Stories by WTTW News

The high stakes races for Illinois Supreme Court seats. An interview with the mayor of Highland Park three months after the Fourth of July shooting. One-on-one with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. And private booting companies push to expand.

Following up on our series, Permanent Punishment, a look at the legal routes to clearing a criminal record. Young Steppenwolf artists remember the tragedy that touched off the Chicago race riots of 1919. And nailing art.

Applications are now open for a guaranteed income program in Cook County. The Low-rider Festival drives back to town. And trying on quinceañera dresses.

Live from Hyde Park. Plus, gubernatorial candidates go head-to-head. The final part of our Permanent Punishment series exploring how criminal records are expunged. And a new report finds HIV/AIDS plummeting in Chicago during the pandemic.

How the city budget proposal affects your wallet. Part three of our Permanent Punishment series looking at formerly incarcerated people finding employment. And how the federal electoral count act could protect future elections.

The latest on the SAFE-T Act. The unique experiences of women affected by the criminal legal system. One-on-one with Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald. And the pandemic’s impact on children’s development.

The first installment of our new series, Permanent Punishment, about life with a criminal record. The mayor’s election year budget address. Boiling down recycling in Chicago. And the Supreme Court’s next term.

John Brennan, a real estate investor and civic leader who was an active WTTW and WFMT trustee for the last 18 years, died suddenly on Monday. He was 60 years old.

Queen Elizabeth’s death is sparking questions about the history of the British Empire. Plus, the mother of Hadiya Pendleton on preventing gun violence and raising awareness of kidney disease.

The push for affordable housing in Chicago. Plus, the impact of pharmacy deserts. The landscapes and people of Puerto Rico in a new exhibit. And libraries going beyond just offering books. 

Controversy over a new school on the near South Side, we have a live report. The latest on Hurricane Ian. Northwestern plans a new billion dollar football stadium. And raising awareness around kidney disease.

More migrants arrive in Chicago from the border. Why reports say investigators might be closer than ever to solving the 40-year-old Tylenol murders. And carving out a monument to Monty and Rose.

Why CPD wants to encrypt radio communications and what it says about transparency. Equity in the state’s cannabis industry. The mother of slain teen Hadiya Pendleton on new efforts to end gun violence. And paintings from Puerto Rico.

Understanding the workers’ rights amendment on the November ballot in Illinois. The impact of a 100-year-old power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan. And local reaction to the unrest in Iran.

There’s good news for those apartment hunting in downtown Chicago as record-high prices begin to cool off. And airline passengers will have more power and goodwill under a new federal proposal that would force fees to be disclosed.

The changing face of Chicago’s City Council is the topic of a special crossover with Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices. And examining structural inequities with Black artists and scholars.

Breaking down what’s behind the mass exodus from City Hall in a special Voices crossover. Local relief efforts for Puerto Rico. And meet a duo of singing sisters from the South Side.  

The robots are coming … to deliver food. Plus, how the latest Fed rate hikes could impact home prices, neighbors complain about damage to Douglass Park after Riot Fest and Maestro Ricardo Muti’s exit interview.

Approval is given for a Chicago Fire practice facility on a former public housing site. Group of state’s attorneys sues to strike the state’s new law eliminating cash bail. Chicago City Council welcomes its newest member.

A building explosion rocks the West Side. Why finding workers to staff November’s election is proving difficult. Meet the plaintiff behind the massive Sterigenics court settlement. And a sweet treat on 26th Street.

Local relief efforts begin as Puerto Rico is hit with a devastating hurricane. The push to ban certain books in school libraries gains steam. And why some attorneys say the mayor’s office is withholding public records.

The developer behind the Lincoln Yards mega-project has plans for a large apartment building close by. A software company based in Finland is looking to hire more people in Chicago. And, the building owners of Tavern on Rush are eyeing an overhaul.

The battle over the border as more migrant buses arrive in Chicago. Plus, what’s causing a restaurant worker shortage, songs for Hispanic Heritage Month and a sweet treat on 26th Street.

How to improve wages — and lives — of low-wage workers. Plus, how Google is investing in Black tech entrepreneurs in Chicago, R. Kelly is convicted and an Englewood native uses art as therapy.

Dozens of migrants are temporarily sheltering in Burr Ridge after being bused to Chicago from Texas. We have a live report. Plus, the impact of the R. Kelly verdict and how a smaller Chicago City Council might work.

R. Kelly convicted in Chicago child porn trial. What’s true and what’s false about the Illinois SAFE-T Act, now a huge issue in the campaign. New rules for festivals in Chicago parks and Spotlight Politics.