Stories by Associated Press

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, was built to take a deeper look at the night sky, covering hidden corners. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy, it will survey the southern sky for the next 10 years.

According to the National Weather Service, oppressive levels of heat and humidity will stick around through Monday afternoon, with highs expected in the mid 90s and heat indices topping out at 105 degrees.

One trial is seeking to discover whether the drug metformin could help prevent lung cancer. Another trial is testing a vaccine combination to prevent cancer in people with Lynch syndrome.

The guns provision was first requested in the House by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican gun store owner. The House bill would remove silencers from a 1930s law that regulates firearms that are considered the most dangerous, eliminating a $200 tax while removing a layer of background checks.

Officials at the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Policing Leadership Academy brought members of The Second City, Chicago’s storied improv theater, to teach police leaders the more diverse skills found in improv exercises — like thinking on your feet, reserving judgment and fully listening.

Three eggs of piping plovers Imani and Sea Rocket hatched as of Friday at Montrose Beach, according to monitoring group Chicago Piping Plovers.

The mayor vetoes a “snap curfew” measure aimed at curbing large teen gatherings. And Democratic members of Congress are turned away from an ICE facility.

Born Robert Sylvester Kelly, the 58-year-old Grammy-winning R&B singer is serving sentences at a prison in Butner, North Carolina, for child sex crimes and racketeering.

Learning Resources Inc. wanted the justices to take up the case soon, rather than let it continue to play out in lower courts. The company argues the tariffs and uncertainty are having a “massive impact” on businesses around the country.

Steppenwolf Theatre’s “You Will Get Sick” is laugh-out-loud funny and deadly serious. It’s a puzzle of a play where the pieces come together in surreal but satisfying ways.

An extreme heat warning has been issued for Cook County from Saturday through Monday. Afternoon temperatures are predicted to be in the 90s. Coupled with high humidity, heat indices could reach 100-105 degrees each day, according to the National Weather Service.

Heat remains the deadliest form of extreme weather in the U.S., contributing to more than 800 deaths annually on average since 1999, a 2023 study found.

The “Safe Schools for All Act” passed both chambers of the General Assembly. It would prohibit schools from denying any child access to a free public education based on their actual or perceived immigration status, or that of their parents.

Friday is the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start.

Thanks to a recent update to the arboretum’s website, gardeners will find it easier to broker a love connection between plants and pollinators.

On this Juneteenth, learning how rest can be a means of resistance. And how Meigs Field became a public park.

Whether the weather ahead is pleasant or there’s a June monsoon brewing, here’s a starter list of arts and culture opportunities to get you out into the atmosphere.

City Council narrowly approves a “snap curfew.” And a wrongfully convicted man gets a settlement after almost three decades behind bars.

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday passed the "snap curfew" ordinance by a vote of 27-22. Mayor Brandon Johnson has pledged to veto it.

Less than six months into the year, Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $189.3 million to resolve nearly two and a half dozen lawsuits, exceeding its budget to resolve lawsuits alleging police misconduct by more than $100 million, city records show.

Before the vote, Mayor Brandon Johnson Johnson repeatedly questioned whether the measure is constitutional and frequently said that he does not believe that expanding the city’s curfew would stop teen “trends” or “takeovers.”

Tricia Hersey is known as the Nap Bishop. The Chicago native founded the Nap Ministry in 2016 under the framework “rest is resistance,” a tool used to resist and dismantle systems of oppression.

The dazzling panoramic shot released Wednesday of the Sculptor galaxy by a telescope in Chile is so detailed that it’s already serving as a star-packed map.

The administration said in its statement that everyone who contacts the 988 lifeline will continue to receive access to crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress, but there will no longer be the LGBTQ+ specialized services.

The COVID-19 variant that may be driving a recent rise in cases in some parts of the world has earned a new nickname: “razor blade throat” COVID.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review.