Stories by Amanda Vinicky

As Chicago grapples with a nearly $1 billion budget gap in the coming year, the city shouldn’t count on the state to help fill it. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s “read things in the newspaper” about relief Chicago may want from the Illinois government, but at this point that’s not something his budget team is thinking about.

A "who's who" of buildings has been announced for the annual Open House Chicago "urban exploration" two-day festival, set for Oct. 19-20.

The first appeal the court heard Tuesday centered on the new law’s early implementation. It involved a Chicago man who was charged with attempted murder and jailed just before the new law took effect, but who later petitioned for release once cash bail officially ended.

The city's inspector general said it was “troubling” that the city did not hold the firm that leases the city's parking meters accountable for seven years.

Drury Lane Theatre launched its fall season with “The Audience,” a lively and entertaining drama that imagines private conversations between Queen Elizabeth II and the prime ministers who served during her reign. Here, Her Majesty acts as both therapist and sparring partner for the heads of Parliament.

At the end of August, participants in the Sihek Recovery Program, of which Brookfield Zoo is a member, took the first small step toward one day bringing birds and birdsong back to Guam.

It was a powerful and memorable moment at last month’s Democratic National Convention when Gus Walz, the son of vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, emotionally cheered as his father delivered his acceptance speech. But some online commenters mocked the 17-year-old’s actions, sparking backlash.

Conditions at Stateville Correctional Center are so uninhabitable that a federal judge ordered most of the population out by the end of September. WTTW News sent questions to men incarcerated at Stateville to hear how they feel about the shuttering of the prison and the state building a new facility.

Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop will close Oct. 1 and a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. All of the residents will be offered space in one of the 14 shelters the city will continue to operate, officials said.

Whenever there’s talk about how to curb gun violence, two words often come up: assault weapons. Illinois is one of 10 states — plus Washington, D.C. — with a so-called assault weapons ban on the books. WTTW News Explains what that ban does. 

What's at stake in tomorrow's presidential debate. And what Chicagoans want to hear from both candidates. 

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump go head-to-head for the first time at Tuesday night’s debate. 

WTTW News hit the streets in Chicago to speak with people and find out what they want to hear from the candidates during the debate.

The pioneering Jones, who worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.

The move was announced Monday by Annette Guzman, the city’s budget director, and comes as city leaders stare down a $222.9 million deficit this year and a projected $982 million shortfall in the 2025 fiscal year.

Some are the children of victims whose partners were pregnant. More of the young readers are victims’ nieces, nephews or grandchildren. They have inherited stories, photos, and a sense of solemn responsibility.

Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC-owned stations in nine markets, have been off DirecTV since the evening of Sept. 1. That meant DirecTV customers were blacked out from viewing most college football games and the final week of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, including the women's and men's finals.

Victims of shootings in Chicago ranged in age from 21 to 38 years old. 

Three and a half years after 13-year-old Adam Toledo’s death spurred demonstrations and renewed calls for police reform, the lawsuit filed by his parents is set to go to trial Nov. 6, ramping up the pressure on lawyers for the city to negotiate a settlement in the high-profile case or face a trial that could lead to a multimillion-dollar jury verdict.

Illinois advocates for LBGTQ+ rights are pushing for the state’s high court to mandate that all lawyers, judges and other court personnel, such as clerks and security staff, be trained on be the legal needs of LBGTQ+ people. Critics, however, say the call for inclusivity training is exclusionary.

Murder charges filed against the father of a 14-year-old boy accused of a Georgia school shooting follow the successful prosecution of two parents in Michigan who were held responsible for a similar tragedy at a school north of Detroit.

COVID-19 levels in the U.S. are very high and rising, according to wastewater surveillance data from the CDC. Levels have been rising since May and are already as high as they were in December of last year. Hospitalization rates related to COVID-19 also remain elevated.

An estimated 3 million children and teens are exposed to shootings every year in America. More than 1,300 of them have occurred in schools in the past decade.

The eggs were distributed in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan through retail stores and food service distributors. The recall includes all egg types and expiration dates in containers labeled with “Milo’s Poultry Farms” or “Tony’s Fresh Market.”

Safety and the prospect of guns for self-defense on the CTA. Chicago’s deal with a grocer that’s saddled with debt. And the latest in the presidential race.

The massive Harris war chest is being used to fund a $370 million paid media effort for the final two months of the campaign, and to pay for its more than 2,000 field staff spread through more than 310 offices in battleground states.