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DCFS Director to Step Down at End of the Year After Agency Hit With Another Scathing Audit

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith will resign effective Dec. 31, he told colleagues in an all-staff town hall meeting Wednesday morning.

CPS Suspended 2 Security Guards Last Month. Both Were Previously Fired Police Officers and Named on Chicago’s Do-Not-Hire List

Two former Chicago Police Department employees were suspended from jobs at Lane Tech and Kenwood Academy. Chicago Public Schools says its revamped program is working, but omits key details.

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Oct. 4, 2023 - Full Show

The Bring Chicago Home proposal raises tensions in a City Council hearing. Reaction to a plan to convert a Park District fieldhouse into a migrant shelter. And the Chicago native behind the new series “Young Love.”

Alderman, Residents Push Back on City Plan to House Migrants at Amundsen Park Field House

It marked the latest in a series of contentious community meetings across the city as officials work to find housing for the influx of thousands of migrants being sent from the southern border.

‘Young Love’ Series Portrays West Side Family’s Modern-Day Life in Chicago

Chicago native Matthew A. Cherry expanded on his Academy Award-winning short film “Hair Love” by creating “Young Love,” an animated series featuring a family living on the West Side of Chicago.

Proposal to Hike Taxes on Sales of Million-Dollar Homes to Fight Homelessness Clears Key Hurdle

Supporters say the plan would generate approximately $100 million annually to address the root causes of homelessness by building new permanent housing that offers wraparound services.

Capitol Rioter From Illinois Who Attacked Reuters Cameraman and Police Officer Gets More Than 4 Years in Prison

Shane Woods, of Auburn, Illinois, took a running start and tackled the Reuters cameraman “like an NFL linebacker hunting a quarterback after an interception,” federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

University of Chicago Launches Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression With Speaker Panels, Banned Book Collection

The Forum’s mission of “understanding, practicing and advancing” free inquiry and expression takes form this week with speaker panels as part of the initiative’s official launch.

Shootings, Homicides in Chicago Continue to Decline Through September: Police

Through the first three quarters of 2023, homicides and shootings in Chicago are down more than 10% compared to the same time last year, and are each at their lowest totals since at least 2019.

NASCAR to Return to Chicago for 2024 Race, Mayor Announces

Mayor Brandon Johnson waved the green flag after race officials agreed to “shorten the event’s set up and tear down windows, reducing travel disruption for impacted communities and other residents,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

I Ran the Chicago Marathon Last Year. Here’s What I Wish I Knew

It’s race week for more than 47,000 participants in the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. We’ve compiled tips from one runner who shares what to expect at this year’s race.

NASCAR Added $109M to Chicago’s Economy, City Tourism Officials Say

By comparison, Lollapalooza generated $422 million, according to a separate report.

University of Chicago Statistics Professor Among 2023 Class of MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Honorees

Rina Foygel Barber, 40, was announced as one of the newest members of the “genius grant” fellowship, which provides recipients with a $800,000 no-strings-attached award over five years to spend however they want.

Illegal Building in Humboldt Park Will Be Demolished, Museum Leader Apologizes for ‘Missteps’

Tensions remain as the fight over the building has been seen by some as a symbol of the struggle to maintain Humboldt Park’s longstanding Puerto Rican heritage in the face of gentrification.

13 Spooky Picks for October in Chicago – Tricky Treats for Grown Ups Looking for Arts, Culture and Frightening Fun

Find your own darn pumpkin patches and corn mazes. This is a list for adults who love the spooky season just as much as those costumed kids with their candy bags.

A National Emergency Alert Test Is Coming to Your Phone at 1:20 p.m. Today: Here’s Why

Starting at approximately 1:20 p.m. CT on Wednesday, the federal government will begin conducting a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. 

Oct. 3, 2023 - Full Show

Kevin McCarthy is ousted as speaker of the House — a look at what comes next. And an increase in hate crimes in Illinois.

Kevin McCarthy Ousted as House Speaker in Unprecedented Vote as Democrats Join with GOP Critics to Topple Him

Next steps are uncertain, but there is no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority.

Number of Antisemitic Incidents in Illinois Up 128% Last Year, Report Finds

A report from the Anti-Defamation League finds an increase in antisemitic incidents, hate crimes, white supremacist propaganda and more in Illinois.

Vote to End Tipped Minimum Wage in Chicago Delayed by City Clerk’s Error

City Clerk Anna Valencia acknowledged her office had erred, delaying a triumphant moment for Mayor Brandon Johnson and the progressive political movement that elected him to office earlier this year.

Stops by Chicago Police Create Fear and Sow Distrust, Finds Survey Conducted by Federal Court Monitor

The 39-page report from the independent monitoring team, led by attorney Maggie Hickey, compiled the results of the feedback gathered from more than 400 Chicagoans at 17 community engagement sessions in February, March and April.

Damen Silos Demolition Permit Application ‘Deferred’ Pending Further Review, Mayor Johnson Announces

More than a year after the State of Illinois sold off the abandoned 23-acre Damen Silos property to MAT Limited Partnership, the fate of the silos — a favorite of urban explorers — is still up in the air.

COPA Set to Launch Public Training Program on Police Oversight, Bodycam Video Analysis and More

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability will launch its second People’s Academy — a six-week training course that’s open to the public and gives an in-depth look at some of the office’s operations, such as complaint investigations, body-worn camera video analysis and disciplinary recommendations.

J.B. Pritzker Urges Joe Biden to Intervene as ‘Untenable’ Pace of Migrants Arriving in Illinois Accelerates

Buses from Texas accelerate as Illinois counts 15,000 new arrivals in 13 months

Without naming GOP figures like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Pritzker blamed political leaders who “have shipped people to our state like cargo in a dehumanizing attempt to score political points.”

GM and Ford Lay Off 500 Workers, Including Hundreds at Chicago Heights Plant

Ford said it laid off 330 workers at its Chicago Stamping Plant and Lima Engine Plant following the union’s decision Friday to strike its Chicago Assembly plant, which made the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs.

O’Hare Video Installation Combines Footwork and Native American Dance Styles into Uniquely Chicago Film

Filmed at the Willis Tower, on the lakeshore at the Promontory Point with the city’s skyline in the background and other locations, “Skywalkers” is set to play on a permanent loop as art of a large public commission to Chicago artists. 
 

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