Stories by WTTW News

Sept. 25, 2025 - Full Show

City Council is set to vote on Chicago police settlements. And President Donald Trump tells pregnant people not to take Tylenol — but not everyone’s on board.

Centro Sanar Connects Southwest Siders to Free Mental Health Care: ‘It’s Been Life-Changing’

Centro Sanar began five years ago as a grassroots initiative launched by local mental health providers. It focuses on helping people break through their complex traumas using different techniques.

Trump Links Tylenol to Autism. Here’s What Doctors Have to Say

President Donald Trump linked Tylenol use during pregnancy to rising autism rates in children. The president urged pregnant women to avoid the longtime household medicine and warned against giving it to infants.

Broadview ICE Facility Sparks Complaints of Inhumane Conditions

The Trump administration has targeted the Chicago area for its latest immigration enforcement surge touting hundreds of arrests in the past three weeks.

City Council Lifts Ban on Coach Houses and Granny Flats, But Gives Alderpeople Final Say

The measure reverses the city’s 68-year ban on tiny homes but creates a patchwork of regulations that could significantly differ from ward to ward in order to uphold the decades-old tradition known as aldermanic prerogative.

Final Tally: Chicago Taxpayers to Spend $126.8M to Resolve Lawsuits Tied to Disgraced Ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts

Chicago taxpayers will pay $90 million in the first-ever global settlement of lawsuits tied to a single Chicago police officer, under the agreement approved Thursday, to 180 people who spent nearly 200 years in prison.

Darren Bailey Enters Illinois Governor’s Race, Pledging New Approach to Chicago Area After Previous Loss

Bailey began the campaign in downstate Carterville before taking a helicopter owned and piloted by his son to Bloomington, then departing for his opening rally in suburban Oak Brook later in the evening.

Ex-FBI Director James Comey Charged With Making False Statement, Obstruction After Attacks by Trump

James Comey was charged Thursday with making a false statement and obstruction in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.

Nation’s Top Military Commanders Abruptly Summoned to a Meeting in Virginia Next Week Without Explanation

The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico.

Illinois Braces for ‘Large Influx of Patients’ After Wisconsin Planned Parenthood Pauses Abortions

While Planned Parenthood of Illinois is also affected by Medicaid reimbursement cuts, President and CEO Adrienne White-Faines said the organization is not planning to make any changes to services in Illinois.

CPS Enrollment Drops by 9,000 Students After Back-to-Back Years of Gains

After back-to-back years of enrollment growth for the first time in more than a decade, Chicago Public Schools on Thursday announced it has seen a drop in its number of students for the new academic year.

Walter ‘Red’ Burnett Confirmed as 27th Ward Alderperson by Chicago City Council

The 29-year-old, who is better known as Red, was immediately sworn in to office on a Bible held by his father, who represented parts of the West Side and the West Loop for 30 years on the Chicago City Council before he stepped down in July.

CPS Stands by Black Student Success Plan, Transgender Supports as Trump Administration Withholds Millions in Funding

Interim CPS CEO Macquline King on Thursday stood by the district’s commitment to its existing policies after the Department of Education threatened to withhold millions in funding.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Prosecutors Have Reservations Over Charging Former FBI Director James Comey, Sources Say

Attorney General Pam Bondi and other federal prosecutors have concerns about the case against former FBI Director James Comey, sources tell CNN, though an indictment could come as soon as Thursday.

Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion to Settle FTC Allegations the Company Duped Customers Into Enrolling in Prime

Eligible Prime customers include those who may have signed up for a membership via the company’s “Single Page Checkout" between June 23, 2019 to June 23, 2025.

‘Lights Out,’ Chicago. Bird Migration Will Be Intense Thursday Night and Millions Need Safe Passage

Half a billion birds will be on the move across the U.S. tonight as migration begins to hit its peak, with some 25 million expected to pass over Illinois, putting the entire state on high alert to reduce collision risks.

From Architectural Gems to ‘Secret Conversations,’ Here Are 6 Arts Picks for the Week

WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events.

1 Detainee Killed and 2 Others Critically Injured in Dallas ICE Facility, Homeland Security Says

A shooter with a rifle opened fire from a nearby roof onto a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement location in Dallas on Wednesday, killing one detainee and wounding two others in a transport van before taking his own life, authorities said.

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Sept. 24, 2025 - Full Show

Organizers and local leaders push to reopen Weiss Hospital in Uptown. And a new campaign to address Chicago’s opioid epidemic.

Weiss Hospital Owner Appeals Medicaid Funding Cuts as Activists Push for Facility’s Reopening

Lawmakers said the owner of Weiss Memorial Hospital filed to appeal Medicaid funding cuts that led to the hospital’s closure last month.

New Campaign Aims to Combat Opioid Overdoses in Chicago With Free Narcan

Vending machines containing free Narcan will be placed at five CTA stations throughout Chicago as part of a six-month pilot initiative between the CTA and Cook County Health.

Immigration Enforcement Conditions Placed on Federal Disaster Aid for Illinois and Other States ‘Unconstitutional,’ Judge Rules

A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s attempts to force states to comply with unlawful immigration conditions in order to obtain federal disaster relief funding, ruling such efforts are "unconstitutional” after officials from Illinois and other states sued.

Key City Panel OKs Plan Designed to Stop Gentrification Sparked by Obama Presidential Center

The unanimous vote by the City Council’s Housing and Real Estate Committee means a yearslong fight to prevent longtime residents from being pushed out of South Shore is one step away from victory.

Sister Jean, Who Cheered on Loyola’s Men’s Basketball Team, Is Retiring at 106

Sister Jean provided a message to Loyola students and faculty on her 106th birthday on Aug. 21, where she said she had a “bad summer cold and other health issues” that made her unable to celebrate her birthday on campus this year.

Broadview Fire Chief Demanding Federal Officials Remove Fencing Around ICE Facility

A suburban fire chief has asked federal authorities to remove fencing placed up around an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center this week in Broadview.

Districts Around the US Are Mulling School Closures as Student Enrollment Falls

Public school enrollment is projected to tumble 5.5% between 2022 and 2031, largely due to changing demographics, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Other factors include the shift by some students to private education or homeschooling and some immigrant families’ decisions to leave the country.
 

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