Stories by WTTW News

Chicago’s top doctor on closing the life expectancy gap between Black and White residents. A nonprofit takes stock in local youth. A father and son duo takes us on a tour through “Boarded Up Chicago.”

A father and son documenting the city’s reaction to the police killing of George Floyd turn their images into a new book.

Rendel Solomon tells us about his nonprofit initiative One Stock One Future, which aims to turn one million youth into public company shareholders via workshops and donated funds. 

New cases of the coronavirus reported Sunday by state health officials bring statewide totals to 274,258 cases and 8,450 deaths since the first infection was reported in Illinois in late January.

President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s given his “blessing” to a proposed deal that would see the popular video-sharing app TikTok partner with Oracle and Walmart and form a U.S. company. 

In recent years Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was surprised to find herself so popular that “everyone wants to take a picture with me.” The justice, who died Friday at 87, had become a feminist icon.

Efforts to increase affordable housing. The third anniversary of Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico. Celebrating the contributions of Latinos as Hispanic Heritage Months gets underway. 

Calling out “free books” to passersby, organizers of a book giveaway on the Far South Side distributed more than 1,200 books while garnering support for a larger project they hope will spark a transformation of the neighborhood.

A task force released recommendations this week to help Chicago increase its affordable housing stock. We ask two housing activists to share their thoughts on that guidance.

Since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, the U.S. territory has suffered greatly. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans who made the wrenching decision to move to Chicago after the hurricane have also struggled to recover.

President Donald Trump on Saturday urged the Republican-run Senate to consider “without delay” his upcoming nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just six weeks before the election.

A presidential campaign that was already tugging at the nation’s most searing divides has been jolted by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, potentially reshaping the election.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington. She was 87.

Big state budget cuts are on the horizon. The Big Ten is back, but youth sports remain on hold. In Springfield, the Madigan inquiry moves forward. And the White Sox are going to the playoffs.

A northern Illinois man who was charged with murder for his role in the beating death of his 5-year-old son, Andrew “AJ” Freund, pleaded guilty Friday to reduced charges and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 

Young, Black & Lit provides free books that feature Black main characters to children. The organization has distributed more than 5,000 books in the Chicagoland area through book fairs, community groups and schools.

Who can get a test? Where can you get one? And how much do tests costs? Here’s what you need to know about coronavirus testing in Illinois.

The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will bar the apps from accessing essential internet services in the U.S.

U.S. health officials on Friday dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested.

On the same day a funeral was held for the 8-year-old girl who was shot and killed last week while riding in a vehicle with her family, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city must do more to protect its juveniles during a historic uptick in violence.

Restaurants and bars in Will and Kankakee counties — Region 7 of the state, as outlined in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan — can once again offer indoor dining and service beginning Friday evening.

The head of COPA said the agency had “never intentionally withheld” information from the public after an audit by the city’s watchdog found it had failed to release video and audio recordings of use-of-force incidents within 60 days.

Join a hike Sunday in Will County, where a flock of American white pelicans, one of North America’s largest birds, is hanging out during its annual fall migration.

Community gardens and urban farms were left scrambling to comply with a new city policy related to hydrant access that left some without water throughout the entire 2020 growing season. 

How one of Chicago’s Far Southwest Side neighborhoods is coping with the coronavirus.

Mexican Americans didn't let the pandemic stop their celebrations. Was there a better way?