Stories by Blair Paddock

Stateville had robust higher educational programs, partnering with five Chicago-area universities. After the transfers, some students have been split from their classmates and are now hundreds of miles away from each other. Those divisions and distances now make it difficult for educators to reach students.

Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS is one of the brightest in years. We've got tips on how to view this visitor from the outer solar system, even in Chicago.

Preckwinkle’s $9.9 billion plan calls for investments in opioid addiction remediation, community violence intervention, firming up how generative artificial intelligence can be used, adding employees at the assessor’s office to help with property valuations and adding solar panels to county properties.  

Voters are casting their ballots for the city's Board of Education — what you should know. And we break down Cook County's nearly $10 billion budget proposal. 

The class, based out of the school’s Evanston campus, traveled to meet with students incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, where the two groups were tasked with collaborating on a documentary.

The board’s monthly agenda review committee meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday morning, will not be held as planned, Chicago Public Schools announced over the weekend.

The Chicago area’s public transit system is approaching the precipice of a $730 million fiscal cliff in just over a year’s time. A group of lawmakers and advocates don’t just want to plug the transit agencies’ budget hole — they’re looking to funnel $1.5 billion in additional state funding each year to create a sustainable, world-class public transportation system.

A thought has circulated among several people close to the former president, they told CNN: If Trump wins, Obama might be seen as the aberration in the history of American politics, rather than Trump and his nativist authoritarianism.

Ruth Chepngetich became the first woman to break 2:10 in the marathon. She also won the Chicago Marathon in 2021 and 2022 and finished runner-up last year.

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.

Thursday evening’s concert at Orchestra Hall was another knockout performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it marked the brief return of conductor Marin Alsop, who clearly adores the CSO. It also was a program comprised of three radically different but splendid pieces of music.

Starting Oct. 14, only partial overnight lane closures are planned on DuSable Lake Shore Drive between LaSalle Drive and Hollywood Avenue. Here’s what motorists can expect.

The West Side hospital’s ex-CEO George Miller was charged in a superseding indictment Friday after he allegedly received more than $750,000 in bribes.

A federal court order requiring the Chicago Police Department to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers should be expanded to include traffic stops, but the city’s new police oversight board should be given some power over the hot-button issue, according to a new recommendation. 

Tens of millions of older Americans will see an increase in benefits this January when a new cost-of-living adjustment is added to Social Security payments.

Here’s a list of hair-raising reasons to climb out of your casket and explore the necropolis.

Here’s what you need to know about the event's logistics, from road closures to cheer zones.

The Young Lords of Lincoln Park went from a street gang to revolutionaries focused on supporting their community. A new documentary chronicles that journey. 

The Space Weather Prediction Center absolutely nailed its forecast for Thursday night, with a spectacular display of the northern lights dazzling sky watchers across the U.S. from the Florida Keys to New York City’s Central Park. Or not.

Outrage and confusion over potential charter school closures. And we’re one on one with Johnson’s chief of staff on funding for Chicago Public Schools.

The Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network is urging people to become organ donors. According to the nonprofit, while 95% of people in the U.S. support donation, fewer than 60% are registered organ and tissue donors.

Chicago Public Schools has been at the center of an intense media frenzy over the past week. Tensions continue to rise between Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, and the district’s financial crisis is at a standstill while the CEO, mayor and Chicago Teachers Union all publicly voiced different methods to solve it.

Gun safety advocates want Illinois to shorten the period of time in which a gun must be reported as lost or stolen from 72 hours to 48 hours. The group also wants lawmakers to mandate that dealers check a gun’s serial number in a state database before it can be bought or sold. Gun rights groups oppose the changes.

Voters in Illinois are being posed three “advisory” questions that ask voters whether they support a specific policy but aren’t legally binding. Lawmakers may take the results into account when considering what policies to advocate for in future legislative sessions.

Zachary Allen Kam, 24, of Chicago, was arrested in Illinois on assault charges and was expected to make his initial court appearance later Thursday. Kam is at least the third person charged with crimes related to a July 24 demonstration at Columbus Circle, in front of Washington's Union Station.

Consumer prices rose just 2.4% in September from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in August, and the smallest annual rise since February 2021. Measured from month to month, prices increased 0.2% from August to September, the Labor Department reported Thursday, the same as in the previous month.