Stories by Associated Press

At 6:02 pm Saturday, to the strains of “God Bless the U.S.A.,” former President Donald Trump took the stage at fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, waving at the cheering crowd and settling into his regular rally speech under a scorching midsummer sun. A few short minutes later, the shots rang out. 

“Last Comiskey” is a book-length valentine for a place once called the “Baseball Palace of the World.” An affectionate account of the last season at Comiskey Park, the book also recalls monumental moments from the 1970s and ‘80s.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died. She was 96.

For all the usual stagecraft, the Republican National Convention that opens Monday is different from Donald Trump’s previous nominating affairs.

Less than two weeks after celebrating the hatching of four endangered piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach, Chicago is mourning the loss of two of the little ones.

The swim had been planned for Sept. 22, billed as the first such event in nearly 100 years.

President Joe Biden attempts to save his campaign. And heading into the Republican National Convention, the state GOP names a new chair.

Bird-friendly window film is being installed on the convention center’s approximately two football fields’ worth of glass. Work on the $1.2 million project began in early June and is expected to take approximately three months.

Attorney Kathy Salvi ran unsuccessfully against incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in 2022. Salvi assumes the post July 19, the day after the Republican National Convention wraps in Milwaukee.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago charged the hospital’s former chief financial officer Anosh Ahmed, its chief transformation officer Heather Bergdahl and the medical supply company owner Sameer Suhail with multiple counts of wire fraud in connection with the alleged scheme.

Authored by Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd Ward), the measure allows officials to fine those who leave materials in public areas or on private property that appear to be hazardous or pose a threat to public safety.

Have you been thinking about taking a trip to Las Vegas, playing the slots and then heading to a nightclub? Well, I’d advise you to save your money and instead just head to “Savor After Hours.”

The grants cover a broad range of the automotive supply chain, including parts for electric motorcycles and school buses, hybrid powertrains, heavy-duty commercial truck batteries and electric SUVs, the White House said.

A new plan to preserve affordable housing. Bringing more young people to the Loop this summer. And a bilingual bookstore is hitting the road.

¡Viva! Los Libros just launched a bookmobile. Owners Nina Sanchez and Michael Wren, along with their daughter Vida, are eager to share their love of reading with the community.

The ordinance would expand a pilot program around the area of the 606 Trail that has successfully helped stabilize that neighborhood after it began to experience rapid gentrification.

President Joe Biden should “pass the torch to a new generation of leadership,” U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider said Thursday, making him the second Democrat in Illinois’ Congressional delegation to call for the president to sit out a run for reelection.

The nearly 20-acre parcel will expand the existing Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve.

Chicago taxpayers have paid nearly $71.9 million since 2019 to resolve lawsuits involving police pursuits, with the city’s insurance coverage paying an additional $25 million, according to a WTTW News analysis.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and city officials announced that 27,140 Chicagoans between the ages of 14-24 — an increase of about 2,400 people over last year — have signed up and begun employment and internship opportunities since the annual summer work program kicked off late last month.

On Thursday morning, the Illinois GOP announced the three candidates for the state chair post. The decision comes as a Republican lawmaker is voicing concerns that a leadership change ahead of November’s elections will serve to further harm the minority party’s political chances.

John Velez was convicted of killing 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village. The jury did not hear evidence that Velez was actually in Cicero at the time of the shooting.

Chicago’s piping plover monitors are mourning the loss of one of the recently hatched chicks at Montrose Beach. Parents Imani and Searocket are watching over the remaining three.

The boil order had been in place since Tuesday night following an outage at the Roseland Pumping Station.

In all, it has already cost Chicago taxpayers more than $98 million to defend former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, investigate his conduct and resolve lawsuits that allege he violated dozens of Chicagoans’ civil rights, according to WTTW News’ analysis.

Illinois’ reparations commission is set to begin public hearings — a look at what to expect. And a new book explores alternative ways to confront the issue of mass incarceration.