Stories by Heather Cherone

Seventeen people applied to replace soon-to-be former Ald. Michele Smith on the Chicago City Council and represent the city’s 43rd Ward, including Timmy Knudsen, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handpicked chair of the city’s Zoning Board, the mayor’s office announced late Friday.

The head of Chicago’s FBI office is retiring after 30 years of service. Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. has been running the Midwest’s largest FBI field office since 2019.

Former President Donald Trump said in a lengthy statement Monday that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate. A person familiar with the matter said the action was related to a probe of whether Trump had taken classified records from his White House tenure to his Florida residence.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the agreement would strike a blow against climate change that scientists say has already begun to cause disasters such as floods and strong storms.

Researchers looked through the medical literature of established cases of illnesses and found that 218 out of the known 375 human infectious diseases, or 58%, seemed to be made worse by one of 10 types of extreme weather connected to climate change.

The estimated $740 billion package is full of party priorities. Those include capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 out of pocket for seniors, helping Americans pay for private health insurance and what Democrats are calling the most substantial investment in history to fight climate change, some $375 billion over the decade.

Gregory Baldwin, 45, was charged with a felony count of criminal damage to property, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 54 people were shot in 45 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

On Sunday, Chicago O’Hare saw the most cancellations and delays, with approximately 12% of flights canceled, and over 45% of flights delayed.

The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the House, where lawmakers are poised to deliver on Biden’s priorities, a stunning turnaround of what had seemed a lost and doomed effort that suddenly roared back to political life. Democrats held united, 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

In June, a Supreme Court decision overruled a lower court that forced the policy to be reinstated in December. But while President Joe Biden previously tried to end the policy, there has been little comment thus far on when his administration might officially follow through.

All three GOP candidates for secretary of state competing for the nomination in Tuesday’s primary in Wisconsin support the shift and echo former President Donald Trump’s false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election.

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that among Black Americans age 70 and older, more than 21% are living with that disease. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is launching a clinical trial of a new drug therapy for those at risk, and they’re looking for participants in Chicago.

According to the state, of the business selected for the cannabis licenses, 41% are majority Black owned, 7% are majority White owned, 4% are majority Latino owned and 38% did not disclose the owner’s race.

A report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows a 5.4% drop in the head count of Latino undergraduates in fall of 2020. And for the first time in 20 years, the number of Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education dropped from 569 in 2022 to 559 in 2021.

A new book dissects how a conflict between Chicago teenagers escalates into gun violence – and how the community steps in to save them. 

While this year's that display might be a little harder to see than in past years, Chicago Astronomer Joe Guzman says it’s still worth getting out there and looking up.

Attempts to level the playing field as the state rolls out more cannabis licenses. Plus, guns in the hands of Chicago teens in this week’s “Black Voices” book club. And training the next generation of environmental health advocates.

Immigrant advocates on the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Plus, what’s behind dropping college enrollment for Latinos. A soaring mural in Pilsen. And advice for an upcoming celestial show.

The nonprofit Renacer Bolivia brings together Bolivianos from all over Chicagoland to celebrate the culture and history of their native country.

Officials say the invasive carp’s presence does not necessarily mean there is a reproducing population of the species in the area, which is located above electric dispersal barriers. The fish captured Thursday was more than 38 inches long and weighed about 22 pounds. 

Former Lightfoot allies falling off the bandwagon. Unearthed Darren Bailey Holocaust comments cause bipartisan blowback. Outgoing prosecutors blast Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. And the Cubs and Sox largely stand pat at the trade deadline.

A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws.

A career development initiative has taken root on Chicago’s South Side for young people who want to improve the health of their community.

Pilsen’s famously vibrant mural culture inspired artist Mauricio Ramirez to raise his game when it came to this prominently-placed work.

Unemployment dropped another notch, from 3.6% to 3.5%, matching the more than 50-year low reached just before the pandemic took hold.