Stories by Marc Vitali

Dominick Di Meo was an essential figure in the postwar Chicago art scene and part of an art circle known as the Monster Roster. Curator and gallerist John Corbett called it “the first full-fledged movement in Chicago art history.”

In 2020, the United States Mint created a commemorative coin collection to honor the Negro National League on the centennial anniversary of its founding. An exhibit of those coins opened at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Money Museum this month. 

Vice President Kamala Harris is the only major Democrat to announce publicly that she's seeking the nomination, meaning she'll almost-certainly be approved in a single round of virtual balloting beginning Aug. 1 — some 18 days before the party's convention opens in Chicago.

Chief Judge Timothy Evans, who filed a pair of administrative orders this month, said his office has made “extensive preparations,” including plans to reopen a former court facility ahead of next month’s DNC following requests from the city of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department.

The league reinstated Bowman, coach Joel Quenneville and Al MacIsaac, who also worked in Chicago’s front office, earlier this month. 

Paul La Schiazza, the former head of AT&T Illinois who was charged in 2022 with attempting to bribe ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, is now seeking to have some of his charges tossed out.

As the Paris Olympics prepares to kick off on Friday, Chicagoans can explore the connections and contrasts between their city and the French capital in a multi-venue art exhibition. “Opening Passages” explores the social dynamics of the two cities.

A gallon of gas in Chicago is now selling for an average of $4.34, according to AAA. That’s 27 cents more expensive than just a week ago after a tornado narrowly missed the Joliet Refinery and knocked power out to the Channahon, Illinois, facility.

With help from law enforcement analysts and 36 minutes of body-camera footage released Monday, CNN took a closer look at what the deputies did and what they could have done differently. The analysts, as well as Illinois prosecutors and the sheriff, found Grayson took several steps to escalate the situation rather than lower the temperature and reassess Massey’s needs.

If the city loses at trial, it could cost taxpayers between $18 million and $34 million, according to public warnings that most of the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee ignored.

Kamala Harris kicks off her presidential campaign. Chicago prepares for more migrant buses. And the host of “Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!” ahead of his one-night-only event.

Keeping up with the news of the day can be tough. But for 26 years, Peter Sagal has been making it fun for audiences across the country as host of NPR’s weekly radio show “Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!” This week, he’s offering fans a look behind the curtain.

City officials said Tuesday they are “hyper prepared” for a renewed surge of buses paid for by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to arrive in Chicago before the Democratic National Convention kicks off in less than four weeks.

The privately funded plan would redevelop more than 55 acres of land surrounding the United Center. If approved by the city, the first phase of construction could begin as soon as spring 2025.

“We are expanding this lawsuit to ensure that other irresponsible actors who have contributed to the proliferation of easily modified Glocks in our city are held accountable for their role in this deadly new frontier plaguing Chicago’s residents and communities,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.   

That lawsuit, filed this week on behalf of 193 former Juvenile Temporary Detention Center detainees, alleges systematic sexual abuse carried out at the facility over the course of multiple decades since the mid-1990s. The plaintiffs claim the state of Illinois “caused and permitted a culture of sexual abuse to flourish unabated at JTDC.”

After confirming several black bear sightings in southern Illinois in recent weeks, wildlife officials issued a reminder to residents in northern Illinois that furry guests might also pay a visit here.

Kimberly Cheatle, who had served as Secret Service director since August 2022, had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee. 

The actor-comedian is revving up the Bluesmobile to reminisce about the years he teamed up with John Belushi as the Blues Brothers, taking Hollywood and the Billboard charts by storm.

The Rev. Corey Brooks and Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh reflect on where the presidential race goes after the RNC last week. 

We’re live from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee with local reaction to former President Trump’s VP pick and this weekend’s attempted assassination.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $4.3 billion in funding Monday as part of its Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, and Illinois was a big winner, nabbing $430 million.

Several other areas also suffered damage from straight-line winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Illinois’ leading Democrats are following President Joe Biden’s lead in backing Vice President Kamala Harris following the president’s surprise announcement Sunday that he was ending his reelection bid. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is among them.

One video from July 6 shows a tense moment in which former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson yelled at 36-year-old Sonya Massey over moving a pot from the stove. He threatens to shoot her, Massey ducks then briefly rises and Grayson fires his pistol at her three times.

In her first congressional hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle repeatedly angered lawmakers by evading questions, citing ongoing investigations. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.