Stories by Heather Cherone

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has yet to provide the Office of the Inspector General with the evidence that prompted the commission to call for a probe into “the quality and integrity” of the investigations into police misconduct by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, according to a letter obtained by WTTW News.

The Margaret A. Muir sank only a few miles off the entrance to Algoma Harbor. It went undetected for more than a century despite hundreds of boats passing over it each fishing season.

As Democrats rally behind a new candidate for president, could Illinois’ governor be on the ticket? And Chicago Public Schools budget math. 

Firefighter Jermaine Pelt was killed battling a West Pullman blaze in April 2023. Two men have been charged with murder and arson, while a third faces fraud and forgery charges.

The not-so-little one — measuring 5 feet and weighing 105 pounds — arrived Wednesday night, the first beluga born at Shedd since 2020.

Something appears to be lurking in the water at Lincoln Park’s North Pond, and some swear it’s an alligator.

Advocacy groups are sounding the alarm on a spike in domestic violence cases. A new report from the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence says domestic violence deaths in Illinois rose by 110% last year, with 94 incidents of domestic violence leading to 120 deaths in 2023.

As of Thursday, the outbreak has sickened 34 people in 13 states, including 33 who were hospitalized and two who died, according to the USDA. The deaths were reported in Illinois and New Jersey.

The endorsement, announced Friday in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple, comes as Harris builds momentum as their party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse his second-in-command against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

In all, it has already cost Chicago taxpayers more than $98 million to defend disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, investigate his conduct and resolve lawsuits that allege Guevara violated dozens of Chicagoans’ civil rights, according to WTTW News’ analysis.

The free Saturday events are part of the “Arts for Everybody” campaign led by One Nation/One Project, which brings people together at 18 sites across the country to put a spotlight on the role of arts in the healing and health of communities.

At an event in Homan Square, panelists ranging from youth violence prevention organizers to people who work in banking shared how they’re trying to curb violence in the city.

CPS says next year’s budget is balanced. Helping families hurt by gun violence. And a public art exhibit uncovers the history of an ancient Mexican civilization.

The seven-member Board of Education on Thursday approved the district’s $9.9 billion spending plan for the upcoming school year despite criticisms from educators who said the district is relying on staff vacancies to plug its $505 million funding gap.

Chicago Survivors offers a range of free services to families impacted by violent deaths. The organization partners with the Chicago Police Department by responding to homicide scenes and providing immediate support.

PsiQuantum, which is set to receive $200 million in tax incentives for its work in Illinois, will serve as the anchor tenant of a quantum campus on the city’s Southeast Side that, at the behest Pritzker, the state is allocating $300 million from this year’s budget to build.

The Democratic National Convention will close off wide swaths of the Near West Side around the United Center and downtown around McCormick Place, under a security plan law enforcement authorities released Thursday. “Chicago is ready,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We were born ready.”

America’s economy is about to stick what’s called a “soft landing,” which is when inflation returns to the Fed’s target without a recession — a feat that’s only happened once, during the 1990s, according to some economists.

The Sept. 10 debate was one of two debates that President Joe Biden and Trump had agreed on. The first one was hosted by CNN on June 27, but Biden has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his successor.

At issue was a proposed rate increase that would drive the average monthly bill for residential customers of Illinois American Water up by nearly $30. Illinois American, which serves about 1.3 million people across the entire state, is one of two privately held water utilities seeking rate increases before state regulators. 

The Chicago Board of Education unanimously approved a new whole school safety plan, which brings to an end the use of school resource officers (SROs) inside district buildings following a yearslong review of CPS safety protocols and procedures.

If the Bally’s hotel and casino on the Chicago River aren’t built with birds in mind, the question isn’t whether birds will die in collisions but how many. “It could rival the carnage at McCormick Place,” one advocate said.

“Whatever happens in this process that I understand is going on, my job is to make sure that we win in November — so I’m going to work hard to do that,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told journalists Thursday amid reports he’s being considered for the Democratic vice presidential nomination.

Growing outrage as more details emerge on the fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey. A deep dive into Kamala Harris’ historic presidential campaign. And a new exhibit honoring Black baseball history hits Chicago.

Organizers and voters have already started rallying behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president. More than 40,000 Black women joined a Zoom call — with another 50,000 streaming on other platforms — this past Sunday to express their support.

Relatives and friends are questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of 51-year-old Michael Broadway. An IDOC spokesperson said the agency is “actively investigating.”