Stories by Hannah Meisel — Capitol News Illinois

Former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza is accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the passage of legislation that was important to AT&T.

Chicago’s plan on attacking a billion-dollar budget deficit. And last-ditch efforts at City Hall to keep a controversial police tool.

Chicago is facing a $223 million budget gap this year, and the city is projecting a nearly $1 billion shortfall in the 2025 fiscal year.

The showdown set for Wednesday is the latest inflection point in the monthslong debate over whether ShotSpotter is an irreplaceable tool in the fight against gun violence or a waste of taxpayer funds.

Surrounded by Republican candidates running for office in Cook County, Kathy Salvi on Monday invited voters to give down-ballot Republicans “a chance,” even if it meant ignoring the party’s figurehead and nominee for president. “If you don’t like Trump, turn off the TV for four years for heaven’s sake.”

Elected officials, community members and partners gathered Monday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for Sankofa Wellness Center, at the corner of West Madison Street and South Kildare Avenue.

Illinois lawmakers passed the ban in 2023 following a mass shooting the prior year at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured.

Tito Jackson was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet, and was part of a music-making family whose songs have sold hundreds of millions of copies.

During the first six months of 2024, Chicago taxpayers paid $40.5 million to resolve lawsuits alleging police officers committed misconduct, records show.

The partial eclipse will hit its maximum before 10 p.m. Tuesday, which is downright considerate of the moon on a school night. 

The pilot program launched by federal proscecutors Chicago appears to be the latest attempt to root out the deeply entrenched culture of corruption that has long defined local and state politics.

Last year was the first year that the U.S. had vaccines available to protect against all three major respiratory viruses — COVID-19, flu and RSV — but vaccine uptake was low for the season. Here is what you need to know this year. 

Ryan Routh was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number during an initial appearance in federal court Monday morning. The investigation into Sunday’s apparent attempt on Trump’s life is continuing, and additional charges could be brought.

American consumers and home buyers, business people and political leaders have been waiting for months for what the Federal Reserve is poised to announce this week: That it’s cutting its key interest rate from a two-decade peak.

Thirty people were shot in 27 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. 

The FBI said Donald Trump was the target of “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Every picture tells a story, and now there’s a chance for young photographers in Chicago (and elsewhere) to tell their own stories and amplify them to the nation.

Last month, the World Health Organization declared an mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a public health emergency of international concern, and the outbreak has spread to a growing number of countries in Africa.

United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.

The data underscores the gravity of America’s home-affordability crisis: Not only has buying a home become prohibitively expensive for many Americans, but so too has renting one.

Former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza is accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the passage of legislation that was important to AT&T.

A Starbucks is set to open at the Little Village Plaza — an area once filled with local vendors and businesses before it was sold to developers. Some residents said this is just the beginning of what will lead to gentrification, while others said the community should embrace the investment.

Millions watched Harris and Trump face off in the presidential debate — but will it move the needle? And efforts to curb a looming Chicago budget deficit.

Michael Broadway, incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center, died in custody in June; the days before his death were some of the hottest that month. An autopsy report reveals that heat stress was one of the significant contributing factors in his death.

In an interview with WTTW News, Kennedy Bartley, 29, the managing deputy for external relations, said she feels deep regret about what she said in the wake of the August 2019 killing of Elijah McClain, of Aurora, Colorado. She declined to express regret for posting “From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free. Amen!”

This week’s “Pick Six” — our new weekly roundup of outdoorsy recommendations in each of the region’s six counties — ranges from family-friendly fests to a mellow stroll around a bog.