Stories by WTTW News

State health officials reported 7,899 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the third consecutive day in which Illinois saw its highest number of new infections within a 24-hour period since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state.

Black Lives Matter has been a lot of things in its brief, fiery life. It has been a slogan, a rallying point. A movement that led protests coast to coast. A heaven-sent resource. Now, BLM’s influence faces a test.

Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as suave, fearless secret agent James Bond and then carved out an equally successful, Oscar-winning career, has died. He was 90.

We gain an hour this weekend when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. 

Illinois reports a record 6,943 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, surpassing the previous record set one day earlier. As cases rise so do tensions between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and business owners amid pandemic-related closures.

In a campaign that has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 227,000 Americans and staggered the economy, the candidates’ clashing overtures stood as a reflection of their leadership styles.

A 17-year-old from Illinois accused of killing two demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been extradited to stand trial on homicide charges.

Aldermen urged city transportation officials on Friday to help them repave more Chicago streets, spotlighting a perennial gripe about potholes and rough rides during a budget season like no other.

“It’s unfortunate,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday. “Look, this disease is unrelenting, it doesn’t care about what the location is and what we’re trying to do here is to limit the cases, the hospitalizations and the deaths.”

Over the past 10 days, the U.S. Supreme Court has answered questions about an extended timeline for receiving and counting ballots in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Here’s how they ruled. 

The city is prepared to deploy garbage trucks, salt spreaders, snow plows and water trucks to protect the city’s commercial districts if the election triggers unrest and violence, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Saturday’s full moon will be the second one in October, earning the label “blue moon.” It’ll have a red companion, in the form of Mars. 

Chicago politician Abner Mikva had the distinction of serving in all the three branches of U.S. government. A new documentary delves into Mikva’s storied political career and public life.

Illinois Sens. Sara Feigenholtz and Don DeWitte talk about the governor’s decision to halt indoor dining and bar service in regions where coronavirus rates are surging.

An ugly loss for the Bears Monday night. Can fans hope for anything better against the Saints on Sunday?

Kenosha, Wisconsin, just over the Illinois border, became the epicenter of violent unrest this summer after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. A few months later, Kenosha is in the midst of early voting – and it’s a hotly contested county.

Brandis Friedman sits down with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to talk about where things stand now with the pandemic and where they’re headed. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $12.76 billion spending plan for 2021 fails to craft a “compassionate, bold” solution to the long-standing inequities that plague Chicago, according to the City Council’s Progressive Caucus.

Airline layoffs, travel bans, quarantine orders – it’s been a calamitous year for the travel and tourism industry. Chicago’s independent travel agencies, scattered in storefronts across the city’s neighborhoods, have been anything but immune.

The trail, which took nearly 60 years to complete, was one of 30 designated a National Recreation Trail by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a grave warning on Thursday as Illinois officials reported 6,363 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, telling residents that the pandemic has entered the most dangerous phase since the spring.

Tony La Russa, the Hall of Famer who won a World Series with the Oakland Athletics and two more with the St. Louis Cardinals, is returning to manage the Chicago White Sox 34 years after they fired him.

Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer on Thursday ordered a suspension of criminal jury trials at the Dirksen Federal Building effective immediately.

Watch the Oct. 29, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Nine of the state’s 11 regions have triggered the state’s fail-safe metrics designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, with the addition of much of West-Central Illinois, including Springfield and Quincy, on Thursday.

Restrictions ordered by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to stop the spread of COVID-19 take effect at midnight Friday. Mayor Lightfoot altered her plan to align with the restrictions laid out by the Illinois Department of Public Health.