Stories by Associated Press

As the November election nears, there’s an intensifying effort among African Americans to transform frustration over police brutality, systemic racism and the disproportionate toll of the coronavirus into political power.

Roughly a thousand people gathered Saturday in Kenosha for a march and rally against police violence, about a week after an officer shot Jacob Blake in the back and left the 29-year-old Black man paralyzed.

Exactly 65 years after the brutal killing and shocking open-casket funeral of Emmett Till, the red brick two-flat where he lived with his mother is finally on the path to an official city landmark designation.

State health officials on Friday reported another 10 counties, including suburban Cook, are showing warning signs of increased risk for COVID-19. And on Saturday, the state passed a grim milestone: more than 8,000 virus-related deaths.

First Chadwick Boseman slipped on the cleats of Jackie Robinson, then the Godfather of Soul’s dancing shoes. When the former playwright suited up as Black Panther, he brought cool intellectual gravitas to the Marvel superhero.

A man known for his love of skateboarding, a Texas transplant to the state and a college student acting as a volunteer medic were killed or wounded this week by a 17-year-old gunman during a night of protests on the streets of Kenosha.

The Kenosha police union on Friday offered the most detailed accounting to date on officers’ perspective of the moments leading up to police shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back, saying he had a knife and fought with officers.

A norm-busting Republican National Convention comes to an end. Kenosha takes the national spotlight after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. And COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Illinois.

Damage to Chicago’s trees during the powerful Aug. 10 derecho was even more extensive than previously thought.

As more and more schools and businesses around the country get the OK to reopen, college towns are moving in the opposite direction because of too much partying and too many COVID-19 infections among students.

A judge postponed a decision Friday on whether Kyle Rittenhouse should be returned to Wisconsin to face charges in the killing of two people in Kenosha during unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

It would likely cost the city nearly $9 billion if Chicago wanted to cut ties with Commonwealth Edison and form its own electric utility, according to a city study released Friday.

A judge has denied a request to make public an investigatory report into the handling of the high-profile case by the Cook County State’s Attorney and her office, days after the special prosecutor released the findings of that investigation.

Development of DuSable Park, stalled for more than 30 years, is finally inching forward. Advocates say Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable set an example for multicultural harmony we’ve yet to follow.

President Donald Trump blasted Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who will endanger Americans’ safety as he accepted his party’s renomination on the South Lawn of the White House. 

Until the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the bedroom community of Kenosha had been largely untouched by the level of demonstrations that were seen in nearby Milwaukee and Chicago after the death of George Floyd.

Prosecutors on Thursday charged a 17-year-old from Illinois in the fatal shooting of two protesters and the wounding of a third in Kenosha during a night of unrest following the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake.

President Donald Trump will accept his party’s nomination for president at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. We take a close look at GOP talking points with two accomplished speechwriters.

Protesters have returned to the streets of Kenosha every day since a police officer shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake seven times. We visit the city to speak with residents and officials about the shooting and unrest that’s followed.

Black Lives Matter activists are holding their first Black National Convention on Friday, a virtual event that will adopt a political agenda calling for slavery reparations, universal basic income, environmental justice and criminal justice reform.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Bost shares his perspective on civil unrest, mail-in voting and the 2020 general election as part of our special coverage of the Republican National Convention.

Republicans proceeded with the third night of their national convention, but many Americans — particularly those in the path of Hurricane Laura — were focused on more immediate concerns. 

Watch the Aug. 27, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Repeated calls for armed vigilantes to travel to Kenosha to protect businesses following the police shooting of Jacob Blake spread across social media in the hours before two people were shot to death and a third was wounded.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot took the first step Thursday toward making the long-planned Chicago casino a reality, asking firms interested in building and operating “a unique entertainment and gaming experience” to make their pitch to city officials.

Chicago health officials will continue to recommend that anyone exposed to someone diagnosed with the coronavirus be tested for COVID-19, despite new guidance from the CDC that ignited a firestorm of controversy.