Stories by Heather Cherone

The debate represented the latest skirmish in the so-far unsuccessful push to rewrite the rules for the City Council, which served as a rubber stamp for decades rather than a legislative body charged with setting policy for the entire city.

Biden's efforts to shore up a deeply anxious Democratic Party came Monday as lawmakers returned to Washington confronting a choice: Decide whether to work to revive his campaign or try to edge out the party leader, a make-or-break time for his reelection and their own political futures.

“We need to ensure that we are holding every single individual accountable for the pain and trauma and torment that they have caused in this city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

After another shortened race weekend that was by turns thrilling and soggy, NASCAR is packing up its Chicago street course and heading out of town.

NASCAR unveiled its first electric racecar Saturday in downtown Chicago, but it doesn’t thunder when the grand marshal says “drivers, start your engines.” It hums.

The mural was created by two Chicago artists — Rahmaan “Statik” Barnes and Shawn Michael Warren — with help from high school students. It helps conceal a ComEd battery storage facility that is part of the Bronzeville Community Microgrid.

Biden says he’s not going anywhere amid calls for him to step aside. The Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity. And hearings are set for plans to merge the CTA, Metra and Pace.

A day after a Fourth of July shooting killed two women and an 8-year-old boy in Chicago, police were investigating two other mass shootings that wounded 14 people in the city early Friday.

The show, which uses high-energy pop music to tell the stories of the wives of King Henry VIII, is running in Chicago through July 14.

Submissions are being accepted online through July 11. People can suggest up to four names, which should reflect Chicago’s heritage, culture and diversity.

It could be a watershed moment for Biden, who is under pressure to bow out of the campaign after his disastrous debate performance against Republican Donald Trump ignited concern that the 81-year-old Democrat is not up for the job for another four years.

Today, 80% of Port-au-Prince remains under gang control, ravaged by the ongoing violence, according to interim Prime Minister Garry Conille.

In 15 towns, of which all but two are home to a majority of Black residents, the increase to property tax bills was 30%. But some local leaders are pledging not to raise municipal taxes in order to ease the impact on community members.

Last month’s job growth did mark a pullback from 218,000 in May. But it was still a solid gain, reflecting the resilience of America’s consumer-driven economy, which is slowing but still growing steadily.

A 34-year-old man was killed while handling a firework Thursday night, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Mounting concerns over age in the race for president. An energy revolution in Bronzeville is paving the way to a sustainable future. And south suburban mayors push back on soaring property taxes.

In Chicago’s historic Bronzeville community, a project that could ultimately lead to the transformation of our energy infrastructure is quietly taking shape. It’s a collaboration between the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Chicago Housing Authority and ComEd.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza noted the high cash balance helped Illinois generate over $558 million in interest income in FY24, a 53% increase from the previous year. 

Drury Lane Theatre’s altogether terrific revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show” — first produced on Broadway in 1978 — proves Fats Waller was far more than a masterful pianist.

The lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois accuses the Chicago Police Department of making more than 1.5 million traffic stops between 2016 and 2023 based on dubious evidence of minor violations that took direct aim at Black and Latino Chicagoans but spared White Chicagoans. 

Wednesday’s meeting comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s performance during the first of two scheduled debates with former President Donald Trump last week, which raised concerns about Biden’s mental acuity.

The July 4, 2022, shooting took seven lives and wounded dozens of people. As Highland Park officials planned the first parade since the shooting, victims have been trying to make sense of what happened, many of them feeling fresh pain.

According to the Chicago Board of Elections, 42 challenges have been filed against 27 candidates — some faced multiple objections — mostly alleging the candidates didn’t meet the 1,000-signature threshold to appear on the ballot in November.

Don’t know a “spoiler” from a “splitter”? We’re here for you with a beginner’s guide to stock-car racing and what to look for during Saturday and Sunday’s events.

Adjusted for inflation, U.S. gas prices are almost exactly where they were in July 2018, according to federal data.

The Democratic president has signaled he has no intention of dropping out of the race despite the halting and uneven debate delivery that threw a spotlight on questions about Biden’s age. But as Democrats make the case the stakes of the election are momentous they’re wrestling with how to approach the 81-year-old.