Stories by WTTW News

A look at Illinois gun laws in the wake of the tragic mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas. Plus, City Hall bets big on a Bally’s casino.  And new research into long-haul COVID-19. 

As part of “Chicago Tonight’s” special series “Turning Pain into Purpose,” Miguel Rios seemed to be doing everything right. At 18 years old, he was going to school, had a job and was there for his brothers and sisters. But this July will mark two years since he was killed, and his family has yet to receive justice. 

A new Northwestern Medicine study of 52 long haulers, who were not hospitalized and only experienced mild symptoms like cough and sore throat, found that most continued to experience neurologic symptoms, fatigue and compromised quality of life up to 18 months after initial infection. 

A suburban couple’s Ukrainian surrogate — who had been moved to the Czech Republic — delivered their twin babies by emergency C-section at just 27 weeks. The early news was just the latest nerve-wracking development in what has been months of tense waiting. 

Today marks two years since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. His death triggered protests across the country and calls for civilian oversight of law enforcement.

The city’s curfew now starts at 10 p.m. seven days a week and applies to 17-year-olds. The vote, delayed Monday by a parliamentary procedure amid a deluge of criticism, came over the objections of the ACLU of Illinois, which warned city officials that the change would “exacerbate tensions between the police and young people.” 

Four other stores in Chicago – in Bucktown, Hyde Park, Logan Square, and downtown – are currently voting by mail on whether to unionize, with results expected in June. It’s part of a nationwide effort to organize Starbucks coffee shops that’s rapidly gained steam in the last year. 

​​U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger laid in to Arroyo during the hearing, calling the former representative a “dirty politician who was on the take” and a “corruption super-spreader,” who “injected” corruption into both the Illinois House and Senate.

Street fests, live music, craft brews and beach season usher in the weekend. Here are 12 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

Of the nine children under investigation for severe hepatitis, two-thirds tested positive for a common virus that causes cold or flu-like illness, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Early voting at the Chicago Board of Elections super site was to have started May 26, but has been pushed back to May 31 after late breaking ballot changes.

Biden spoke Tuesday night from the White House barely an hour after returning from a five-day trip to Asia that was bracketed by mass shootings in the U.S. He pleaded for action to address gun violence after years of failure — and bitterly blamed firearm manufacturers and their supporters for blocking legislation in Washington.

Activists planned the vigil, along with a rally at the governor’s residence in St. Paul, for the two-year anniversary of Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, which ignited protests in Minneapolis and around the world as bystander video quickly spread.

The $1.73 billion proposal now heads to the Illinois Gaming Board, which must license Bally’s to operate the Chicago casino set to be built along the Chicago River near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

The bison, known as “Tyson” or “Billy,” has been on the loose since fall 2021 after escaping from a Wauconda farm. 

An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing at least 14 children and a teacher and wounding others, Gov. Greg Abbott said, and the gunman was dead.

Congress members react to a shooting at a Texas elementary school. The Chicago Teachers Union’s new president. Traffic deaths reach record levels. And part two of our series: Turning Pain Into Purpose.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said America faces a crisis on its roads. The safety administration urged state and local governments, drivers and safety advocates to join in an effort to reverse the rising death trend.

The Chicago Teachers Union has elected a new president: Stacy Davis Gates. Davis-Gates will be moving up from her position as vice president when current president Jesse Sharkey steps down July 1. 

The Advanced Arts Program has been running for more than 20 years. Before the pandemic, about 150 students were dismissed from their home school in time to travel to the Gallery 37 building for two hours of instruction each day. 

As part of “Chicago Tonight’s” special series “Turning Pain into Purpose,” we speak with Maria Trujillo, a resident of Little Village. Trujillo lost two sons in a year and is still searching for answers. 

Mexico’s highly anticipated annual count of over-wintering monarchs was released Tuesday and showed a slight increase from the prior year, but there’s still a long way to go to ensure the butterfly’s survival, conservationists said.

The effort to launch the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability is nearly five months behind schedule. Ald. Harry Osterman (48th Ward) said 37 people applied to serve on the seven-member commission, and praised those selected by a working group of alderpeople.

The decision reflects Biden’s struggle to use the limited powers of his office to advance his campaign promises, as well as his attempt to strike a balance between police and civil rights groups at a time when rising concerns about crime are eclipsing calls for reform.

The $31.5 million program has enough funding to send just 5,000 Chicago families $500 per month for 12 months, officials said. Approximately 64% of applicants live below the poverty line, which is $26,500 for a family of four. An additional 40% of applicants live in households that earn half that amount, officials said.

The confusion is a reminder of Washington’s stance of “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to Taiwan — essentially, leaving China guessing about what exactly the U.S. would do if there was an invasion.