Stories by Amanda Vinicky

“As someone that represents Chicago, it seemed irresponsible to completely overhaul the makeup of the board just months before the election,” state Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) told WTTW News.

A fiery news conference today as Mayor Brandon Johnson unveils his new Chicago Board of Education appointees. We’ll have reaction.

The mayor announced his new picks for the board amid a tumultuous time between Johnson and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, who said he rejected the mayor’s request that he resign his position.

“This has been kind of an extreme and somewhat stressful year for a lot of plants,” said Tom Tiddens, supervisor of plant health care at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The race, which transformed the streets of downtown into a 2.2-mile street course, is already set to make its return to Chicago next summer.

The Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was found guilty in 2022 of three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.

Five people were killed by gunfire in shootings across Chicago over the weekend, according to the Chicago Police Department.

The longtime House speaker, along with his longtime confidant and current co-defendant Michael McClain, are finally set to go to trial this week, more than two and a half years after the men were first charged in a bombshell federal indictment that accused them of racketeering, bribery and wire fraud.

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

Attendees of the outdoor concert venue the Salt Shed might have been exposed to a bat during a Sept. 12 concert for the band Goose, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Board president Jianan Shi, Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland and fellow members Mariela Estrada, Mary Fahey Hughes, Rudy Lozano, Michelle Morales and Tanya Woods plan to step down from their positions this month.

A record share of U.S. kindergartners had an exemption for required vaccinations last school year, leaving more than 125,000 new schoolchildren without coverage for at least one state-mandated vaccine.

Another week, another set of navigational challenges on North DuSable Lake Shore Drive as the number of lane closures increases to accommodate an ongoing resurfacing project.

Forest preserve districts in DuPage, Kane and Lake counties, along with the McHenry County Conservation District, are all asking either for tax increases or the ability to issue bonds to pay for land acquisition, habitat restoration and ongoing maintenance.

Voters in the Nov. 5 election will pick a member to represent each of 10 new districts as the board triples in size from its current size of seven up to 21 members beginning in January 2025.

What you need to know as early voting kicks off. How parks — or a lack thereof — are affecting Chicago’s Latino communities. And a passion for collecting leads to a business venture.

Chicago is a city known for its parks and green spaces, but not every resident has the same access to lush greenery or playgrounds. According to data from the Trust for Public Lands, Latino communities have 41% less access to green spaces than the average Chicagoan.

If you’re walking down 18th Street, it’s hard to pass the El Anticuario storefront without wondering what’s inside. It’s just about everything.

Early voting is now available at a voting supersite at 191 N. Clark and the Chicago Board of Elections offices at 69 W. Washington, 6th floor. Early voting in all 50 wards begins Oct. 21.

The CDC recommends people ages 6 months and older get the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccinations to get the best protection from current circulating COVID-19 variant strains and flu viruses.

This week’s “Pick Six” — our weekly roundup of outdoorsy recommendations in each of the Chicago region’s six counties — ranges from an Ice Age trail to a day at the best beach in Illinois.

According to figures from the Chicago Police Department, there have been 439 homicides and 1,808 shootings recorded through the first nine months of 2024. Those totals are down 8% and 5%, respectively, compared to the same time last year.

Efforts to improve access to mental health services. We explore the Austin community’s green spaces. And a deep dive into the hidden history of Black civil rights.

Chicago will no longer have members of the police and fire departments on its mental health emergency response teams. The Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program is moving to a new staffing model — with all public health workers.

African Americans were fighting for their rights through common law long before what many people know conventionally as the Civil Rights Movement. That’s the conclusion award-winning scholar and author Dylan Penningroth came to in his book “Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights.”

The City Council’s Finance Committee unanimously endorsed the plan from R2 Co. and the Campari Group to transform the 14-story office building at 79 W. Monroe St. into an apartment building with 117 units, including 41 units set aside for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans.