Stories by WTTW News

Northwestern University announces its first female president. Crain’s Chicago Business reporter A.D Quig has details on that story and more.

While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have dropped nationally, a local infectious disease expert says the situation is a little more complex than whether or not the nation is reaching herd immunity.

Southwest Airlines canceled more than 350 flights Monday following a weekend of major disruptions that it blamed on bad weather and air traffic control issues. 

The Houston Astros found themselves in familiar territory Monday, brushing aside comments by Chicago White Sox reliever Ryan Tepera after he implied they stole signs while winning the first two games of the AL Division Series in their ballpark.

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are studying adults in their 80s and up with high-functioning cognitive abilities.

Dorothy’s Sweet Shoppe offers life skills and job training to adults with disabilities who help keep the shop running from baking to taking customers’ orders and cashing them out.

Northwestern's Board of Trustees on Monday announced Rebecca Blank, 66, will become Northwestern’s 17th president beginning next summer.

The latest on the controversy at the Chicago Park District. Reaching herd immunity from COVID-19. New research on Alzheimer’s disease. Business headlines from Crain’s. Some sweet treats with a mission.

Game 4 of the AL Division Series between the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox has been postponed because of rain in the forecast.

Negotiators will return to the bargaining table Monday to try and work out a new deal to cover more than 10,000 workers at 14 plants across the United States. The union set a strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a decision that could come in a matter of weeks — it would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19. All other FDA-backed treatments against the disease require an IV or injection.

Among the shows that have marked the return of live theater in Chicago are three very different music-driven works variously set in the final three decades of the 20th century. Seen during present day upheaval, as well as through the lens of their original conception, the result is an intriguing double vision. 

Facebook is also planning to introduce new controls for adults of teens on an optional basis so that parents or guardians can supervise what their teens are doing online. These initiatives come after Facebook announced late last month that it was pausing work on its Instagram for Kids project. 

Michael Kelly, the CEO and superintendent of the Chicago Park District has resigned. Kelly tendered his resignation via email to Park District Board President Avis LaVelle, according to a news release issued by the Board of Commissioners Saturday.

The Chicago White Sox hired Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa hoping he would oversee a deep postseason run and maybe lead them to their second World Series championship since 1917. They did not see themselves making another quick exit. But that’s exactly what they’re staring at unless a sudden turnaround is coming.

Monday’s federal holiday dedicated to Christopher Columbus is highlighting the ongoing divide between those who view the explorer as a representative of Italian American history and others horrified by an annual tribute that ignores native people whose lives and culture were forever changed by colonialism.

In a mural by Chicago artist Asend, a larger-than-life Jose Abreu swings his mighty bat under the Cienfuegos streetlights of his childhood. Asend’s dreamlike rendering is one of three murals commissioned by the White Sox as part of their Game Changers series. 

At 17 years old, Jarrett Adams, a Black boy from Chicago, was convicted of raping a woman in Wisconsin. Adams spent 10 years of his life in prison for a rape he maintained he did not commit. He spent those years studying the legal system to overturn his own case —eventually, becoming a lawyer himself.

Why Chicago’s Black population is dwindling. Plus, from wrongfully convicted to defense attorney in our next Book Club pick. Jesse Jackson on his 80th birthday. And more on “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices’” 50th show. 

From its founding as a trading post by a Haitian man to the Great Migration to today, Chicago owes much to its Black residents. But since the 1980s, the city that helped shape our country’s first Black president has seen a steady stream of its Black residents flee.

DACA recipients experiencing renewal delays. Plus, the local impact of National Coming Out Day. And a new mural celebrating Latinos in baseball. On “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices’” 50th show.

Monday marks National Coming Out Day— an annual awareness day aimed at supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. What do that awareness and support mean for leaders in the Latino LGBTQ community? We hear from Julio Rodriguez of ALMA and David Ernesto Munar from Howard Brown Health.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has given immigrants who were brought here as youth an opportunity to work and study in the U.S. lawfully. But recently, DACA recipients have been reporting longer delays in the renewal of their status, putting many of their employment eligibility at risk.

No matter what form it takes, there is no mistaking the work of Chicago artist Edo. His wildly vibrant painting of fan favorite Tim Anderson is one of three pieces commissioned by the White Sox as part of their Game Changers series. The series throws a spotlight on the contributions of under-represented communities.

Wealthy Americans have long sought to use charitable contributions to reduce their tax burdens. But the “Pandora Papers” report  revealed how world leaders, billionaires and others have stashed trillions of dollars out of the reach of governments by using shell companies and offshore accounts, which are considered legal.

Parental protests over COVID-19-related mask mandates, gender-neutral bathrooms, and teachings about racial history, sexuality and social-emotional learning are being leveraged into full-fledged board takeover campaigns that will get their first widespread test in just a few weeks.