Stories by Alexandra Silets

Gov. J.B. Pritzker presents an election-year budget filled with tax relief and more spending on programs.  And Rod Blagojevich weighs in on a congressional race. . Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

As snowfall pelts the region, outreach workers in Chicago are working to provide supplies and shelter to the homeless community. Advocates are calling on the city for support as shelters deal with limited bed capacity in the pandemic.

After more than three years as head of the CTU, Jesse Sharkey will be stepping down at the conclusion of his current term on June 30, he announced Wednesday.

People in the Chicago region woke up Wednesday morning to heavy snowfall hitting just in time to snarl the morning commute. And there's more to come.

Lunar New Year celebrations, fancy footwork, wild animals and royal photos usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

The National Weather Service doesn’t name winter storms, according to a spokesperson for the agency. So why are people calling the latest event “Landon”?

Punxsutawney Phil and Woodstock Willie emerged from their respective hideouts Wednesday to deliver their annual dueling Groundhog Day prognostications.

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth want to know more about a federal investigation into the 2014 killing of Black teen Laquan McDonald.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics in Congress, has directed his political organization to initiate a novel campaign to convince non-Republicans to support anti-Trump Republican candidates in GOP primary contests across the country later this year. 

We hear from top Republicans ahead of the governor’s budget address. COVID-19 cases are falling in Chicago. Extreme winter weather is coming in. And we discuss upcoming plans to study Lake Michigan’s impact on the city’s shore.

As the so-called Great Resignation continues, companies have had to get creative with recruiting and retaining talented employees. The newest benefit some companies are experimenting with is a four-day workweek.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is about to embark on its first comprehensive study of the city’s lakefront in more than 25 years. 

The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations began growing faster among Chicagoans 18 and older as compared with any other age group, according to city data. 

Big things can come in small packages, and that certainly goes for artwork as well. A local maker of miniatures has a direct connection to the Thorne Rooms – those ever-popular scale-model rooms on view at the Art Institute. We explored some awe-inspiring little worlds on display in a new setting.

The nation’s 19 million children under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the omicron wave sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital.

Gov. J. B. Pritzker will present the new state budget Wednesday. Details will include Illinois' pandemic response, funding for schools, and for violence prevention, and potential tax relief. Among the expected proposals are holding the line on a gasoline tax, and temporarily lifting a 1% tax on food. 

A winter storm warning is in effect for the Chicago region, with the first round of snow expected late Tuesday into most of Wednesday, followed by a second round Thursday.   

The controversial deli was issued two citations, which will trigger a hearing before fines ranging between $100 and $10,000 can be imposed.

August Wilson, the playwright who so brilliantly chronicled African American life in each decade of the 20th century, waited until very late in his career before writing “Gem of the Ocean.” The play is given a riveting production at the Goodman Theatre. 

If confirmed by the Chicago City Council, Andrea Telli would be the first person to join the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners after a scandal ousted the district’s top leadership.

Shahid Hussain is facing four felony hate crime charges, and two counts each of defacement and criminal damage to property after he allegedly spray-painted swastikas on Jewish buildings over the weekend.

Former Chicago Blackhawks forwards Eddie Olczyk, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have agreed to help the team in its search for a new general manager.

A letter to Garland, sent by NAACP President Derrick Johnson, comes days before former Officer Jason Van Dyke is scheduled to be released from prison Thursday after serving less than half his state prison term of six years and nine months.

On Monday, “Chicago Tonight” co-host and “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” host Brandis Friedman moderated the latest edition of our “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” community conversation series in a discussion focused on the legacy of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley.

Data published Tuesday by the Chicago Police Department shows there were 182 shootings and 48 homicides last month. Those figures are down 10% and 13%, respectively, over totals from January 2021.

A preview look as lawmakers head back to Springfield. A local doctor fights vaccine misinformation, activists react to Jason Van Dyke’s pending prison release, a ward remap stalemate and investing millions in Chicago neighborhoods.