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Dick Durbin Invites John Roberts to Testify on Supreme Court Ethics After Clarence Thomas Revelations

The call comes after Senate Democrats have raised questions about whether the ethical standards of the high court need to be reviewed or change in the wake of a ProPublica report that found Justice Clarence Thomas has gone on several luxury trips involving travel subsidized by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.

An End to the Reading Wars? More US Schools Embrace Phonics

For decades, two schools of thought have clashed on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. 

Park District Is on ‘Cherry Blossom Watch’ in Jackson Park as Buds Prepare To Burst

Peak bloom is still a couple weeks away, but the buds are beginning to burst forth in Jackson Park’s Cherry Blossom Grove.

April 19, 2023 - Full Show

Mayor Lightfoot and indicted 50-year Ald. Ed Burke get standing ovations on their final City Council meetings. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson visits Springfield. And community members weigh in on a new police superintendent.

Photographer Kwame Brathwaite Captured Black Beauty, Power in the ‘60s and ‘70s

From Stevie Wonder and high-fashion models to everyday people, photographer Kwame Brathwaite documented Black culture across the globe. “He’s essentially synonymous with the Black is Beautiful movement,” said Grace Deveney of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Lightfoot Watches in Silence as Departing City Council Members Laud Her, Each Other at Final Meeting

Mayor Lori Lightfoot declined to address the City Council at her last meeting as mayor, passing up the chance to begin shaping her legacy as the city’s leader during four of the most tumultuous years in Chicago history.

Residents Call for Police Accountability, Systemic Change at Forum on New CPD Superintendent

Commissioners heard comments on a range of issues. There were multiple calls for a new superintendent to come from within the ranks of CPD, and many community members said they wanted someone who will instill a culture of respect for residents.

End of the Burke Era: A 54-year Political Reign at City Hall Comes to a Close

Ald. Ed Burke, 79, is likely to complete his 54 years as a City Council member without any of the pomp and circumstance that once would have greeted his departure from his beloved City Hall, which he ruled with an iron fist for decades.

Brandon Johnson Claims Mandate to Reshape Public Safety, Pledges to Partner with General Assembly

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who got his start as an aide to Senate President Don Harmon, traveled to Springfield to declare his election marks a “new day” in Illinois politics – and to serve notice that he would govern boldly as a progressive and supporter of organized labor.

From Endangered to Tourism Asset, Fox River Makes Amazing Turnaround Thanks to ‘Watershed Warriors’

A new short documentary, “Watershed Warriors,” focuses on Friends of the Fox River and the progress the organization has made to reclaim the waterway as a natural resource for the people, wildlife and plants that live within its watershed.

Supreme Court Temporarily Extends Access to Abortion Pill

The justices are expected to issue an order on Wednesday in a fast-moving case from Texas in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug, mifepristone.

Strep Infections Surged This Winter, Up Nearly 30% From Pre-Pandemic Peak

In February, the share of health care visits for strep throat or a related diagnosis was nearly 30% higher than during the previous peak in 2017. And preliminary data for early March shows a continued upward trend.

Study Suggests Research Needed Around Earlier Breast Cancer Screenings for Black Women

An international team of researchers wrote in the study that clinical trials may be warranted to investigate whether screening guidelines should recommend Black women start screening at younger ages, around 42 instead of 50.

April 18, 2023 - Full Show

City leaders talk solutions to this weekend’s unrest in the Loop. A warehouse that houses Cook County criminal records dating back to the Chicago Fire. And where the “great resignation” has been felt the most in state government.

From Curfew Enforcement to Peacekeeper Presence, Weighing Solutions Following Unrest Downtown

In all, fifteen people were arrested in connection with the unrest, which included crowds of young people jumping on CTA buses and fighting. Now downtown residents, city leaders and community organizers are looking for solutions.

From Leopold and Loeb to Gacy: Cicero Facility Houses Millions of Criminal Records

Criminal history in Cook County is long and sordid — from Al Capone to Leopold and Loeb to John Wayne Gacy. The historical figures may be long gone, but the physical documents and evidence pertaining to their cases are still around.

This Week in Nature: Who, Us? Fewer Than 50% of Americans Think Humans Are the Main Cause of Climate Change

According to a new survey, there’s been a shift in the percentage of Americans who believe humans are the primary driver of climate change as opposed to natural changes in the environment.

Photo Exhibition Highlights the Lives, Personalities of Black Gay Men in 1980s Chicago

A new exhibition of his photographs at the Wrightwood 659 gallery in Lincoln Park is an evocative look at gay Black men in Chicago during a pivotal decade — and a window into a community that’s often been overlooked and stereotyped.

Nearly One-Fifth of Chicago Public Schools to See Budget Cuts Amid Enrollment Declines

The district’s overall budget, which was $9.4 billion in 2023, will be essentially unchanged in 2024, with officials planning to spend an additional $150 million next year, mostly to add instructors in special education classes.

Additional COVID-19 Boosters Cleared for Older Adults, Immunocompromised People

On Tuesday, the FDA changed the terms of the authorizations for those vaccines so that certain individuals could get an additional dose ahead of most others. 

Chicago Faces $85M Budget Shortfall in 2024, Says Lightfoot While Defending Her Financial Legacy

The projections detailed by outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot represent a significantly rosier financial picture for Chicago than the forecast released in August, when city officials projected a likely budget gap of $473.8 million in 2024. 

Sheriff: 1955 Arrest Warrant Moot for Kidnapping of Emmett Till

Till’s kidnapping and killing became a catalyst for the civil rights movement when his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago after his brutalized body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos.

April 17, 2023 - Full Show

Officials search for answers after unruly teenage behavior downtown. Why several dozen county employees were busted for alleged fraud. And the former CEO of Com Ed testifies in the bribery case tied to Michael Madigan.

More Than 50 Employees at Cook County Court Clerk’s Office Leave Amid COVID-19 Fraud Probes

The employees were found to have defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program designed to help businesses stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

April Fools! Record Warmth Gives Way to Snow as Spring Takes Chicago on Roller-Coaster Weather Ride

In true springtime-in-Chicago fashion, last week’s record-setting summer-like temperatures gave way to a return on winter Monday, as people woke up to snow-covered cars and below-freezing wind chills.

Former ComEd CEO Distances Herself From Michael Madigan During 2nd Day on the Stand

Anne Pramaggiore was one of Chicago’s most high-profile executives, serving as CEO of ComEd, as well as chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Chicago’s Board of Directors, and on the boards of DePaul University and Motorola. All of those titles are gone now and replaced with another: defendant.
 

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