Stories by Heather Cherone

A federal court order requiring the Chicago Police Department to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers should be expanded to include traffic stops, but the city’s new police oversight board should be given some power over the hot-button issue, according to a new recommendation. 

Tens of millions of older Americans will see an increase in benefits this January when a new cost-of-living adjustment is added to Social Security payments.

Here’s a list of hair-raising reasons to climb out of your casket and explore the necropolis.

Here’s what you need to know about the event's logistics, from road closures to cheer zones.

The Young Lords of Lincoln Park went from a street gang to revolutionaries focused on supporting their community. A new documentary chronicles that journey. 

The Space Weather Prediction Center absolutely nailed its forecast for Thursday night, with a spectacular display of the northern lights dazzling sky watchers across the U.S. from the Florida Keys to New York City’s Central Park. Or not.

Outrage and confusion over potential charter school closures. And we’re one on one with Johnson’s chief of staff on funding for Chicago Public Schools.

The Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network is urging people to become organ donors. According to the nonprofit, while 95% of people in the U.S. support donation, fewer than 60% are registered organ and tissue donors.

Chicago Public Schools has been at the center of an intense media frenzy over the past week. Tensions continue to rise between Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, and the district’s financial crisis is at a standstill while the CEO, mayor and Chicago Teachers Union all publicly voiced different methods to solve it.

Gun safety advocates want Illinois to shorten the period of time in which a gun must be reported as lost or stolen from 72 hours to 48 hours. The group also wants lawmakers to mandate that dealers check a gun’s serial number in a state database before it can be bought or sold. Gun rights groups oppose the changes.

Voters in Illinois are being posed three “advisory” questions that ask voters whether they support a specific policy but aren’t legally binding. Lawmakers may take the results into account when considering what policies to advocate for in future legislative sessions.

Zachary Allen Kam, 24, of Chicago, was arrested in Illinois on assault charges and was expected to make his initial court appearance later Thursday. Kam is at least the third person charged with crimes related to a July 24 demonstration at Columbus Circle, in front of Washington's Union Station.

Consumer prices rose just 2.4% in September from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in August, and the smallest annual rise since February 2021. Measured from month to month, prices increased 0.2% from August to September, the Labor Department reported Thursday, the same as in the previous month.

This weekend’s picks of outdoor adventures will take you on a time-traveling tour of the region's natural history — from 400-million-year-old rock to an Ice Age “mountain” to more recent remnants of the Atomic Age.

The Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival coincides with Filipino American History Month in October. Performances and readings will be held Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 11-26 at PrideArts and Rizal Center.

“This announcement is not made lightly,” Acero said in a statement. “It is made with compassion and an unrelenting commitment to the individuals we serve. We hope to welcome as many transitioning scholars as possible to our other network schools and manage this difficult transition with integrity, mindfulness and clarity of mission.”

The shelter at 27th Street and Pulaski Road, which opened in January at the height of the crisis that strained state and city resources, now houses 146 people, state officials said.

“There are no new taxes, fines or fees in this budget,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle told reporters in a preview of the vision she’ll outline in a Thursday morning speech. “It reflects our choices we made over the last 14 years and strong fiscal management.”

The battle over Chicago Public Schools — CEO Pedro Martinez joins us to respond to critics. And a City Council meeting sees alderpeople fired up over CPS and ShotSpotter.

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said during an appearance on WTTW News’ “Chicago Tonight” he has repeatedly urged the mayor to use funds from the city’s TIF districts instead of borrowing money or making cuts to classrooms.

Visionary filmmaker George A. Romero started the zombie apocalypse genre in 1968 when “Night of the Living Dead” rewrote the rules for horror movies. Romero films featured social commentary, strong minority characters and a cargo of carnage.

Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged Wednesday he decided not to veto the ordinance because of concerns it would set a “dangerous precedent.”

Sixty ComEd employees left Illinois Wednesday, heading to Florida to support workers there, a spokesperson said. And an additional 200 ComEd workers will be redeployed to Florida after finishing restoration in Georgia and South Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

In-person jury selection officially began Wednesday morning in the Dirksen Federal Building, where Madigan and his longtime confidant Michael McClain face charges of racketeering, bribery and wire fraud.

A severe geomagnetic storm is heading toward Earth, likely to hit Thursday, and what that means for Chicagoans is conditions are ripe for another spectacular display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) in our neck of the woods.

Three scientists who discovered powerful techniques to predict and even design novel proteins — the building blocks of life — were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday.