Stories by Heather Cherone

Efforts by the leaders of large cities across the country to bring back officers amid a nationwide staffing crunch have fallen short, and experts on policing told WTTW News there is no evidence that Chicago will prove to be any different.

Inside Madigan’s inner operations. Early voting opens in the mayor’s race. And so many cars on the Kennedy.

Scientists calculated the biomass of various groups of mammals, and humans’ impact weighs heavily on the planet.

The CSU chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois (CSU UPI) on Thursday filed their 10-day intent to strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. In doing so, the union could begin a work stoppage as early as April 3.

A Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert featuring works from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Aaron Copland and  Antonin Dvorak is well worth seeking out. 

Idaho lawmakers passed a bill this week seeking to add the state to the list of those authorizing firing squads, which currently includes Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Interest comes as states scramble for alternatives to lethal injections after pharmaceutical companies barred the use of their drugs.

The Chicago Park District has been setting its land ablaze on purpose, these fiery scenes leading to healthier natural areas.

Neighbors in Itasca concerned about the impact of a railroad company merger. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Ukraine. And fossil-hunting in the Arctic.

The long-delayed trip is a return to the Canadian Arctic and an area where University of Chicago paleontologist Neil Shubin made a career-defining discovery back in 2004.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now more than a year old with little sign of any resolution in the near future. Meanwhile, the U.S. has supplied billions of dollars’ worth of military aid and supplies to help push the invading Russians back. Many wonder how much more might it take.

Federal regulators just approved a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, with Chicago as part of the route linking Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

The $21 million in grants will be funded through a dollar assessment charged annually on Illinois auto insurance policies.

A dance concert, film screenings and opera premiere usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in Chicago.

Kurell Purnell, 18, was allegedly driving at more than twice the posted speed limit seconds before he slammed into a Kia Sorrento carrying Zainab Subhoh, 78, and six of her family members Tuesday night in North Park.

More than 1,200 challenges were compiled by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021 and by far the most since the American Library Association began keeping data 20 years ago.

The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday’s Pride Night game against Vancouver, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press, because of security concerns involving the law that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in December.

An elected school board. A new teachers union contract. The end of a moratorium on school closures. Those are among the biggest education hurdles Chicago’s next mayor will have to navigate over the next four years

A WTTW investigation finds the city is paying a mountain of overtime costs. A former CPD official fired by David Brown speaks out. Spotlight Politics on the feuding mayoral candidates. And the state’s 100-year-old artist laureate.

From the Statue of Liberty to Mount Rushmore, Smith spent 50 years traveling the country and documenting historical landmarks with her watercolors.

With less than two weeks before Election Day, the candidates for Chicago mayor are still making their case to voters. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

A new report says Chicago’s next top cop must be “a dynamic change agent” fully committed to implementing the court order requiring the Chicago Police Department to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers.

The Chicago Police Department spent at least $210.5 million on overtime, 56% more than in 2021 and more than double the $100 million earmarked for police overtime set by the Chicago City Council as part of the city’s 2022 budget, according to data obtained by WTTW News. 

The Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation that would phase out single-use polystyrene foam foodware beginning in January 2024.

The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday announced multiple proposed shifts to the way it handles business, beginning with a shift toward public briefings on board agenda items before well ahead of scheduled votes beginning in May.

The Federal Reserve extended its year-long fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point despite concerns that higher borrowing rates could worsen the turmoil that has gripped the banking system.

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has suggested to an attorney for at least one witness in the past 24 hours that they might need to provide more testimony to the grand jury in its hush money probe, according to one source familiar with the probe.