Stories by Erica Gunderson

For young people in the city, the start of a new administration at City Hall is both a chance for progress and a moment to call attention to the issues most important to them. 

A study by the Kapor Center and the NAACP finds that between 2014 and 2021, there was only a 1% increase in Black representation within technical roles at large tech companies.

“Underground Railroad Game” touches on heavy themes like race, power, sex and the American psyche, but its creators say it’ll also make you laugh. The play runs at the at the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts from May 18-20.

Migrant crisis hits fever pitch here as Title 42 expires on the border. Brandon Johnson gets ready to take the oath of office Monday. And Blackhawks fans swept up in Connor Bedard mania.

“We are going to reopen the mental health clinics,” Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said in an interview with WTTW News, putting it first in a list of his top priorities.

The giant snapping turtle spotted in the Chicago River became a viral sensation this week. But the river is home to lots of wildlife, thanks to ongoing efforts to clean up the waterway.

The glaring issue for many parent advocates is that they see the proposed map as not representative of the majority Latino student population in Chicago Public Schools. Instead, the maps are based on Chicago’s overall population, meaning fewer majority Latino districts.

The league will hold this year’s lottery Tuesday night in Chicago, with the winner getting the No. 1 pick and the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama. He is considered the best prospect in years — perhaps since LeBron James went No. 1 20 years ago. 

Several forces are pushing chains out of some city centers: a glut of stores, people working from home, online shopping, exorbitant rents, crime and public safety concerns, and difficulty hiring workers. To reinvent downtown retail, drastic changes may be required.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Friday said millions more dollars must be dedicated to helping police departments recover weapons from those who’ve had their FOID cards revoked.

The Social Security Administration released the annual list Friday. The agency tracks baby names in each state based on applications for Social Security cards, with names dating to 1880.

The residents say they have filed a motion for an emergency temporary restraining order against the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools to prevent a migrant respite center from opening in the former South Shore High School building.

Federal regulators approved the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern in March, which would create a new route linking Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. The company plans to run an additional seven to eight trains each day along tracks shared by Metra’s Milwaukee District West line.

This weekend, the Queen of Tejano Music is being celebrated with “Bidi Bidi Boom Boom: The Selena Tribute Dance Party” at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, where a group of performers and drag artists are bringing some of Selena’s legendary music to life for Chicago audiences.

South Shore residents rally against plans for a migrant shelter. Controversy over a potential school closure. And a Cook County program clearing medical debt.

Hope Learning Academy in March abruptly announced it was closing its doors at the end of this school year — a surprise to parents and teachers alike because the school had just inked a four-year contract with CPS weeks prior.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was unsparing in her criticism of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for continuing to bus thousands of migrants to Democratic cities such as Chicago and New York.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) is speaking out about Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson's plan to remove Waguespack as chair of the Chicago City Council Finance Committee.

Cabaret, a penguin party and a Bach music festival usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.

NASCAR Cup cars will be outfitted with mufflers, just one of the actions being taken by race organizers to head off concerns about noise.

Denise Solorzano, 26, has been arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, three counts of aggravated battery in a public place and one count of aggravated assault.

What the end of Title 42 means for asylum seekers. Calls for a do-over on Chicago’s elected school board map. And a group of performers celebrate Selena.

Ramsy Sandoka, 40, has been charged with a felony count of aggravated possession of a stolen vehicle and misdemeanor counts of failure to keep recyclable purchase records, selling/purchasing catalytic converters and a violation of recycle metal law after police found more than 600 catalytic converters at his Worth Township home.

The findings were published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open and stem from a survey that followed the lives of thousands of children in Chicago since the mid-1990s. 

The red, white and blue Reebok jacket that Jordan — a Nike athlete — was forced to wear on the medal stand alongside the other members of USA Basketball’s first “Dream Team” at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics is headed to auction.

Charges are filed in the killing of a Chicago police officer. The latest on the search for the city’s new top cop. And a look back at Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s time in office.