Stories by Eunice Alpasan

The downtown facility aims to meet the “unprecedented demand” for Real IDs while easing strain on DMV operations, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

The Chicago City Council voted 34-15 Wednesday to pay $280,000 to activist Miracle Boyd, who was struck by a Chicago police officer during a protest in Grant Park near the Christopher Columbus statue in July 2020.

The CTA board of directors approved the purchase of cameras aimed at catching bus lane scofflaws on Wednesday, making good on a plan announced last year as part of a pilot program.

Brian Gladstein, a long-time Rogers Park resident with an extensive background in nonprofit management, will lead the organization into its 50th year.

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

The dump — known as a confined disposal facility — was constructed in 1984 to store polluted sediment dredged from the Calumet River and Cal-Sag Channel. When it reached capacity, the initial plan was to top off the 45-acre site and turn it over to the Chicago Park District. Instead, the Army Corps proposed a 22-foot vertical expansion that would extend the dump’s life for another 20 years.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 7 million people across the globe have died from COVID-19 since the virus was first declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

It’s been five years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. What we learned and whether we’re prepared for the next one.

“It’s like a storm that takes over your body,” Marta Cerda said of her struggles with long COVID. “It’s just a nightmare for me and I’m trying to maintain hope that there will be these treatments and cures, but it’s sometimes very hard to have hope.”

More than 1.2 million Americans have died from COVID-19. Despite having one of the most sophisticated health care systems in the world, the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic fell well short when compared to other developed nations.

Tuesday’s escalation and retreat in the ongoing trade war between the United States and Canada only compounded the rising sense of uncertainty in terms of how President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes affect the economies of both countries.

The Trump administration had already been whittling the agency’s staff, though buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesday’s layoffs, the Education Department’s staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,100, the agency said.

Northwestern and Illinois Wesleyan universities were among those that received notice from the department of potential Title VI violations stemming from what it called “antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”

This year’s construction is focused on the outbound Kennedy lanes. Work is expected to start Monday and be finished around Thanksgiving, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Billy Corgan is teaming with the Lyric Opera to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Smashing Pumpkins’ epic double LP “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” for a week of performances in late November.

“The commission believes that strengthening trust in COPA now requires new leadership,” Commission for Public Safety and Accountability President Anthony Driver, Jr. and Vice President Remel Terry wrote, saying they had identified “critical failures of leadership (that) seriously undermine the quality and integrity of COPA’s work.”

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias on the Real ID deadline. A look at Chicago’s most iconic foods. And entrepreneurs react to the city’s Small Business Administration office relocating.

The Small Business Administration is relocating its regional Chicago office, as well as those in five other metropolitan cities. Local SBAs are tasked with providing funding, education and resources to small business owners, operating as a lifeline to both aspiring business owners and longtime entrepreneurs.

After being extended multiple times, the deadline for needing a Real ID to travel domestically is finally approaching. But not everyone needs a Real ID. Who does and how can you make the process as quick and painless as possible?

If the verdict is upheld, it would be equivalent to the amount the city sets aside for an entire year and a half to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

The S&P 500 was down 2.1% in midday trading, coming off its worst week since September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 405 points, or 0.9%, as of 11:20 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 3.6% lower.

Under new rules announced Monday, members of the public will be allowed to sign up for a 15-minute slot to inspect the gift room once every three months. Afterward, items will be donated to local Chicago charities, according to the mayor’s office.

Metra has launched a survey to get feedback on potentially renaming lines to make the system “easier to understand for new and occasional riders,” according to the rail service on Monday.

The Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools each released findings Monday which showed, for the first time in several years, that the state is seeing some improvements in the number of educator hires.

Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will host a new weekly podcast series starting this month featuring a special guest pulled from the world of entertainment, sports, health and business.

Chicago is home to a plateful of iconic foods. But more than anything else, Chicago is known for its hot dogs and its pizza. WTTW News explains.