Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and close confidants began plotting to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago all the way back in 2021. Now that it is here, the governor is in the spotlight. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson, the father of three children, said Vice President Kamala Harris’ status as the first Black woman to be nominated by a major party for president was deeply personal for him and his 10-year-old daughter, Braedyn.

In the middle of his second term, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker hinted during a speech to party faithful Monday morning that he’s game to run again.

Biden boarded the helicopter after arriving on Air Force One in Chicago where he is speak Monday evening at the Democratic National Convention. It marked a crucial milestone in a two-decade-long process to replace the Vietnam-era helicopters that have been in use carrying presidents since the 1970s.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois were among the elected officials who attended the AAPI caucus meeting on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

Headlining Monday’s lineup is President Joe Biden, who just weeks ago was the presumed nominee. First Lady Jill Biden and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also take to the stage. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) will represent the hometown crowd.

Organizers of the Chicago River Swim have taken the city’s suggestion and will hold the open-water swim event in Lake Michigan on Sept. 22, with the goal of proving themselves for a 2025 plunge in the river.

The Democratic National Committee is using Trump Tower to troll the former president during the Democratic National Convention now underway in Chicago.

“Our officers responded exactly the way that we trained them,” Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said. “To respect First Amendment activity.”

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88.

According to organizers each star will host one night of the four-day convention, in a role similar to an award show host, kicking off the broadcast with opening remarks and then reappearing onstage throughout the evening to help guide the audience through programming.

There were also a pair of police-involved shootings, one of them fatal, which are being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

A local husband-and-wife team leads a collective of artists who create monuments to sports stars and heroes of all kinds. Their big break came 30 years ago when the Chicago Bulls commissioned them to make a monument to Michael Jordan. The 15-foot sculpture, titled “The Spirit,” stands inside the United Center.

Waves topping 8 feet were recorded off Chicago’s shore Sunday. High waves and dangerous currents are expected through Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson will wear the jacket if the convention does not go as planned — but benefit if Chicago shines on the national stage.

Illinois Democrats are putting their money where their mouths are this election cycle — but a change at the top of the ticket and federal campaign finance reporting deadlines mean we won’t have the full picture of the cash influx until later this year.

The first of several planned large protests started late Sunday in the shadow of Trump Tower at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive with a rally before taking over southbound Michigan Avenue and marching to Grant Park.

The agency is expected to greenlight updated mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech that target a strain of the virus called KP.2, said the sources, who declined to be named because the timing information isn’t public.

VIP guests are arriving in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, prompting a number of street closures in River North and the so-called "Viagra Triangle" as security is tightened around various downtown hotels.

Not since the Obama years has celebrity enthusiasm been so high, merging the world of pop culture and politics as the race kicks into high gear with this week’s Democratic convention in Chicago.

The Democratic National Committee calls it a “celebratory Roll Call” and said in a statement the event would give delegates the opportunity to “celebrate the nomination” of Harris, who is the first woman of color to lead a major party presidential ticket.

Since officials’ dire warnings of a renewed surge, fewer than 1,600 migrants have made their way to Chicago, and the shelter population has remained at the lowest point since the crisis began, according to city data.

Full supermoons appear brighter because the moon is closer to earth when they occur.

Final touches at the United Center before next week’s Democratic National Convention. And reports that Mayor Johnson is trying to oust the leader of Chicago Public Schools days before classes start.

Organizers said 17,000 people have applied to volunteer at the Democratic National Convention, with an additional 15,000 people on the waitlist.

The release attributed to anonymous employees comes at a critical juncture for the Department of Energy, which is currently exploring options for new lab management. The lab will have limited operations for a short time due to budget issues starting this month.