Stories by Dan Lambert

Robin Lee Reierson, 68, of Schiller Park, is charged with civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, both felony crimes, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Four out of five emperor penguin colonies analyzed in the Bellingshausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula, saw no chicks survive last year as the area experienced an enormous loss of sea ice, according to a new study.

In recent years, research reviews have begun to conclude there’s enough evidence to say which public health interventions prevent shootings, which do not, and which need more study. 

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the Republican presidential nomination fight for much of the year. Neither dominated the debate stage Wednesday night.

Record-breaking heat across the region. How to stay safe and cool. Police staffing levels were predicted to fall under Mayor Johnson — did they? And Spotlight Politics on Johnson’s first 100 days.

“Our system of justice depends on the integrity of this process,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz told jurors Wednesday. “What (Mapes) didn’t do, ladies and gentlemen, was tell the truth.”

The size of the Chicago Police Department is essentially unchanged since Mayor Brandon Johnson took office 100 days ago. There are 12,363 employees, including 11,722 sworn officers.

Cooling centers and splash pads are open to help people cope with oppressive heat that will feel like 115 degrees.

Of the 12 total cases of West Nile virus the state health department has seen so far this year, seven of those cases were reported in Cook County, including two in Chicago.

This weekend, you’re invited to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of Illinois’ state nature preserves by touring some of state’s rarest and most endangered landscapes. 

Lyric Opera’s free outdoor concert in Millennium Park served as an ideal introduction to the six operas to be performed during the 2023-24 season. The absence of scenery and costumes only put the focus entirely on the singers, but also made the characters come fully to life.

The Chicago White Sox have fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn, according to a statement released by team Tuesday evening.

What the city is paying out in repeated police misconduct settlements. A tutoring shortage hits Chicago. And the head of the Chicago Teachers Union on how schools will cope with the coming heat wave.

A local screen printer is sharing his life’s work in an exhibit at the Hyde Park Art Center. “Multiples and Multitudes” showcases artist William Estrada’s multidisciplinary work spanning the last nearly two decades.

Chicago Public Schools’ first day of school saw a wave of new Spanish-speaking students who arrived in Chicago after seeking asylum in the United States. Those migrant students are dealing with both trauma and language barriers.

Chicago students are still struggling to make up for COVID-era learning losses, and a local tutoring organization is trying to help students close that gap.

Chicago spent $197.7 million to resolve lawsuits alleging more than 1,000 Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Of that total, $91.3 million came from settlements involving 116 officers whose conduct led to multiple payouts.

All of the funds raised during the event will go directly to the Hawai’i Community Foundation—Chef Hui Fund, which supports Maui restaurants, hospitality workers and their families who were displaced due to the fires.

Six interagency law enforcement task forces received grant funding this spring to combat car thefts through an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office.

Despite knowing about the perils of global warming for decades, many cities are proving to be woefully unprepared. Many solutions are based on time-tested design principles. Here are five things cities are doing right now to combat rising temperatures. 

Under the Obama administration, Ed Siskel oversaw the White House legal response to congressional oversight and the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. Siskel, a Chicago native and the nephew of movie critic Gene Siskel, served for two years as the top lawyer in Chicago.

In Illinois, the chamber estimates more than $2 billion worth of goods were stolen from retailers in 2021, but it says the cost to Illinois businesses was more than double that when other factors are taken into account.

The latest in our series WTTW News: A Safer City highlights the sharp rise in vehicle thefts — and how to protect your car. Efforts to get kids to school safely. And the impact retail theft has on local businesses.

There’s been an increase in carjackings nationwide, but Chicago is reporting more incidents than any other city in the U.S.

As students return, so to do the Safe Passage workers who are tasked with making sure students make it and from school safely.

Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, was charged earlier this month in the Southern District of Florida with a count of transmitting a threat to kill or injure another person, according to a federal complaint.