Stories by Associated Press

Chicago-based Conagra Brands must pay out $3.1 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages, according to the Cook County Circuit Court verdict. 

The Democratic leaders say in a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday that while they appreciate Biden’s efforts so far, much more needs to be done to ease the burden on their cities.

The epaulette shark pup hatched Aug. 23, born from what staff believe was an unfertilized egg. 

The Center for Native Futures was founded by artists on a mission to make an epicenter of Native creativity. The inaugural exhibition showcases dynamic work from artists representing 19 Native tribes.

The launch of the anti-Islamophobia effort has been anticipated for months after the administration in May released a national strategy to combat antisemitism that made passing reference to countering hatred against Muslims.

Love it or hate it, the stunt works for the station. In 2022, the LITE’s ratings doubled between November and December.

Their mission was to pass out flyers with information about an upcoming COVID-19 and flu vaccination clinic at Richard J. Daley Community College on the Southwest Side.

Why property taxes are way up this year in Cook County’s north and northwest suburbs. City Council votes whether to “Bring Chicago Home.” And a concert featuring songs written in concentration camps.

The lyrics take on new life with new music and will be performed at the Salt Shed on Nov. 6 by a collection of actors, musicians and local news people, including “Chicago Tonight” co-host Paris Schutz.

Despite the enthusiasm of supporters who held a City Hall rally before the City Council meeting and packed the chambers, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) tried, but failed, to prevent the measure from heading directly to a committee hearing and vote.

The median homeowners in Cook County’s north and northwest suburbs saw their property tax bills rise 15.7% this year, according to a new study just released from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office.

Elementary and secondary students in Illinois showed consistent improvements in their reading and math scores while the state’s high school graduation rate reached a 13-year high for the most recently concluded school year.

The scariest thing this Halloween is the weather forecast for trick-or-treaters.

A new exhibit at the Elmhurst History Museum is celebrating department stores that originated in the Chicagoland area.

William Groves, 48, has been charged with 15 counts of attempted first-degree murder, 15 counts of aggravated battery, 15 counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm in an occupied building and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

October marks 60 years since nearly 250,000 CPS students and their parents flooded the streets of Chicago in what’s known as Freedom Day — a massive protest of segregation in Chicago Public Schools and the superintendent at the time, Benjamin Willis.

Tackling food waste is a daunting challenge that the U.S. has taken on before. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the EPA set a goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030, but the country has made little progress.

From carnivorous plants to blood-sucking sea creatures, nature serves up plenty of frights, lots of them found right here in Illinois.

A $200 million bill to taxpayers — how the Chicago Police Department plans on cutting overtime spending. Illinois passed a law allowing the release of dying and severely disabled prisoners but most requests are denied. And WTTW News Explains on Chicago nicknames.

Monday’s meeting of the McPier board was dominated by discussion of the mass death of 1,000 birds in a single day, killed after colliding with McCormick Place. Bird conservationists want a solution in place by spring migration.

For the last two years, Illinois has had a law that allows people who are in prison and are dying of a terminal illness or are physically disabled the opportunity to petition for compassionate release. However, few of the releases are granted. 

Nearly 600 part-time faculty members at Columbia College walked off the job Monday. The faculty union and administration have been contract bargaining since May.

The proposal is at the core of the labor agenda for Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, who was elected with the unanimous support of Chicago’s progressive labor organizations.

Maybe it’s because the city’s actual name comes from a smelly wild onion, or maybe it’s because other cities like to drag our city through the mud, but Chicago has had a whole lot of nicknames over the years. We break down where they came from. 

Joseph Czuba is charged in the fatal stabbing of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume and the wounding of Hanaan Shahin on Oct. 14. Authorities said the victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Attorneys for Robert Crimo Jr., who is set to go to trial next week on seven counts of reckless conduct, had sought to call his son — alleged parade shooter Robert Crimo III — to testify in his defense.