Stories by Patty Wetli

According to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort, 2025 has been a year for the record books, with 82 breeding pairs counted.

The dataset includes the information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., all of which allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias asked the attorney general to review the matter. He also is creating an audit system to ensure police departments don’t run afoul of a 2023 law banning the distribution of license-plate data to track women seeking abortions or to find undocumented immigrants.

Kwame Raoul’s office has joined lawsuits challenging actions of the Trump administration as well as defending the state against legal actions the administration has filed against Illinois.

Liz Callaway returns to Chicago this weekend to perform “To Steve with Love” at the Studebaker Theater and celebrate the composer through his words and music – and she’ll offer some personal recollections of the man himself.

In a joint statement, the Coalition of Haitian American Organizations in the Chicagoland Area and the United African Organization called on congressional leaders to put pressure on President Donald Trump to reverse the ban.

The lack of a contract between the city of Chicago and Commonwealth Edison inked in the 21st century has tied the city’s hands in the fight against climate change and halted efforts to transition to clean energy.

Gov. JB Pritzker testifies before Congress about protections for undocumented immigrants. And what you can expect from Saturday’s “No Kings” rally.

Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration are set to rally in hundreds of cities on Saturday during the military parade in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with Trump’s birthday.

The governor’s appearance is the latest flashpoint in Illinois’ ongoing battle with the GOP-controlled U.S House and the Trump administration, which is attempting to strip self-proclaimed sanctuary cities of all federal funding.

“We can make them feel that they’re inside the main character’s head,” Make-Believe Association founder Jeremy McCarter said. “And I just thought, well, if we can do that, what would be a more interesting head to be inside than Hamlet’s?”

The calls come ahead of more ICE protests in Chicago as the city braces for potential federal immigration raids by ICE tactical units this week. “As news spreads about militarized ICE teams carrying out Trump’s agenda of hate on the streets of Chicago, so too does the fear among our community members,” Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Executive Director Lawrence Benito said during a news conference.

William Carter spent a total of four years in jail after pleading guilty in two cases and being convicted in a third that he alleges were based on false evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes, and other officers.

Dozens of Chicagoans have accused former Chicago Police Detective Kriston Kato of torturing them into confessing to crimes they did not commit. Kato has denied any wrongdoing.

The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to follow through on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about immigration raids that have led to protests in California and around the country.

Hippotherapy is a type of physical, occupational and speech therapy where the movement of a horse is used to treat a patient’s specific disability or disorder.

The Illinois Department of Public Health this week issued a statement after Kennedy removed all volunteer members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Just days after Brookfield Zoo issued the exciting announcement of the first bottlenose dolphin born at the zoo in more than a decade, staff is mourning the sudden death of the calf on Wednesday night.

The settlement set to be considered by the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee Monday would avoid a high-stakes trial for the city in one of the last cases that names Jon Burge, a former police commander who city officials admit tortured and beat more than 100 Black men during his career.

There’s always much to do in a place voted Best Big City in the U.S. eight years in a row. So find a show and get a ticket — it’s a vote of confidence in our priceless shared culture.

The mayor says the city is ready for large-scale protests this weekend. And exploring the challenges facing many Black fathers.

A new report found that fathers’ participation in peer groups positively impacted their mental well-being, communication skills and motivation to be involved in their children’s lives.

Ahead of the group’s annual conference this weekend, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition is planning a protest Thursday at the downtown Target on State Street.

A space rock the color of coal and no larger than a pebble you’d shake from a shoe just arrived at the Field Museum, where scientists will spend the next two months probing this extraordinary specimen for clues to the origin of life on Earth.

With the endorsement of the City Council’s License and Consumer Protection Committee, the measure is set for a final vote by the full City Council on June 18.