal window will have another shot to file.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $16.6 billion budget proposal faces a major setback. And Dexter Reed’s family is asking a judge to reinstate a lawsuit against the city.

“The military is not the method we use for law enforcement,” said retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner. “They are not trained for this, and we don’t want to put these young men and women in situations they are not trained for.”

Jon Martin started his coin collection 20 years ago and has amassed about 600 pieces. In a bid to connect with his community and perhaps get more people interested in numismatics, the Rogers Park resident recently decided to give away some of his collection.

Illinois lawmakers last week signed off on a sweeping $1.5 billion transit funding package that reshapes how the CTA, Metra and Pace are run and funded. The plan also creates what’s called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority to oversee the transit agencies.

The museum is celebrating its own history as the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere by preparing for its centennial celebration in 2030.

Nearly 2 million Illinois residents, including 900,000 people in Cook County, face losing their benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if Congress fails to pass a budget by Nov. 1.

Illinois lawmakers head back to Springfield next week to finish out their fall veto session with plenty on the agenda.

Tonika Lewis Johnson is a social justice artist, photographer and author from Englewood whose work highlights systemic racism and disinvestment in Chicago. The multihyphenate is one of 22 fellows granted this year’s prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term kicked off last week with culture-war topics and presidential authority on the docket.

Dozens of young women and girls from across the city filled the Kehrein Center for the Arts on Saturday as they gathered for the 14th annual Chicago Day of the Girl to celebrate the creativity, confidence and sisterhood.

Virgil Abloh shifted the meaning of luxury and who gets to participate in it. The streetwear-loving son of Ghanaian immigrants had a meteoric rise in the fashion industry — aptly calling himself a fashion “maker” rather than designer.

Local businessman and former Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, 79, welcomes the possibility of soldiers in the city. “This is very personal to me,” Wilson said. “I’ve lost a son to violence.”

“America’s Test Kitchen” has been at it for 25 years — with hosts trying out different cooking techniques, reviewing kitchen gadgets and perfecting recipes.

Vending machines containing free Narcan will be placed at five CTA stations throughout Chicago as part of a six-month pilot initiative between the CTA and Cook County Health.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has spurred public discourse on political violence and the rhetoric that perpetuates it. Reactions to Kirk’s death range from anger and grief to indifference and relief, revealing the longstanding chasm in American political ideology.

With the possibility of a National Guard deployment in Chicago, advocates for people experiencing homelessness are concerned about how a military presence might affect the vulnerable population. Washington, D.C., saw more than 50 encampment clearings since the National Guard arrived there.

The Chicago Bears enter a new era Monday in a highly anticipated matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears are playing with a few major changes this season. Namely, new leadership.

Chicago braces for a wave of immigration agents and National Guard troops. And the Chicago Board of Education backs a budget Mayor Brandon Johnson opposed.

President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, calling the city “a killing field” despite violent crime being on a downward trend.

CPS leaders said they crafted a budget proposal to keep cuts out of the classroom, but the plan leans heavily on one-time funding, raising questions about long-term stability.