Stories by Erica Demarest

From public libraries to community centers, the city of Chicago offers more than 190 public facilities where anyone can go to keep warm this winter.

Some of the orders revive priorities from his first administration that his predecessor had rolled back, including forcing asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico and finishing the border wall. Others launched sweeping new strategies, like an effort to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America.

If there were snow pack on the ground, Tuesday's temperatures could be closer to approaching record lows.

With his opening rounds of memoranda and executive orders, Trump repealed dozens of former President Joe Biden’s actions, began his immigration crackdown, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords and sought to keep TikTok open in the U.S., among other actions. He pardoned hundreds of people for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The commutations cover the sentences for 14 far-right extremists from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who were convicted or charged with seditious conspiracy. With the pardons, Trump has granted full clemency to hundreds of people already convicted of felony crimes like assaulting police and destroying property as part of the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

Almost six decades later, urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas is making sure new generations know the details of Martin Luther King Jr.’s time in Chicago through his educational tours of the city’s neighborhoods.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president — a look at his priorities. And local reaction to his first day plans.

The Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator has agreed to become the Chicago Bears head coach, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.

After Monday’s daytime temperatures hovered in the single digits, they are expected to dip to minus 10 to minus 3 degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service. Flurries and isolated snow showers are also expected in the Chicago region.

In his first address after being sworn in on Monday, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading statements that he made during his campaign. They included claims about immigration, the economy, electric vehicles and the Panama Canal.

Some of the most exclusive seats at President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday were reserved for powerful tech CEOs who also happen to be among the world’s richest men.

Donald Trump will act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.

The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Cecile Richards served as president of Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018, helping boost the profile of an organization long criticized by conservatives and anti-abortion activists who have called on the government to strip its funding.

Pope Francis made the comments during an appearance at an evening talk show, and then followed up Monday with an official telegram of congratulations to Trump on the day of his inauguration. Francis said he prayed that America would live up to its ideals of being a “land of opportunity and welcome for all.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson have both said they are prepared to confront President-elect Donald Trump's policies head-on. But it is unclear how Trump will make good on his promises of retribution, and what power city and state officials will have to resist or thwart federal authorities.

Immigrants in large cities have been preparing for mass arrests since Trump won election in November, but reports that his initial push would be in the Chicago area has brought a new sense of urgency and fear.

The operation will be concentrated in the Chicago area, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because plans have not been made public. Arrests are expected all week.

While it is now a time-honored tradition, the establishment of the holiday had a prolonged, difficult path to acceptance.

Chicago gets its first elected school board members. And former House Speaker Michael Madigan explains his “making out like bandits” remark.

The beloved American roots music club has been honored with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s the first Illinois music venue to be recognized by the National Park Service.

Under Illinois’ aggravated unlawful use of a weapon statute, individuals are not allowed to carry a firearm in public unless the person has a valid Concealed Carry License.

Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was shot in her kitchen by Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson who responded to Massey’s 911 call about a prowler outside her home near Springfield.

Even if tax breaks are allowed to lapse at year’s end, the federal budget deficit will still climb to $2.7 trillion in a decade, according to the CBO’s latest outlook, released Friday.

The move is the second major change for alcohol labels announced in the waning days of the Biden administration. On Jan. 5, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for new warnings about the link between alcohol and cancer.

The price negotiations for the additional 15 drugs selected will be handled by the incoming Trump administration and, if deals are reached, almost assure billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.