Stories by Jay Smith

Jim Ryan served as Illinois attorney general for eight years starting in 1995. He twice ran, unsuccessfully, for Illinois governor. He died on Sunday after what his family said were “several lengthy illnesses.” He was 76.

A new fast-food chain restaurant opens in Russia, and it might look and taste familiar. Ann Dwyer takes us behind the headlines.

A group of Wisconsin Republicans tried to file fake electoral documents in favor of Donald Trump. A nonprofit law firm is suing to bring criminal charges.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday that her strategy to fill the “significant gaps” in Chicago’s mental health care system that she inherited by expanding city funding for nonprofit organizations — but not reopening city-run clinics — is succeeding.

Bruce Dyker has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, after he was allegedly seen on video grabbing a woman at North Avenue Beach.

Cyclist and pedestrian safety advocates rally for change after two toddlers are killed by drivers on Chicago streets.

“While the risk in Chicago remains low, CDPH wants the public to be able to make informed choices about gathering in spaces or participating in events where monkeypox could be spread through close or intimate contact,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

The proposal falls far short of tougher steps long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats. Even so, if the accord leads to the enactment of legislation, it would signal a turn from years of gun massacres that have yielded little but stalemate in Congress.

Federal health officials said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children.

Day two of televised Jan. 6 hearings. We have the latest. Plus, what bike and pedestrian advocates are calling for after multiple deaths on Chicago streets. The Mag Mile gets a big new tenant, and new laws to prevent drowning in Lake Michigan.

Several sites in northeastern Illinois — including Waterfall Glen, Des Plaines Riverway, Hidden Lake and Wood Ridge forest preserves — will be sprayed with fake pheromones to confuse spongy moth males and disrupt mating.

Natashee Scott, the former alderperson’s wife, is set to pay $8,000 for two city-owned vacant lots adjacent to her family’s home along Albany Avenue across the street from Douglass Park in North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side.

Mild temperatures will give way to blistering heat this week, with the National Weather Service warning of temperatures in the mid-90s and peak heat indices of 110 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to Chicago Police Department data, six people were fatally shot, one person was stabbed to death and 31 total people were shot between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The walk-and-roll rally on Sunday began at Leavitt Street and Eastwood Avenue in Lincoln Square, where 2-year-old Raphael “Rafi” Cardenas was struck and killed by a driver June 2 while he was crossing the street on a scooter. At last report, the driver has not been cited.

Last month, Ben’s Friends, a national support group for people in the hospitality industry struggling with addiction, began hosting weekly meetings in Chicago.

Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas, police said. Only one was from Idaho.

Addressing the affordable housing shortage. Plus, what a new law means for water safety along Lake Michigan. How to get a free tree planted. And a longtime family hardware store.

Voter outreach efforts as Election Day approaches for the primary. Plus, raising awareness for missing women. Calls for safer prisons. And from the crowd to the stage, meet blues artist: Melody Angel.

Juneteenth will be recognized as a federal, state and local holiday for the first time this year. The day recognizes the freeing of the last enslaved people in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. 

Several organizations are teaming up for the fifth annual We Walk for Her event. Organizers say they hope the walk brings a sense of urgency to the dozens of cold cases and disappearances.

The Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act, signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday, means lifesaving equipment like life rings are mandated at all access points to the lake, as well as warning signs in more dangerous areas. 

Civic engagement groups are ramping up efforts to get voters to the polls for the Illinois primaries on June 28. The effort comes as 73 Chicago precincts remain without a designated polling place due to pandemic-related closures.

The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons apartments opened in May near the Logan Square Blue Line station. The seven-story complex, which features retail space and 100 affordable units. In Pilsen, the Pilsen Housing Cooperative offers a blueprint for community-led affordable housing. 

The nature conservation group Openlands and search engine Ecosia are hoping to boost the number of trees in underserved areas through their TreePlanters Grant Program. 

The Republican and Democratic parties have dominated politics in America since the 1850s. These days, they’ve staked out sharply opposing positions on gun control, abortion rights, policing, climate change and much more, leaving a lot of middle-ground opportunities for independent and third-party candidates.