Stories by

Advocates are upset that new leaders of public transit agencies don’t regularly ride the CTA. And what came of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trip to the state Capitol.

The sound that filled Orchestra Hall during a recent CSO performance was absolutely glorious as Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, the Danish-born conductor and violinist, did double duty, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss.

Top officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections testified in front of a key panel of state lawmakers. Gov. J.B. Pritzker previously announced a plan to close Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill and Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln.

The renovations include a four-fold increase in the size of its food pantry, which features new walk-in refrigerators and freezers. The pharmacy was relocated to the first floor for better accessibility, and the community space doubled in size.

Caleb Williams is the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback. Just in case there was a shred of doubt the No. 1 overall draft pick is the team’s No. 1 QB, coach Matt Eberflus erased it on Friday.

Pride Parade supporters had reportedly called on Mayor Brandon Johnson to rescind plans to cut the number of parade entries down from nearly 200 last year to 125 this year due to safety and logistical concerns.

Illinois State Police on Friday announced that Gabrielle Williams, 23, had been taken into custody and is currently being held in the Sangamon County Jail pending a pre-trial detention hearing.

Cicada Watch 2024 is reaching fever pitch in the Chicago region, where Brood XIII periodical cicadas are expected to burst from the ground by the millions, any day now. Here’s what’s in store.

While the number of Latinos enrolling in post-graduate degree programs has increased 81% since 2010, that group still only makes up 8% of all post-grad students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

How a funding mishap could impact local after-school programs. And more Latinos are pursuing advanced degrees — we meet a few who are celebrating their graduation this month.

ReNew Communities is on a mission to build 300 homes in North Chicago. The suburb has long struggled with low homeownership rates; the nonprofit says 33% of residents in the city own a home.

Illinois is preparing to dedicate an entire state agency to matters affecting children in their earliest years. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced in October his intent to move disparate services under the umbrella of a new state agency: the Department of Early Childhood.

The Biden administration will seek to partially end the 27-year-old court supervision of how the federal government cares for child migrants traveling alone, shortly after producing its own list of safeguards against mistreatment, an attorney involved in the case says.

“One of the biggest things about litter is it makes people think that the river is more polluted than it is,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River.

Season three of the “The Bear,” the wildly successful Chicago-set restaurant comedy (or drama, depending on the episode), will premiere June 27, network FX announced.

Making future military aid to Ukraine contingent on the country participating in peace talks with Russia. Banning Chinese nationals from buying property within a 50-mile radius of U.S. government buildings. Filling the national security sector with acolytes of Donald Trump. A new book lays out potential priorities. 

The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases in the U.S., according to the report, which analyzes FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states and was provided to The Associated Press.

In meetings with state lawmakers and the governor, Mayor Brandon Johnson made his case for additional support for the city, including about $1.1 billion more in funding for Chicago Public Schools.

Examining the rapidly unfolding hazing scandal that led to the firing of Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald and threw the university into turmoil.

Former linebacker Nathan Fox claims he was hazed repeatedly during his time with the university’s football program, and that in at least one instance, the team’s coaches watched and laughed as it happened.

In 2024, billions of periodical cicadas are poised to emerge after their long subterranean development.

One on one with the new leader of the state’s embattled Department of Children and Family Services. And uncovering the little-known history of Black ballerinas.

Heidi Mueller was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February. She is the 13th director in 14 years.

Together they made history under the direction of Arthur Mitchell, co-founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the first Black principal ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet. 

The former Chicago detective has banked more than $1.4 million in pension payments since he retired, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Pharmacy benefit managers have received growing scrutiny on both a state and national level for the effect many claim they have on driving up drug prices. Local pharmacy owners testified at recent committee hearings that they are being squeezed through the price of acquiring drugs wholesale and dispensing them.