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Lawmakers no longer have to walk through metal detectors before gaining access to the House floor. And any time they do vote, they will have to do so in person — no more voting by proxy from home. Those are just some of the changes.

Chicagoans are all too familiar with having to sit in traffic. A recent report shows that the average Chicago-area driver spent 155 hours in traffic last year. That's the highest number in North America and second highest in the world.

What's the new GOP-run house going to be like? We talk with two local congressmembers. The latest on the assault weapons ban in Springfield. How to erase medical debt. And we take a look up at the sky, where you'll see a bright green comet.

Fields, the No. 11 overall pick in 2021, emerged as one of the NFL's most exciting players in his second season. But he was drafted by former general manager Ryan Pace — not current GM Ryan Poles.

“This was probably the most terrifying thing these victims ever experienced in their life,” Judge Ankur Srivastava said during a court hearing Tuesday while explaining why he was denying bail for 22-year-old Sederick Wright.

The funding, established through the 2022 climate and health law signed by President Joe Biden, marks the largest environmental justice grants the agency has ever offered.

Lincoln Park Zoo announced it welcomed not one, not two, but three lion cubs on Monday. The zoo had been on lion watch since early December, when staff confirmed 4-year-old African lion Zari was pregnant.

If someone wins Tuesday’s jackpot, it would be the third-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history, the lottery announced in a news release.

Former North Carolina coach Paul Riley, former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames, former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke and former Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly were all banned from coaching in the league.

On Monday evening, the Illinois state Senate passed an assault weapons bill with some changes to the version passed by the House on Friday. The bill will now return to the House for a concurring vote before heading to the governor’s desk.

The man behind the Hail Mary proposal to keep the Bears at Soldier Field. The fate of a state assault weapons ban. Tackling childhood obesity. And former Bear Brian Urlacher tangled up in a hairy situation.

Jordan Porter-Woodruff had created a new collection celebrating her favorite artists. It’s now on display in a solo exhibition at the Epiphany Arts Center, 201 S. Ashland Ave., titled, “Portraits: An Intimate View.”

The longstanding practice of “watchful waiting,” or delaying treatment to see whether children and teens outgrow or overcome obesity on their own only worsens the problem that affects more than 14.4 million young people in the U.S.

Walgreens says it’s peeling back spending on efforts to combat shoplifting. Machine company John Deere reaches a deal to let farmers repair their own equipment. And former Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher gets caught up in a hairy lawsuit.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a prominent developer are trying to sell the team on some dazzling new changes to Soldier Field in a Hail Mary attempt to keep the team in Chicago.

With the unanimous endorsement of the City Council’s Health and Human Relations Committee, the full City Council is scheduled to consider the measure, backed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, at its meeting scheduled for Jan. 18. 

Delores McNeely, 76, Gwendolyn Osborne, 72, and Janice Reed, 68, died May 14 after temperatures soared into the 90s for several days.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is set to celebrate his 82nd birthday while on trial for orchestrating a criminal enterprise for a decade while serving as Illinois’ most powerful politician.

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks announced Sunday on Instagram that he was diagnosed in recent days. The three-time All-Star was scheduled to begin treatment on Monday.

Former McDonald’s CEO Stephen Easterbrook has been charged by federal regulators with making false and misleading statements to investors about the circumstances of firing by the burger giant in November 2019.

After earlier announcing that Colorado would help asylum-seeking migrants leave the state for their intended destinations, Gov. Jared Polis said the state would not be sending additional buses of migrants to New York City and Chicago following “a very productive conversation” with the mayors of both cities, according to a press release from his office.

Chicago will pick No. 1 for the first time since 1947 after it lost 29-13 to the Minnesota Vikings in its season finale on Sunday. It was the 10th straight loss for the Bears (3-14), extending a franchise record, and the 14 losses overall also marked the most in team history.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 11 people were shot in 10 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included a 29-year-old man killed in a West Englewood home Friday night.

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners removed Frederick Collins from the Feb. 28 ballot on Friday, ruling that the Chicago police officer had not collected at least 12,500 valid signatures from registered Chicago voters to qualify for the contest. 

Mayors Lori Lightfoot and Eric Adams are urging Colorado's governor to instead partner with Chicago and New York City to advocate for federal solutions to the nation’s ongoing challenges surrounding asylum seekers.

We talk about hypertension, a silent-killer prevalent in the Black community. An energy giant has a new leader at a critical time. And "Work Friends" opens at Cherry Mountain Arts.