Stories by WTTW News

How local officials plan to push back if the National Guard is deployed here. And the head of Chicago Public Schools on a crucial budget vote.

In 2013, Emmet Elementary School was one of 50 schools closed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools. The Westside Health Authority and Austin Coming Together collaborated to redevelop the vacant building.

President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, calling the city “a killing field” despite violent crime being on a downward trend.

CPS officials have laid out a plan that aims to fill a $734 million budget gap. But there’s still debate over whether a loan should be a part of the final plan — and whether the district should take on a $175 million pension payment.

The Narcan newsstands, which were officially launched during a harm reduction event Wednesday, will be at four locations in Uptown.

Cesar Ramirez, 47, received his sentence this week after he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated kidnapping stemming from the October 2022 incident. He was initially charged with numerous felonies that also included attempted aggravated sexual assault, attempted aggravated sexual abuse and aggravated battery.

Locally foraged fungi — in all their fascinating, weird and beautiful-ugly forms — will take center stage Sunday at the Illinois Mycological Association’s annual mushroom show.

Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s received no word from the Trump administration following reports it intends to use the Naval Station Great Lakes outside Chicago to house federal immigration agents or National Guard troops.

The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity.

Had the settlement been even one dollar more, it would have required Chicago City Council approval under city rules. Instead, it was authorized by Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson Lowry.

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was sentenced to four days in jail as part of a plea deal on Tuesday, after being charged with driving under the influence and possession of a firearm in 2024.

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

Clock’s ticking for the Chicago Board of Education to balance the budget. And we sit down with Michelin-starred chef Curtis Duffy to discuss his new memoir, “Fireproof.”

Decorated chef Curtis Duffy has made his mark on Chicago’s food scene over the past 25 years. His new book outlines his rise to success and dives deep into challenging and traumatic events he faced throughout his childhood.

Chicago Public Schools is set to finalize its fiscal year 2026 budget this week, but questions remain about how the cash-strapped school district intends to plug a $734 million shortfall.

The Reader announced it would be introducing Noisy Creek’s event discovery platform, EverOut, as well as entertainment ticketing service Bold Type Tickets to Chicago as a way to help diversify revenue sources, with goals to launch those services early next year.

A study of how three popular AI chatbots respond to queries about suicide found they generally avoid answering questions that pose the highest risk to the user, such as for specific how-to guidance. But they are inconsistent in their replies to less extreme prompts that could still harm people.

A federal judge in Chicago sentenced Yousef Abu Alhawa to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and tax charges.

Legal experts say the Republican president’s claim that he can fire Lisa Cook, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, is on shaky ground. But it’s an unprecedented move that hasn’t played out in the courts before, and the Supreme Court this year has been much more willing to let the president remove agency officials than in the past.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias raised concerns and announced Monday that an audit found Customs and Border Protection had accessed Illinois data, although he didn’t say that the agency was seeking immigration-related information. A 2023 law the Democrat pushed bars sharing license plate data with police investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants.

Local leaders push back against calls to send the National Guard to Chicago. And what do the city’s crime stats really show?

Chicago Police Department data shows that compared to last year, violent crime in the city is down 22% through the end of July. There have been 36% fewer shootings, and homicides are down 32%.

Experience360 is the first satellite branch for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, which is currently under renovation. The new space in River North, just steps from Marina Towers, opens to the public Tuesday.

Federal officials are continuing to press their demand for Illinois’ unredacted voter registration database, which includes sensitive personal information, and are now giving state officials until Monday, Sept. 1, to comply.

President Donald Trump signed an order threatening to freeze federal funding to governments and jurisdictions that have eliminated the use of cash bail as a means of holding defendants in jail pretrial. Local officials say the system put in place in Illinois in 2023 is working.

Gov. JB Pritzker vowed Monday to stop President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard to Chicago, dismissing Trump’s latest pledge to combat crime as cover for an unconstitutional federal overreach.