Stories by Amanda Vinicky

President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet choices are provoking backlash from the two Illinois Democrats whose positions give them power to take part in approving, or denying, Cabinet appointments.

“Too many in Illinois believe we need to travel to the East Coast to visit locations on the Underground Railroad, unaware of the enormous activity that took place in their own backyards here,” task force member and Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman said.

Illinois public workers who began their positions before 2011 are in Tier 1, which offers better benefits. Those hired after Jan. 1, 2011, are in Tier 2. They have to work longer and upon retirement receive a smaller payout.

Trump also announced that he had tapped Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state. And he selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as his director of national intelligence.

The Illinois Nurses Association represents 1,700 nurses at UI Hospital who have been in contract negotiations since June. Nurses at the hospital system initially went on strike for one week when their contract ended in August. For the current strike, the nurses’ union did not give hospital leadership a strike end date.

Board members said improved communication will be key to the agency’s survival as it faces down a projected $539 million fiscal cliff in 2026, after the CTA runs out of pandemic-era relief funding that’s been keeping its operating budget afloat in the first quarter of that year.

European food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway.com is selling Grubhub for $650 million, a fraction of the billions it spent to buy the U.S. platform just three years ago.

Pushback to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to hike property taxes. And efforts in Illinois to “shore up” protections ahead of a second Trump presidency.

Democratic leaders — who kept their veto-proof majorities in both the state House and state Senate — are discussing what, if any, actions Illinois may take to “shore up” protections ahead of a second Trump presidency.

State Sen. John Curran at a press conference Tuesday called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to pledge not to raise taxes, either on individuals or businesses.

Mayor Brandon Johnson used a Tuesday afternoon news conference to cast the City Council’s apparent refusal to hike property taxes by $300 million as evidence of his collaborative approach to governing in Chicago, and not a rebuke of his leadership.

The city aims to deliver 3,000 compost bins to residents throughout Chicago's 50 wards. The city initially allocated 20 compost bins to distribute in each ward but increased it to 60 bins per ward due to demand.

“We will not bend or break,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Our values will remain strong and firm. We will face likely hurdles in our work over the next four years but we will not be stopped and we will not go back.”

The board is set to meet outside of its typical monthly schedule Thursday in a special meeting where it will take up only a small handful of matters, including a resolution to maintain the seven charter schools Acero plans to close.

Prosecutors on Tuesday wrapped up their direct questioning of former ComEd exec turned government mole Fidel Marquez — who spent his fourth day on the witness stand — allowing McClain’s defense attorney Patrick Cotter to begin his cross examination.

The Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday, hoping to shake up a unit that ranks among the worst in the NFL.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News presents must-see shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more. 

What Donald Trump’s reelection could mean for his ongoing legal cases. And a federal court ruling finds Illinois’ assault weapons ban unconstitutional.

Gun owners argue the ban infringes on their constitutional right to bear arms. Gun control advocates argue the ban is common sense and a way to protect Illinois residents from guns that are designed to be extra lethal.

Just a week after former President Donald Trump’s resounding election victory, a Manhattan judge is poised to decide whether to uphold the hush money verdict or dismiss it because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in July that gave presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.

Illinois will receive a $40 million share of a $1.4 billion bipartisan national settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain’s role in the opioid crisis, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced.

Something entirely magical took place at Symphony Hall in a recent concert that featured a breathtaking world premiere of composer Osvaldo Golijov’s fascinating, grand-scale work, “Megalopolis Suite,” along with four additional and wholly beguiling works by Donizetti, Verdi, Chabrier and de Falla.

Ella Jenkins was known for revolutionizing children’s music with her signature “call and response” style found throughout her performances. The self-taught musician became a leading figure in American folk and children’s music of the 20th century.

President-elect Donald Trump is starting to fill key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.

Pitchfork announced Monday it had made the “difficult decision” not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025.

Researchers at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Chicago Park District have teamed up on a project to answer one of ecology’s burning questions: What could lawns be besides grass?