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That expected surplus will more than offset a projected budget gap of $82.6 million during the 2024 fiscal year, more evidence that Cook County’s finances remain on “sturdy” financial footing in the wake of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the early Republican race as the other candidates look for an opening to take them on. President Joe Biden faces a couple of Democratic challengers but is expected to secure his party’s nomination.

A block party, Pride parade and superheroes usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.

Condelarious Garcia, 20, faces four counts each of aggravated reckless driving and failure to report an accident, as well as a misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license and multiple traffic citations.

Carlishia Hood, 35, and her teenage son have each been charged with first-degree murder stemming from the fatal Sunday night shooting of Jeremy Brown at a West Pullman restaurant.

A 19-year-old woman was seen struggling in the water Wednesday night.

One year ago Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded a five-decade-old right to abortion, prompting a seismic shift in debates about politics, values, freedom and fairness.

A new project traces climate change’s impact across Chicago neighborhoods. City Council takes action on minimum wage and police misconduct settlements. And another museum staff votes to unionize.

The impact of climate change is being felt across the planet in ways large and small. But it is increasingly clear that the impact of climate change is not felt equally.

This past weekend, many workers at the Museum of Science and Industry voted to unionize. According to unofficial results released by AFSCME, nearly three quarters of employees who voted cast a ballot in favor of representation.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s mayoral campaign platform called for an end to the tipped minimum wage, noting that those who rely on tips to earn a living wage are more likely to be Black and Latina women.

In all, the payments approved Wednesday are equivalent to 11% of the city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

Austin High School will remove one of its two school resource officers, while Marshall High School has voted to remove both of its SROs. Even so, the contract total will actually increase slightly due to increased salaries for the CPD officers assigned to schools.

It’s official: Just three months after being placed on Preservation Chicago’s “Most Endangered” list, the Warehouse — the birthplace of House music — is now a Chicago landmark.

The drowning was the second in a week along the Northwest Indiana lakefront. Chicago police are also investigating the death of a man pulled from the lake near Rogers Park. 

The agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in Prime. The complaint said the option to purchase items on Amazon without subscribing to Prime was more difficult in many cases.

The move launches a new era of meat production aimed at eliminating harm to animals and drastically reducing the environmental impacts of grazing, growing feed for animals and animal waste.

Brookfield Zoo has really big news to share: It’s on baby watch for a new giraffe. Arnieta, a 16-year-old reticulated giraffe, is due to deliver sometime between mid-July and late August, according to zoo officials.

The governor scales back health care for undocumented immigrants. What’s behind worsening drought conditions. New monuments being built in Chicago. And art meets sustainability on the West Side.

It starts with an assembly line of sorts: washing and drying detergent bottles that have been collected from different laundromats. The plastic is then shredded into small granules, heated and made into a solid beam to create benches.

Illinois is one of the few states that provides Medicaid-style health care benefits to undocumented immigrants, but that coverage is proving costly and the state is scaling back. It’s causing a political rift.

Chicago officials will use a $6.8 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to build eight new public monuments, including a monument to the more than 100 Black men who were tortured by Chicago Police officers trained by Jon Burge, a disgraced Chicago police commander.

Thunderstorms are as much a part of the rhythm of summer in Chicago as cookouts, baseball and street festivals. And they’ve been missing in 2023.

Adults ages 19 to 64 in the U.S. should be screened for anxiety disorders, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of independent medical experts whose recommendations help guide doctors’ decisions and influence insurance plans.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 75 people were shot in 51 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday, which marks one of the most violent weekends of the year to date. That included three separate mass shootings.

Classes may be finished, but beginning Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools will offer free meals to students at hundreds of school buildings throughout the city during the summer months.