Stories by Andrew Adams — Capitol News Illinois

“Our founders understood that freedom cannot thrive under the shadow of military control,” retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner said. “Civilian police accountable to local leaders and bound by civil law are the right tools for maintaining order, not troops and tanks.”

ICE agents arrested a police officer Thursday morning in suburban Hanover Park, accusing him of being an unlawful immigrant from Montenegro.

The Beautiful Lives Project works to empower those with disabilities through sports and arts programming across the country.

A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to allow the president to immediately deploy National Guard troops into Chicago.

Illinois’ Republican primary for governor is growing expensive as the party's 2022 nominee works to rebuild his campaign fund while another candidate receives support from one of the state’s wealthiest Republican donors.

The City Council also agreed to pay $8 million to the family of Leonardo Guerrero, who died after being strapped to a stretcher by Chicago Fire Department paramedics.

In response, Judge Sar Ellis announced Thursday she will require all federal agents with body cameras to have them on during encounters with immigration protesters.

The summaries offer a glimpse into the billionaire governor’s finances, although the campaign did not disclose the total income of trusts benefiting his family. Pritzker does not take a salary from the state and placed his assets in a “blind” trust when he became governor.

“The line to draw here is that we either are going to protect working people in Chicago from Trump’s cuts, or we are going to open up the floodgates and allow these individuals to be hurt and harmed further,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Nine months into the year, Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $266.8 million to resolve nearly two and a half dozen lawsuits, exceeding the city’s annual budget to resolve lawsuits alleging police misconduct by nearly $185 million, city records show.

The jump of six percentage points in the level of full compliance with the consent decree reached between Jan. 1 and June 30 is the second largest increase in the six and a half years that the federal court order has been in effect.

The 29-year-old Walter “Red” Burnett was confirmed Sept. 25, officially making him the youngest member of the City Council. Burnett says he is charting a new path for the 27th Ward, overseeing several development projects and addressing affordability for longtime residents.  

Tonika Lewis Johnson is a social justice artist, photographer and author from Englewood whose work highlights systemic racism and disinvestment in Chicago. The multihyphenate is one of 22 fellows granted this year’s prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

The addition of the library locations brings the total number of drop-off options to 33.

How residents on the North Side are supporting their immigrant neighbors. And meet the newest member of the Chicago City Council.

Luis Kevin Islas says lately the Rogers Park neighborhood is like a “ghost town.” In recent weeks, the area has seen an increase in federal immigration agents and raids.

Mayor Brandon Johnson refused to fire Jason Lee, one of his closest aides, at the recommendation of Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, telling WTTW News that Lee “engaged in no wrongdoing.”

During 2 1/2 hours of arguments, the court’s six conservative justices seemed inclined to effectively strike down a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana because it relied too heavily on race.

The formation of the group touches off a new chapter in a partisan battle over public health measures that has been heightened by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers declining to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans signed an order banning federal immigration agents from arresting people around local courthouses without a warrant.

Chicago and suburban Cook County residents will have opportunities Saturday and through the next several months to receive free flu and COVID-19 shots, as local public health departments roll out their immunization outreach efforts.

In the past 12 days, Department of Homeland Security Agents have deployed tear gas against Chicagoans who gathered to protest their efforts to detain people they believe to be in the county illegally four times: in Logan Square on Oct. 3; in Brighton Park on Oct. 4; in Albany Park on Sunday and in East Side Tuesday.

The event series, hosted by DCASE and the Chicago Film Office, includes a film screening series with post-screening conversations featuring acclaimed guest speakers, along with a live performance, that aims to honor two of Chicago’s most iconic voices in film criticism.

The case of mistaken identity was revealed in a scientific paper published Wednesday in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

Millions could soon face higher health insurance costs — what you should know. And the local impact of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the news media and protesters.