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sraeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Thursday, Oct.12, 2023. (AP Photo / Ohad Zwigenberg)

What to Know on the Seventh Day of the Israel-Hamas War: Ordered Evacuations in Gaza, Shelling on Border

The latest Israel-Hamas war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides since Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Oct. 7.

(WTTW News)

Illinois State Legislators Push Measure Requiring Guns to be Temporarily Taken Under Certain Orders of Protection

The previously stalled measure that she said will help to protect future victims by requiring police to temporarily take guns from firearm owners under certain orders of protection.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Police Officer Who Threatened to Kill Romantic Partner and Their Family Won’t Be Fired: Watchdog

The inspector general’s probe found that while the officer’s former partner was moving out, the officer “told them to call everyone they loved and tell them goodbye” and told them they were going to kill them and their family if they appeared at the apartment later that same day.

President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable with Jewish community leaders in the Indian Treaty Room on the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo / Susan Walsh, File)

Biden Awards $7 Billion for Clean Hydrogen Hubs Across the Country, Including Illinois

The Midwest hub in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan will use hydrogen in steel and glass production, power generation, heavy-duty transportation and sustainable aviation fuel. The hub plans to use renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear energy.

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Oct. 12, 2023 - Full Show

How the mayor’s budget aims to fund migrant care. Student loan payments are resuming – what you should know. And some hip-hop tracks to round out your Hispanic Heritage Month playlist.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of La., speaks with reporters after departing a House Republican caucus meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Washington. (Alex Brandon / AP Photo)

Steve Scalise Ends His Bid to Become US House Speaker After Failing to Secure the Votes to Win Gavel

Next steps are uncertain as the House is essentially closed while Republicans try to elect a speaker after ousting Kevin McCarthy from the job.

File photo of a student at a computer. (WTTW News)

A Look at the Impact of Student Loan Debt on Illinois Borrowers as Payments Resume

The average student loan debt for Illinoisans is nearly $38,000. Almost 55% of the more than 1 million borrowers in Illinois are under the age of 35, according to the Education Data Initiative.

A still from a performance of “Oídos Sordos” by La Dame Blanche.

Hip-Hop Highlights for Your Hispanic Heritage Month Playlist

Since its beginnings in the Bronx, hip-hop has become an inextricable part of the musical landscape across Las Americas. For Hispanic Heritage Month, music journalist Sandra Treviño points to Latine artists who are weaving traditional music into their takes on the uniquely American genre.

A file photo of previous annular eclipse. (Courtesy of NASA)

Partial Solar Eclipse is Coming on Saturday. Here’s How to View It in Chicago

On Saturday, Oct. 14, Chicago astronomer Joe Guzman advises Chicagoans to turn their eyes to the skies — but only with proper protection — to witness a partial solar eclipse.

Migrants are sleeping in tents outside Chicago police stations. (WTTW News)

Johnson Sets Aside $150M to Care for Migrants in 2024, Less Than Half of 2023 Costs

“Chicago is a place strong enough to welcome and embrace newcomers while honoring our commitments to those who are already here, especially those who have long suffered disinvestment,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Artist James Bulosan, left, and artist Tita Recometa-Brady, having a conversation at the “More than Lumpia” art exhibit on Oct. 6 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts. (WTTW News / Eunice Alpasan)

Through Artistic Expression, Family Recipes and History Class, Filipino Americans In Chicago Are Exploring Identity and Reclaiming Narratives

Filipino American History Month in October puts a spotlight on the achievements of Filipino Americans, the stories of Filipino Americans throughout history and how that history is still felt today.

Open House Chicago 2021. (Anna Munzesheimer / Chicago Architecture Center)

5 Things to Do This Weekend: Open House Chicago, Partial Solar Eclipse Viewing Events

A film festival, arts celebration and Reuse-a-Palooza usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.

File photo of a student writing at a desk. (WTTW News)

Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship Program Set to End This Year. What Advocates, Opponents Are Saying About It

Students at private schools across Illinois are at risk of losing their scholarships if state lawmakers don’t extend the Invest in Kids Act, which is slated to end Dec. 31.

FILE - Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, leave federal court on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in New York. (Seth Wenig / AP Photo, File)

Sen. Menendez is Accused of Being an Unregistered Agent of Egypt’s Government in Updated Indictment

The new charge comes just weeks after Menendez and his wife were accused of accepting bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen who wanted the senator’s help and influence over foreign affairs.

Chicago police Officer Ella French (@TomAhernCPD / Twitter)

Brother of Man Charged With Killing Chicago Police Officer Ella French Pleads Guilty to Gun Charges

Eric Morgan, who faced charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice, has reached a plea agreement more than two years after the shooting, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced.

Dusty and June, portrayed by Reilly Anspaugh and Daniel Rashid, in “Into the Mist. (Submitted photo)

Interactive, 1920s-Set Experience ‘Into the Mist’ Returns for One-Night-Only Performance in Evanston

Held at Studio5 in Evanston, the interactive experience takes the audience back in time to the 1920s for music, dancing and comedy. 

The U.S. Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022. About 71 million people including retirees, disabled people and children receive Social Security benefits. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh, File)

Social Security Benefits Will Increase by 3.2% in 2024 as Inflation Moderates

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, means the average recipient will receive more than $50 more every month beginning in January, the Social Security Administration said Thursday. The AARP estimated that increase at $59 per month.

Emmy Martin, Editor in Chief of The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, poses with a copy of the Aug. 30 paper outside of the newsroom on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Samantha Lewis via AP)

While the News Industry Struggles, College Students Are Supplying Some Memorable Journalism

The Daily Northwestern’s explosive interview this summer with a former football player about alleged hazing was key to the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who is suing for wrongful termination.

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Oct. 11, 2023 - Full Show

Mayor Brandon Johnson unveils his first budget proposal. A controversial scholarship program is set to expire — what it could mean. And efforts to rename a Chicago neighborhood with close ties to the history of slavery.

File photo of homes in the Douglas neighborhood. (WTTW News)

Ald. Robinson to Propose Name Change for Douglas Neighborhood Due to Historic Ties to Slavery

Douglas is currently named after Stephen Douglas, a 19th century political figure in Illinois whose beliefs and actions were deeply intertwined with the history of slavery. He profited from the labor of people enslaved on a plantation inherited by his wife.

Mayor Brandon Johnson at the Oct. 11, 2023, City Council meeting. (WTTW News)

Mayor Brandon Johnson Proposes $16.6B Spending Plan That Closes Budget Gap, Expands Mental Health Services

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first spending plan does not include a property tax hike to keep up with the rising rate of inflation, or new taxes or fee hikes to cover the city’s budget deficit.

Bret Baier appears on “Chicago Tonight.” (WTTW News)

Ahead of Chicago Appearance, Fox News’ Bret Baier Talks Donald Trump and New Book on George Washington

Brett Baier co-authored the new book “To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment.” Baier will discuss the book this weekend as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival.

Visceral Dance performs “Take” at The Space on Rockwell. (Credit: KT Miller Photography)

Visceral Dance in a Riveting Revival of ‘Take’

At once abstract, often acrobatic, and driven by alternately intensely challenging solo turns, strongly varied and emotionally heated interpersonal relationships, and ensemble riffs that are technically demanding and expertly finessed — “Take” is performed to stunning effect. 

Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago is pictured in a file photo. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Man Who Spent 16 Years in Prison for Rolling Meadows Killing Set for Release After Murder Charges Dropped

Patrick Taylor, who spent 16 years in custody following his arrest and conviction in the fatal shooting of a suburban rapper in a Rolling Meadows home, is set to be released Wednesday after prosecutors dropped charges against him.

(Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels)

Illinois Nurses Unions Push for Mandatory Staff-to-Patient Ratios

Unions representing nurses in Illinois are pushing for legislation that would impose mandatory staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. But lobby groups representing hospitals and nursing homes argue a nationwide nursing shortage makes it impossible to comply with such a mandate.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., leaves after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans during which he was chosen as their candidate for Speaker of the House on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein)

Republicans Nominate Steve Scalise to be House Speaker and Will Try to Unite Before Floor Vote

House Republicans narrowly pushed aside Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman, in favor of Rep. Steve Scalise, the current majority leader, lawmakers said. A floor vote of the whole House could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon.