Stories by Patty Wetli

Chicagoans should prepare for anything weather-wise on Tuesday as meteorologists track storms potentially developing to the west.

The monitors praised CPD for making “significant progress” between July 1 and Dec. 31 in effort to comply with the consent decree, which has been in effect for seven years.

For decades, Chicago’s Board of Education has been the only one in Illinois handpicked by the city’s mayor. And for just as long, education advocates have called for that board to be an elected body, representative of Chicago’s diverse residents. This fall, those advocates will get their wish.

Under two different Illinois laws, people charged with sex offenses are subject to indefinite detention. Some people who’ve already finished serving their sentences can spend the rest of their lives at a correctional center.

Under two different Illinois laws, people charged with sex offenses are subject to indefinite detention. Some people who’ve only been charged with a crime — never convicted or sentenced — can spend the rest of their lives at a correctional center.

Once again, early bird honors go to Pippin, the unlucky-in-love bachelor who’s marking his third year at Montrose in search of a mate.

Efforts to ban no-knock warrants statewide. And WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer rides the rails in a new special.

Anjanette Young has become the leading voice for reform, seven years after a botched police raid at the wrong address left her handcuffed while naked in her Chicago home. Now, a bill bearing her name could reshape how officers execute warrants in Illinois.

Chicago’s rich culture and diversity can be attributed, in part, to the history of its intricate and expansive railway system.

The vote came after officials with Bally’s Corp. issued the most direct warning to the City Council that its move to green-light video gaming would kneecap the city’s permanent casino, scheduled to open in River West later this year.

There’s a divide in the pollinator gardening movement between those who advocate for nothing but native plantings and those whose standards are less rigid. New research suggests there’s a middle ground.

The City Council’s Workforce Development Committee advanced the measure after a lengthy debate over whether all city employees, not just CPD members, should be banned from “actively participating” in extremist and anti-government groups.

The Trump family real estate business is undergoing the fastest overseas expansion since its founding a century ago, each deal potentially shaping everything from tariffs to military aid.

The high cost of fuel, equipment, and fertilizer — compounded by the Iran war — and also tariffs, perceived “price gouging” by suppliers, and low soybean prices driven by a global supply glut.

U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran.

CPD’s 2026 budget is $2.1 billion, including $200 million for overtime, records show.

It was a triumphant homecoming for the crew of four whose record-breaking lunar flyby revealed not only swaths of the moon’s far side — never seen before by human eyes — but a total solar eclipse.

Illinois Democrats call for removing the president from office after he threatens to wipe out Iran. And planned May Day demonstrations have the Chicago Teachers Union and new CPS CEO at odds.

The 400-year-old comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater with a modern spin.

Cook County’s Trash Bash series offers people a one-stop shop to unload items for donation or recycling.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago charged Michael Kovco, 29, with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. He was arrested last week and is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing Friday.

Never before has the relationship between Washington and the Vatican revolved around two Americans — specifically, a 79-year-old politician from Queens and a 70-year-old pontiff from Chicago.

Something sweet is coming to Chicago in 2027: the Candy Hall of Fame Experience.

Jackson Park’s cherry trees are beginning to blossom, a South Side rite of spring that’s as bewitching as it is unpredictable.

The proposal, authored by Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward), would give the Civilian Office of Police Accountability the authority to probe officers accused of “actively participating” in extremist and anti-government groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

An ordinance allowing 34 of Chicago’s 50 wards to build additional dwelling units, or ADUs, took effect April 1. The ordinance permits Chicagoans to build small homes in their backyards, basements and attics and rent them out.