Stories by Erica Gunderson

At an enrollment event this week, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle welcomed some of the more than 3,000 participants in the Cook County Promise guaranteed income pilot. The participants, who were selected by lottery, are set to receive their first monthly payment of $500 on Dec. 15.

One of the priorities is a bill to protect more than 600,000 so-called Dreamers under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin aims to work with Republican senators.

Black Twitter isn’t going down without a fight — what that space has meant to the Black community. A look at who profits off the Cook County tax sale. And Woodlawn neighbors caught in traffic as the Obama Center goes up.

Ashton Washington was surrounded by football as a kid in Texas, but she says she preferred playing with Barbie dolls. By high school, Washington wanted a career in football. Last year, the Chicago Bears hired her as the first full-time female scout in team history.

Austin, 73, pleaded not guilty to charges that she accepted bribes from a developer and lied to FBI agents. Indicted in July 2021, Austin has never appeared in person before Judge John Kness because of her ill health and restrictions put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Special counsel appointed to investigate Trump. A high profile, would-be candidate opts out of the mayoral race. Lightfoot institutes a full court press for the Red Line extension. And property tax mailings hit homeowners where it hurts.

Property taxes can be a doozy. Or rather, how they are calculated can be. WTTW News Explains walks you through the ins and outs of the process. 

“Any riverfront improvement opportunity should be part of a master plan that recognizes the Chicago River system as the wondrous natural resource it is rather than the uncared for alleyway it used to be,” said Friends of the Chicago River.

The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila was shorter than the 15-year penalty requested by federal prosecutors but far tougher than the leniency her legal team sought for the mother of a year-old son with another child on the way.

About 26 million people had already applied to the program by the time a federal judge froze it on November 10, prompting the government to stop taking applications. No debt has been canceled thus far.

The move, announced just three days after Donald Trump formally launched his 2024 candidacy, is a recognition of the unmistakable political implications of two investigations that involve not only a former president but also a current White House hopeful.

Every one of the theater’s more than 2,500 seats had been snapped up for this one-night-only performance of Gustav Mahler’s wildly innovative, emotionally stunning “Symphony No. 7.” The piece is a monumental 85-minute work of great sonic magic and innovation. 

One of Chicago’s most beloved holiday traditions — the German-style Christkindlmarket — kicks off this weekend, and it’s bigger than ever, with a new location in Aurora.

Despite an influx of COVID-19 relief money, school districts across the country have struggled to staff up to address students’ mental health needs that have only grown since the pandemic hit.

State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala, appointed in 2019, announced that she’ll retire at the end of January.

The move is likely to reduce fears, at least temporarily, of an imminent surge of COVID-19 once colder weather settled over Chicago for the duration, forcing people indoors.

Davis, founder of Blacks in Green, envisions Woodlawn teeming with biodiversity, resilient in the face of climate change and capable of supporting a local workforce employed in green business such as horticulture or composting. 

Concerns from neighbors in Woodlawn as Obama Center construction resumes. Pat Quinn on whether he’ll run for mayor. A local couple races to stop ALS. And more with punk poet laureate Patti Smith.

The Obama Presidential Center has been the source of excitement and anxiety for residents in the South Side Woodlawn community, who are eager to benefit from the major development but are concerned about being priced out. The’re also raising concerns about the difficulty of getting around the massive construction site. 

Immigrants protected by the DACA program, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, have been in limbo over the last few years as the program has been challenged in the courts. Now, just weeks before the next Congressional session begins some are hoping to use the lame-duck session to protect the program.

Born in Chicago and raised in New Jersey, Patti Smith has lived an incomparable life as a poet and performer. Known as “the punk poet laureate,” she’s in the Rock Hall of Fame and won a National Book Award.

Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, founded I AM ALS to find a cure for the disease and to advocate for those who have the progressive neurodegenerative disease. 

The former governor said he will instead focus on reform efforts designed to expand the initiative effort. Instead, Quinn said he would focus on efforts to beef up the ability of voters to reform Illinois government through the initiative and referendum process.

When it came to making her way in the art world, Tacarra “Spifster” Sutton started out small – like, pinky-nail small. But today, Sutton’s intricate nail art, uniquely designed on the spot for each client, is a big deal.

The applicants include Anabel Abarca, Ald. George Cardenas’ former chief of staff and a candidate in the Feb. 28 election.

Thomas Osadzinski, 23, was convicted following a two-week trial of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. On Thursday, a federal judge in Chicago sentenced him to 90 months in prison.