Stories by Heather Cherone

During the more than hourlong confirmation hearing, Marlene Hopkins was not asked about what she did as the top official from the city’s Buildings Department charged with overseeing the implosion of the smokestack at the former Crawford Power Plant in Little Village.

For the first time in its 90-year history, Brookfield Zoo Chicago will welcome koalas.

CTU leaders on Tuesday announced their contract demands as bargaining gets underway on a new deal as the union’s existing contract is set to expire in June.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office is hosting its fourth Missing Persons Day on Saturday as a way to provide support and resources for the loved ones of missing persons.

The chief medical examiner on supporting the loved ones of missing persons. Navigating neuro-divergence and the path to a diagnosis. And exploring Chicago’s gospel music history. 

Some of gospel’s biggest stars are coming together for a night of performances in the city where it all began.

With $3 million in federal funding, researchers are studying how to expand the types of professionals who can issue a diagnosis. Currently in Illinois, only physicians and clinical psychologists can do so.

The board found Conyears-Ervin committed 12 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance for violating her fiduciary duty to the city, for the unauthorized use of city property and prohibited political activity.

It’s the first criminal trial of any former U.S. commander-in-chief and the first of Trump’s four indictments to go to trial.

The City Council’s Budget Committee voted 20-8 to advance the proposal to the full City Council, which could vote on it as early as Wednesday. The panel also agreed to accept $48 million in federal and state grants to care for the migrants.

A 2016 probe by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Chicago police officers were rarely held accountable for misconduct because of badly broken systems as well as a “code of silence” among officers that allowed them to act with impunity. CPD has fully complied with just 6% of the court order known as the consent decree designed to require the police department to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguements in a case that could have wide-ranging impacts on bribery cases like the one involving former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Demonstrators used the traffic shutdown to bring attention to the continuing war in Palestine and push for a cease-fire in Gaza. Traffic flow resumed by about 9:20 a.m. 

Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 48 people were shot in separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, marking one of the most violent weekends in the city thus far this year.

It’s an inspiring spring at the Hyde Park Art Center, where two shows by essential Chicago artists are currently in bloom.

Four victims were children, police said Sunday. An 8-year-old girl was fatally shot, while a 1-year-old boy and a 8-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and listed in critical condition.

New legislation filed in Springfield revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other hemp-derived products, which are totally unregulated in Illinois even as the state approaches the five-year anniversary of legalizing cannabis.

Illinois has the most lead pipes per capita of any state, according to a 2023 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A bill moving through the Illinois legislature to allow certain terminally ill patients to end their own lives with a doctor’s help had made progress. Vermont and Oregon permit any qualifying American to travel to their state for the practice.

Chicago’s Barley Fair brings art down to a miniature size, with its participants making itty-bitty paintings, sculptures and other works to be displayed at 1:12 scale in dollhouse-sized booths.

Sharp-eyed observers have now confirmed hatchlings in three of the four bald eagle nests being monitored on Will County forest preserve property.

Chicago roiled by the release of video showing the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed. President Joe Biden hits town to raise big bucks. And a special sendoff for Paris Schutz.

Robert MacNeil first gained prominence for his coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings for the public broadcasting service and began his half-hour “Robert MacNeil Report” on PBS in 1975 with his friend Jim Lehrer as Washington correspondent.

Superintendent Larry Snelling’s remarks come nearly two months after the first sign of deep tension between CPD and COPA emerged, and reflect a widening breach between the two agencies, sources told WTTW News.

Illinois is the only state that grants residents the right to sue over businesses’ improper collection and mishandling of biometric data — whether they are an employee or a customer. Business groups have been clamoring for changes as upwards of 2,000 lawsuits have been filed under the law since roughly 2018.