Stories by Associated Press

It depends, but you should be able to use N95s and KN95s a few times.

The National Weather Service is encouraging people to avoid non-essential travel, with intense snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour.

Kenwood stands along the shore of Lake Michigan with a mix of 19th century mansions and affordable housing. It’s an area that’s been fighting the closure of schools and gun violence. We talk with residents who have been here for decades about their investment into the community and more.

The county’s chief judge weighs in on the city’s violence. The Bears may have a new head coach. A teacher shortage statewide. Live in Kenwood for “In Your Neighborhood” And, we go ski jumping.

Illinois is facing a teacher shortage — and a new survey shows school leaders fear it is getting worse.  The survey was conducted last fall, before the highly contagious omicron COVID-19 variant, which poses added challenges to schools as some struggle to keep buildings staffed enough to host in-person classes.

A change made by state lawmakers in January 2021 to a sweeping criminal justice law removes the possibility of prosecutors charging defendants with murder in cases when a third party is responsible for the killing. But criminal justice groups are lobbying for further changes.

There are only four members of the 2022 U.S. Olympic men’s ski jumping team. And three of the Olympians on their way to Beijing trained at a historic club 40 miles northwest of Chicago. 

Matt Eberflus is the new coach of the Chicago Bears, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press, tasked with turning around a franchise mired in mediocrity for much of the past decade.

During a speech to the Union League Club of Chicago, Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans said he would assign five additional judges to the criminal division of the Cook County Court in an effort to ensure that cases progress from charges to resolution faster. 

Chicago is often described as a city of neighborhoods. Despite that moniker, the city doesn’t recognize or use any neighborhoods for official purposes and uses community areas instead. Here’s what you need to know.

In a White House ceremony marking a moment of national transition, President Joe Biden praised retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, who will have spent nearly 28 years on the high court by the time he leaves at the end of the term, as “a model public servant at a time of great division in this country.”

A Cook County judge ordered Xavier Guzman, 27, and Emilio Corripio, 16, held without bail following their arrests this week on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder stemming from 8-year-old Melissa Ortega’s killing in Little Village Jan. 22.

The nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — expanded 5.7% in 2021. It was the strongest calendar-year growth since a 7.2% surge in 1984 after a previous recession.

Over a Zoom call Thursday, Cook County Judge James Linn said Jussie Smollett, his attorneys and special prosecutors must appear in person for a March 10 hearing to handle sentencing and any post-trial motions from the defense.

The Chicago Fire soccer team unveiled plans Thursday to transform 30 acres of vacant land on the city’s Near West Side into a training facility.

A potential mayoral candidate sounds off on city crime. Our Spotlight team on that and the governor’s race. A supreme court justice may soon retire. And sending mental health providers to 911 calls.

A Chicagoan took the extra time the pandemic provided as an opportunity to start her own side hustle. Now, she’s the owner of a shop in Pilsen that connects its customers and their pets with handmade designs from Mexico.

Chicago Public Schools students in predominantly Latino communities are being disproportionately impacted by pollution emitted from industrial sites across the city. 

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to announce charges Wednesday against a 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old man.

To prevent a mental health crisis from turning into a potentially deadly encounter with police, care professionals and organizations are prioritizing treatment over a criminal justice response when possible. A non-profit in Rogers Park launched a mental health emergency responder program earlier this month.

Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan blasted Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s public safety strategy as a complete failure on Wednesday during a speech to the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, the clearest sign yet that he may be gearing up to run for mayor of Chicago in 2023.

“We have paid as a city, as taxpayers, an unbelievable heavy toll for [Burge’s] crimes,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, giving Presoemt Joe Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency.

An amendment to the Park District’s code has been submitted to formally create the Office of Prevention and Accountability. The public can take a look at the language and comment within the next 45 days on whether it hits or misses the mark.

Lake Michigan is doing the most to keep us entertained during the bleak mid-winter. First came pancake ice and now it’s serving up ice balls the size of boulders.

“I want to make sure that our team reflects the diversity (in Chicago), because it’s one of the riches of our city,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said Wednesday during the monthly Board of Education meeting.