Stories by Blair Paddock

Seven current and formerly incarcerated women filed federal lawsuits over the last week alleging sexual assault, harassment and institutional retaliation at Illinois’ primary women’s prison, Logan Correctional Center.

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and others on Wednesday said the tactics employed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have undermined the have left families “torn apart.”

The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and it lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy.

Nine preservation projects in Illinois, including three in Chicago, are being recognized as part of an annual awards program highlighting “exceptional preservation efforts,” the preservation nonprofit Landmarks Illinois announced Wednesday.

A suburban Cook County resident in their 60s has died from the West Nile virus, the Cook County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday. The risk of West Nile virus in suburban Cook County remains high, according to the public health agency.

Describing extraordinary turmoil inside the nation’s health agencies, Monarez and former CDC Chief Medical Officer Chief Debra Houry described exchanges in which Kennedy or political advisers rebuffed data supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Without establishing any link to last week’s shooting, the Republican president and members of his administration have discussed classifying some groups as domestic terrorists, ordering racketeering investigations and revoking tax-exempt status for progressive nonprofits.

According to Climate Central, summer temperatures are extending deeper into fall in more than 90% of major U.S. cities.

An appeals court ruled last month that Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct have the right to ask an arbitrator — and not the Chicago Police Board — to decide their fate, but those proceedings must take place in public.

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

More back-and-forth on whether President Donald Trump plans to send troops to Chicago. And the Federal Reserve considers cutting the interest rate — what you should know.

What was once thought to be a mainly coastal phenomenon is now showing up in most major cities in the U.S. and around the world.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is widely expected to cut its key rate by a quarter point to about 4.1%, which would be the first reduction since last December.

The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules objected to the Illinois Department of Corrections’ emergency rule allowing facilities to electronically scan mail. The objection does not stop the department’s emergency rule, which paves the way for IDOC facilities to transition to scanning incarcerated peoples’ mail, instead of giving them physical mail.

FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with skeptical Democrats at a contentious Senate oversight hearing Tuesday, defending his record amid criticism that he has politicized the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency and pursued retribution against perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump.

Attention Chicagoans, brace yourselves because Chicago is sinking. Northwestern University researchers were the first to study underground climate change and its effects on urban infrastructure. They call it a “silent hazard.”

The Art Institute of Chicago is giving the artist her due with a solo show that surveys 75 years of the artist’s work. It is called “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies.”

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday he can’t take “anything that (Trump) says seriously” and said he thinks Trump is “losing it” following another threat of a military deployment into Chicago.

Speaking to the New York Law School in Manhattan, the Supreme Court’s senior liberal encouraged people to get involved and lamented what she described as a lack of knowledge about fundamental aspects of American law.

Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died Tuesday at 89.

The report offers “89 preliminary options to improve operations, generate new revenue, and pursue strategic opportunities, all while preserving city services” that could add between $1 billion and $2.1 billion to the city’s bottom line.

Chicago’s Mexican community celebrates despite an ICE crackdown. And the state of political discourse in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has spurred public discourse on political violence and the rhetoric that perpetuates it. Reactions to Kirk’s death range from anger and grief to indifference and relief, revealing the longstanding chasm in American political ideology.

Despite fears of enhanced immigration enforcement, the Little Village Mexican Independence Day Parade took place this weekend without any issues. On Monday, events continued for El Grito, an annual celebration marking Mexico’s independence.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.

If your fall allergies have kicked in, ragweed is the likely culprit, but goldenrod often takes the blame.