Stories by Brandis Friedman

To this day, Chicagoans live in a fairly segregated city. And that segregation didn’t happen by coincidence but by design. WTTW News Explains how redlining worked in Chicago.

Crews start demolishing a longtime landmark to make way for Chicago’s permanent casino. And Chicago Public Schools are in session — how teachers are tackling the new year.

The Chicago Teachers Union is still in the midst of public contract negotiations, and the union said CPS leaders aren’t doing enough about the lack of academic resources. This comes amid concerns over district funding.

The permanent casino will be four times as big as the temporary casino now open at the Medinah Temple at Ohio Street and Wabash Avenue.

A man whose body was discovered in Wisconsin near the Illinois border in 1993 was known only as John Doe for more than three decades. He is now confirmed to be Ronald Louis Dodge following nearly a decade of renewed DNA testing and analysis.

For many Chicagoans, visiting Judy and the rest of the small herd at Brookfield represented their sole chance to encounter a bison — the national mammal of the U.S.

“The reality of climate change can be debilitating, it’s hard to know where to even start,” said state Rep. Laura Faver Dias (D- Grayslake), who introduced the bill in the General Assembly. “But now anyone can help restore native habitat right in our own yards.”

Chicago broke the record of 97 degrees set for this day in 1973, according to the weather service.

Will Fletcher, who took over as the school district’s watchdog in 2020, resigned last week with nearly two years left in his term.

“OGs for Harris” who supported the vice president in 2019 reunited for a celebratory brunch last week outside of official DNC programming.

And yes, the salted caramel spice cake can be made into a shake.

Ronnie Hunt was charged with conveying articles useful for the escape of a prisoner, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin said Tuesday. Martin said “additional charges are probable.” She did not respond to a question about whether Hunt is represented by an attorney.

Not only was the Arizona ruling a missed opportunity for the justices to explain when they will engage in election and voting cases, experts say it has also heightened concern that the court is unevenly applying a murky legal principle intended to reduce chaos rather than add to it.

The Republican ticket of former President Donald Trump and running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is set to visit several swing states this week. While the Democratic team of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is going on a bus tour of Georgia. 

Martinez said he has not been told by anyone in the Johnson administration that his job is on the line, and in an interview on “Chicago Tonight” Monday evening, maintained there’s “never been better alignment between our district, our board … the city, the mayor, and I would argue even the unions” as they all know and want CPS to have more money.

Anthony Gay spent more than 20 years in solitary confinement. He also became an advocate against the practice. He had just been granted compassionate medical release from federal custody, just days before his 51st birthday. He died of lung and liver cancer.

As Chicago Public School kids are back in class, we talk to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. And what to know about Chicago’s excessive heat warning.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the recall a more urgent classification Friday after making its original announcement Aug. 15. The new classification said the affected product may temporarily cause adverse health consequences but is unlikely to cause serious or irreversible medical issues.

Cornel West, a leftist academic, progressive activist and long-shot presidential candidate, is at the center of multiple legal and political battles as Democrats and Republicans seek to use the impacts of third-party candidates who could take support from their opponents. 

The National Park Foundation, which Congress created in the 1960s to support national parks, will receive the donation from Indianapolis-based foundation Lilly Endowment Inc. The park foundation described the gift on Monday as the largest grant in history benefiting U.S. national parks.

A recent court filing shows that the company is rejecting the leases of an additional 23 locations by Saturday, Aug. 31, joining the more than 100 restaurants that Red Lobster closed earlier this summer. Once complete, the chain will have around 500 outlets left — a sharp decline from the 650 it had just last year.

Paleontologists have found more than 260 dinosaur footprints from the Early Cretaceous Period in Brazil and Cameroon, now more than 3,700 miles apart on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The current dispute centers on the muting of microphones when a candidate isn’t speaking, a condition both Biden and Trump accepted for their June debate hosted by CNN. Both sides are accusing the other of gaming the system to protect their candidate.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 35 people were shot over the weekend in 28 separate incidents.

WTTW News Director Jay Smith sat down with our political team to reflect on the Democratic National Convention for a behind-the-scenes look at what covering the convention was like, and to help provide insights into the stories that emerged from the week.

Chicago is under an excessive heat warning through Tuesday night, with temperatures expected to soar into the mid- to upper-90s and humidity that will make it feel even hotter.