Stories by Heather Cherone

Leonard Gipson spent two years in jail and pleaded guilty in three cases that were based on evidence gathered by former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes.

Whether it’s asking for a promotion or confronting the school bully, writer Luvvie Ajayi Jones has become an expert on overcoming fears and speaking up. Jones’ books urge everyone to become what she calls a “Troublemaker,” or someone who pushes for positive change.

Chicago taxpayers spent a total of $200 million between January 2019 and June 2024 to resolve lawsuits brought by more than three dozen people who were wrongfully convicted based on evidence gathered by the Chicago Police Department, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

There was snow on the ground and the temperature hovered around 5 degrees in the early morning hours of Feb. 8, 2021, when Briana Keys, now 39, got locked out of her Back of the Yards apartment, according to her lawsuit.

A new drama from a Pulitzer Prize winner is now running at the Goodman Theatre, plus Irish dancing and hip hop-infused ballet.

The Chicago Board of Education this week announced a series of public meetings to be held over the coming days in order to “engage the public in shaping the future of Chicago Public Schools.”

An additional 11 speed cameras have been installed near Chicago parks and schools, as the city aims to install a total of 50 new speed cameras this year, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

A Wisconsin judge pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges accusing her of helping a man who is illegally in the country evade U.S. immigration authorities seeking to arrest him in her courthouse.

The Supreme Court on Thursday weighed whether to allow President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship to temporarily take effect in most of the country, even if they might ultimately be found to violate the Constitution.

The much-loathed 2008 deal requires the city make “true-up” payments to Chicago Parking Meters to compensate the firm for lost revenue when meters are taken out of service by the city.

The lawsuit filed by John Velez, who spent 17 years in prison before his conviction in the murder of 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village was overturned, is set to go to trial on July 21, records show.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss joins state Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview, and progressive media star Kat Abughazaleh in the increasingly crowded race to replace U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represented Illinois' 9th District for 14 terms.

Why some Illinois families are being evicted for minor offenses. And a look inside a hair salon... in a school bathroom.

For many Black people, getting their hair done can be a costly ordeal. But Jessica Thurmond, a student in North Lawndale, is trying to alleviate that. She’s styling her classmates’ hair for free in her school’s bathroom stalls just in time for class.

An investigation by The New York Times and the Illinois Answers Project shows that many cities in Illinois have turned crime-free housing programs into a blunt instrument to oust families for virtually any alleged infraction, no matter how minor.

The health center Vivent Health+TPAN, located at 5537 N. Broadway, is providing clinical care in collaboration with Northwestern Medicine as well as wraparound social services for people living with HIV.

Ever since it opened in 2023, the Chicago Park District’s new 17-acre headquarters in Brighton Park has been known as Park 596.

The Chicago Park District is undertaking an inventory of its trees — counting their numbers and recording their health — in order to develop a management plan.

Weeks after ratifying a new labor agreement, rank-and-file members of the Chicago Teachers Unions this week will be voting once again, this time to decide on their leadership for the next three years.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, or HBIA, was launched in 2021. It covers qualifying individuals aged 42-64.

Natural gas customers in the Chicago suburbs and downstate Illinois are likely to see an increase in their monthly bills next year, but it's up to state regulators to decide how big a hike, if any, to approve.

The Chicago Transit Authority board of directors saw a highly unusual heated exchange at its monthly meeting, with Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) warning directors not to be a “backbiting snake” and oppose Mayor Brandon Johnson’s reported pick for the transit agency president.

The event will be held at the PAWS Chicago Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center, 1997 N. Clybourn Avenue, in Lincoln Park. The shelter is extending its adoption hours and adding additional appointments for the upcoming event.

The wave of early retirements, firings of probationary workers and other Trump administration incentives for federal employees to leave government service led to more than 560 departures from the NWS, according to a NOAA employee who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones.