Stories by Associated Press
In About-Face, Trump Seeks to Salvage Parts of Virus Aid
| Associated Press
The Trump administration is pressing for $1,200 stimulus checks and a new wave of aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the pandemic.
Students Who Fought for Douglas(s) Park Name Change Win ‘Parktivist’ Award
| Patty Wetli
Students from Village Leadership Academy will be honored Oct. 16 at Friends of the Parks’ “Parks as Democracy?” annual conference, which will include a presentation from the youth activists.
Retirees at Center of Lawsuit, Questions Over Graduated Tax
| Amanda Vinicky
In November, Illinois voters will be making a choice about how the state taxes income. But a last-minute lawsuit claims the ballot itself is flawed and is raising questions about how it may impact retirees.
A Classic Soul Song Gets An Update
| Angel Idowu
Chicago artists are paying tribute to the Pointer Sisters in a remake of a song that underscores the importance of working together. We meet the creatives behind the “Yes We Can” project.
How Domestic Violence Support Groups Are Helping Clients Virtually
| Blair Paddock
The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to spend a lot more time indoors this year. But for some, home isn’t always a safe space. Many social service agencies are reporting a spike in domestic violence during the pandemic.
Aldermen Delay $9.1M in Planned CTA Upgrades Amid Questions About Diversity Goals
| Heather Cherone
Two proposals to spend $9.1 million to repair the CTA’s Lake Street bridge and the Dearborn Street subway stalled Tuesday amid objections from aldermen about efforts to hire firms owned by female, Black and Latino Chicagoans.
Head of FBI Chicago Office on ‘Critically Important’ Work to Ensure a Fair Election
| Nick Blumberg
The COVID-19 pandemic has many Americans rethinking how they’re going to vote this year, with huge numbers applying for mail-in ballots. Emmerson Buie Jr. talks about the FBI’s priorities, and what steps they’re taking in Chicago.
Vision 2020: Are Absentee Votes and Mail-In Votes Different?
| Associated Press
What’s the difference between absentee voting and mail voting? There really isn’t any difference.
Plan to Build More Affordable Housing on Far Northwest Side Survives Test
| Heather Cherone
Aldermen sided with the mayor on Tuesday in a dispute over a proposal to build a 48-unit affordable housing complex in Jefferson Park, turning back an effort by Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th Ward) to block the development.
Vision 2020: Electoral College vs Popular Vote in America
| Associated Press
Why is it that one candidate can win the popular vote but another wins the electoral vote and thus the presidency? Because that’s how the framers of the Constitution set it up.
Lightfoot: Chicago Faces ‘Moment of Reckoning’ After Trump Ends Negotiations Over Federal Aid
| Heather Cherone
City officials are working to craft a plan to fill a projected $1.2 billion budget shortfall in the 2021 fiscal year — without the hope of more aid from the federal government.
Trump Halts COVID-19 Relief Talks Until After Election
| Associated Press
President Donald Trump abandoned COVID-19 relief talks on Tuesday. The unexpected turn could be a blow to Trump’s reelection prospects and comes as his administration and campaign are in turmoil.
2 Justices Slam Court’s 2015 Decision in Gay Marriage Case
| Associated Press
The Supreme Court, already poised to take a significant turn to the right, opened its new term Monday with a jolt from two conservative justices who raised new criticism of the court’s embrace of same-sex marriage.
32 Organizations to Get $8M From City to Expand Mental Health Services: Lightfoot
| Heather Cherone
The funds will allow “tens of thousands more patients served, better access to care for the underserved and integrated care for the whole person,” officials said.
Fed’s Powell: Lack of Further Stimulus Imperils Recovery
| Associated Press
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Tuesday that a tentative recovery from the pandemic recession could falter unless the federal government supplies additional economic support.
Activists, Scientists, Authors Among ‘Genius Grant’ Fellows
| Associated Press
Writers, sociologists, scientists, a documentary filmmaker, a legal scholar and an environmental health advocate are among the luminaries named this year. The Chicago-based foundation has awarded the grants every year since 1981.
Indiana on Track to be Added to City’s Quarantine Order, As Officials Add Alaska, Remove Georgia, Texas
| Heather Cherone
The warning about the increase in confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Indiana is designed to give Chicagoans who routinely cross the border time to prepare for the state to join the other 22 states now on the quarantine order, officials said.
Aldermen Set to Weigh Lightfoot’s Pick to Lead Department of Buildings
| Heather Cherone
Matthew Beaudet would become the first Native American commissioner in the city’s history. “I’m humbled by it,” Beaudet told WTTW News before his confirmation hearing.
Trump’s Rhetoric Fuels Fear of Election Night Violence
| Evan Garcia
In an op-ed, DePaul University history professor Tom Mockaitis says the president’s failure last week to recognize and condemn violent, far-right groups like the Proud Boys could encourage clashes on Nov. 3.
Program Created Amid Racial Panic Still Stalled, Years After Shift in Focus
| Heather Cherone
Efforts to transform a Northwest Side tax program created in the 1980s amid the racist panic that greeted the election of Chicago’s first Black mayor are stalled — nearly two years after new leadership promised a fresh start.
Effort to Build More Affordable Housing on Far Northwest Side Faces Crucial Vote
| Heather Cherone
A plan to transform a long-vacant lot in Jefferson Park into an apartment complex that reignited the furious debate surrounding Chicago’s massive affordable housing shortfall faces a key vote Tuesday.
Trump, Still Infectious, Back at White House — Without Mask
| Associated Press
President Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House Monday night after leaving the military hospital where he has been receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19.
How Trump’s COVID-19 Diagnosis Could Impact the Election
| Marissa Nelson
Nearly a dozen of President Trump’s allies and team members have tested positive for the coronavirus just four weeks ahead of the election. We discuss the potential political fallout of the president’s diagnosis.
New Biography Examines Jimmy Carter’s ‘Epic’ Life, ‘Surprisingly Consequential’ Presidency
| Nick Blumberg
Jimmy Carter, who served just a single term in the White House, is widely seen as a model ex-president but largely unsuccessful president. Now, the 96-year-old is the subject of a full-length, independent biography.
Fighting for Fall Sports: Where the Legal Battle Stands
| Blair Paddock
The possibility for high school students to play all fall sports is again at a standstill. We discuss the situation with a student, a lawyer and a doctor.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Trending
As Chicago Swelters Under Heatwave, ComEd Asks Customers to Immediately Conserve Energy to Avoid Outages
Bill Awaiting Pritzker’s Signature Would Clear Hurdle for People Challenging Sentences on Crimes Committed When Under 21
Minimum Wage to Increase in Chicago, Suburban Cook County Starting July 1
U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Cook County’s Assault Weapons Ban
Who Is Running, or Thinking About Running, to Become Chicago’s Next Mayor
Sign up for the WTTW News newsletter