Stories by Eunice Alpasan

According to Chicago Board of Elections data, there was a 32% increase from Feb. 28 to April 4 of votes cast by voters ages 18 to 24. Voters ages 25 to 34 increased their votership by 24%.

Juan Ochoa testified at the ongoing trial of the “ComEd Four,” who are accused of corruptly seeking to influence Michael Madigan. Federal prosecutors claimed Ochoa’s appointment to the board was a part of that conspiracy to further garner support from the former speaker.

Chicago chooses Brandon Johnson for mayor. Turnover on the City Council. And former President Donald Trump battles indictment.

“Those who want to see our city divided, today this is a very clear day, an indication that those are the politics of old,” Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said Friday.

“We should put the right to choose on every ballot across the country in 2024 — not just with the candidates we choose, but with referendum efforts to enshrine reproductive rights in states where right-wing politicians are stripping those rights away,” Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker told CNN.

The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school sports that align with their gender identities. If finalized, the proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972.

It’s been less than six years since a total solar eclipse cut across the U.S., from coast to coast. That was on Aug. 21, 2017. The next one is predicted to hit Illinois.

Measured month to month, wages rose 0.3% from February to March, a tick up from a mild 0.2% gain from January to February. But even that figure signaled a slowdown from average wage increases in the final months of 2022.

Why a State Street building is set for demolition. The pros and cons of ranked choice voting. The impact of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. And we’re “in your neighborhood” as three religious holidays converge.

“I think that faith should always be something that helps people to see the connections between themselves more than the divisions,” said Alia Bilal of the Inner-City Muslim Advocacy Network.

Spending on the race topped $42 million, nearly triple the national record for a court race. Almost 40% of the state’s eligible voters cast a ballot, the highest turnout for a spring election that didn’t feature a presidential primary in 20 years.

There’s an effort to implement ranked choice voting in Illinois as early as the 2024 presidential primary. Proponents say ranked choice voting helps ensure representative outcomes; opponents say it’s confusing to voters.

The move is the latest development in a fight over historic preservation and courthouse security. The government has also been pushing to demolish the Century and Consumers buildings, two early 20th century skyscrapers located to the east of the Dirksen Federal Building.

An art exhibit, improv brunch and classical Chinese dance usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in Chicago.

The mayor-elect has just 41 days to set up his administration and prepare to tackle the myriad problems facing Chicago.

The report of the connection between Thomas and conservative businessman Harlan Crow is already adding to calls that Congress investigate potential ethical lapses. Key Senate Democrats were previously mulling using this year’s funding legislation for the Supreme Court to pressure the justices to adopt some sort of ethics code.

Dr. Aleksandra Gmurczyk helped take two people off the waitlist when she donated her own kidney to a woman she had never met and launched a kidney-paired donation.

The Chicago State University chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois (CSU UPI) authorized a potential strike last month, and after the latest bargaining session Saturday didn’t lead to a new contract, members decided to begin a work stoppage Monday.

Checking in with some of the big winners from last night and assessing where the city goes from here under Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson. And the latest on a second firefighter killed in the line of duty this week.

Chicago voters rejected efforts by moderate Democrats and Republicans to turn Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s support for criminal justice reform into a fatal liability.

Nearly a quarter of the city will get new political leadership in 2023, a result of an unprecedented exodus of veteran alderpeople that led to a generational shift in Chicago politics, with six Black, Latina and Asian American women replacing veteran City Council members, all of them men.

The Chicago Fire Department responded after flames broke out in a high-rise building at 1212 North Lake Shore Drive Wednesday morning. While there, the CFD called for a mayday and an emergency medical response after one firefighter suffered critical injuries and later died.

Activists, community members and local elected officials have for months expressed their concerns to Save A Lot operator Yellow Banana about the poor reputation Save A Lot has among many Chicagoans, particularly Black residents.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was still the world’s busiest airport for passenger volume in 2022, holding the top spot it reclaimed in 2021 after being knocked off stride by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police were called to Highland Park High School following a report of a student with a gun. The school was locked down Tuesday; no shots were fired.

What if there were a different way? What if you could rank your choices in order of your preference? Well, there is a system like that and it’s already being used in some jurisdictions. It’s called ranked choice voting. It has its backers as well as detractors.