Stories by Associated Press

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she is calling the House back into session over the crisis at the U.S. Postal Service, setting up a political showdown amid growing concerns that the Trump White House is trying to undermine the agency ahead of the election.

In a country that’s surpassed 5 million identified cases and 169,000 deaths, researchers don’t know why there appear to be so few outbreaks among the homeless. 

A Cook County woman in her 30s was among the 18 deaths reported Sunday by the Illinois Department of Public Health, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new mitigation efforts in the Metro East region of the state.

For decades, students learned to pirouette, tumble, tap and twirl at Miss Geri’s School of Dance. But last month, owner Geri Mroz Panicko decided to hang up her dance shoes and close the studio permanently because of the pandemic.

Clashes between police and protesters Saturday in the Loop started peacefully but turned violent, leading to 24 arrests and 17 officers treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to police Superintendent David Brown.

Around the U.S., office workers sent home when the coronavirus took hold in March are returning to the world of cubicles and conference rooms and facing certain adjustments, including daily questions about their health.

Protesters against police brutality were turned away by a line of police officers as they tried to make their way Saturday to the Dan Ryan Expressway to flood it with people and shut it down.

Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges has written a children’s book with a candid telling of the past and positive message for the future, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests.

Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson, whose prosecutions of public officials — including a predecessor — helped catapult him to become the state’s longest-serving chief executive, has died. He was 84. 

As protests and rallies sprung up across the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s death, health care workers showed their support for the movement by volunteering as street medics to treat protesters. 

The U.S. Postal Service is warning states it cannot guarantee that all ballots cast by mail for the Nov. 3 election will arrive in time to be counted, even if ballots are mailed by state deadlines. 

Mayor Lightfoot announces a plan to prevent looting as the Chicago Police Department seeks the public’s help in apprehending additional suspects. As Election Day draws closer, the Postal Service issues a warning about mail-in ballots.

Under Illinois law, a voter can request a mail-in ballot up to five days before Election Day. But the USPS warns that voters who wait until that deadline are at high risk of being disenfranchised, due to the Postal Service’s delivery capabilities.

Mayo Clinic researchers reported a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other patients recover, but it’s not proof and some experts worry if, amid clamor for the treatment, they’ll ever get a clear answer.

The mayor announced a five-point plan to protect businesses and better identify and respond to looting through analytics, additional police deployments and faster lockdowns in areas where businesses are being burglarized.

Joe Biden is calling for a nationwide protective mask mandate, citing health experts’ predictions that it could save 40,000 lives from coronavirus over the next three months.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 2,264 new coronavirus cases and said 14 counties have reached a warning level for the virus.

The Chicago Bulls fired coach Jim Boylen on Friday, the new front office beginning its remake of a team that missed the playoffs again. 

R. Kelly's manager has been arrested on charges that he threatened a shooting at a Manhattan theater two years ago, forcing an evacuation and the cancellation of the screening of Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” series.

CPS will start the school year with an all-remote learning plan, but Catholic schools in the city and suburbs are taking a different approach. How will the school system keep everyone safe, and are teachers and parents on board?

After a tumultuous week, neighbors tell us what they think is good in Englewood.

A group of lawmakers proposes a new ethics package as another member of the Illinois General Assembly is charged with a federal crime.

What do oranges, grapefruits and limes all have in common? They’re all fruits being used in an art project turning citrus into jewelry. 

According to census data, women in the workplace, especially Black women, make far less than white men on average. Cherita Ellens, president and CEO of Women Employed, talks about how to close the pay gap.

Ines Sommer’s documentary “Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm” shows that climate change is knocking on the door. But that’s not what the movie was supposed to be about. 

While the players are students, college football is a major economic engine. It brings in hundreds of millions in revenue for universities and their athletic departments.