Stories by WTTW News

R. Kelly is back in court for sentencing on federal child pornography charges. We’re live in Ukrainian Village as the war in Ukraine reaches one year. And Sister Jean is here with her new book.

College basketball’s most famous fan, Sister Jean, is finally telling her own story. At 103 years old, the Loyola University Chicago matriarch is releasing the memoir “Wake Up with Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.”

The “Mom, I Don’t Want War” exhibit compares children’s drawings during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict to Polish children’s art made during World War II and the German occupation.

Friday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Millions of people have since fled the war-torn country, some seeking refuge in Chicago.

Federal prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber to sentence Kelly to 25 years in prison to account for the “indescribable harm” he caused his victims, including his then-underaged goddaughter “Jane.”

Carnivale, flamenco dancing and a polar adventure usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in Chicago.

Ratings agency S&P on Thursday moved Illinois’ bond rating up a notch, from BBB+ to A- on general obligation bonds. It’s the agency’s third upgrade since the summer of 2021.

Of the four feverishly performed works that comprise Visceral Dance Chicago’s winter engagement, three were created in the wake of the pandemic years. But every one of the four might well have been given the all-embracing title of “Pandemic-Era Fever.”

Spectrum News 13 became the latest local news organization faced with the impossibly difficult task of having to report on a deadly attack targeting its own colleagues.

The vaccines were more than 40% effective in preventing adults from getting sick enough from the flu that they had to go to a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, health officials said during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccines meeting Wednesday. 

The report, provided to The Associated Press ahead of its public release Thursday, also found that all extremist killings identified in 2022 were linked to right-wing extremism, with an especially high number linked to white supremacy. 

The cubs, born Jan. 9, received their first health checkups this week, allowing the zoo's veterinary staff to confirm all the youngsters are male.

Forest Preserve District staff and volunteers have been keeping a close eye on the nests of two mated pairs of eagles and recently confirmed that at least one of the couples is sitting on eggs.

Chicago Teachers Union spending in the mayor’s race raises questions. Digging for solutions to the country’s native seed shortage. And brewing beer with the most important local government agency that nobody knows about.

A new report highlights several supply-and-demand conundrums and makes recommendations for how to increase native seed production.

Members of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee demanded that the leaders of the Chicago Police Department do more to weed out extremists from the department’s ranks.

The Chicago Teachers Union is under fire from within, and the union has been forced to make changes to its election filings or risk violating state law. The union has been front and center with its support of one of its own, Brandon Johnson, as a candidate for Chicago mayor. The big bucks and election actions are now causing some CTU members to speak out.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District treats stormwater and wastewater for more than 5 million people in Cook County. One of the methods to treat that water is a surprising way to reuse a byproduct from the creation of a very popular beverage: locally brewed beer.

Chicago Public Schools is planning to spend $76 million to expand and upgrade the number of security cameras both inside and outside of district-run schools across the city — a move it says will improve the safety of students and staff.

Many students at Kelvyn Park High School became registered and first-time voters as they marched their way to the polls to vote in Chicago’s municipal election.

The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously approved the calendar for the 2023-24 school year after receiving more than 2,500 comments from the public and education stakeholders last month.

For nearly 30 years, the Green Book led Black drivers down American roads by outlining restaurants, hotels, safe houses and other safe spaces they could frequent without general fear for their lives.

“The steady amount of voting that we’ve seen over the last three weeks really suggests that we’re going to have a high turnout for Election Day,” said Max Bever, director of public information at the Chicago Board of Elections.

Politicians clash over benefits to cops disabled by COVID-19. With Election Day a week away, a look at the role of political funds in Chicago’s election. And remembering the Green Book for Black travelers.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, which forecasts the approximate “X-date” when the government will no longer be able to meet its financial obligations on time, said the U.S. will reach its statutory debt limit as soon as the summer or early fall of 2023.

Parts of the Chicago region could get drenched with up to 2 inches of rain Wednesday, with localized flooding likely. High winds will stick around through Thursday.