Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Illinois officials said they don’t know when or where migrants will arrive, nor how many — making it difficult to coordinate care, particularly given that many asylum seekers don’t have coats and clothing appropriate for Chicago’s winter weather.

CPS is going a different route to address its bus driver shortage. What a permanent child tax credit could mean for Illinois families. And reaction to the ouster of Harvard University’s first Black woman president.

Claudine Gay resigned after backlash to her testimony at a congressional hearing where she was criticized for not doing enough to tackle antisemitism on campus. She also faced accusations of plagiarism. Gay’s supporters, however, said her ouster reflects a system that wasn’t built for people of color.

Advocates and lawmakers are calling for a permanent child tax credit to help lessen the economic burden on struggling families.

Professional Bull Riders is a sports league based on the most popular event at rodeos: bull riding, the man-versus-beast contest in which a cowboy rides a bull in search of eight seconds of glory and a slice of prize money. A tour is coming to Rosemont Jan. 12-13.

The National Weather Service is still refining its forecast in terms of snow totals, but is certain that a storm system and arctic blast will hit Chicago this weekend.

The court heard two consolidated cases of individuals who were in vehicles that were searched after an officer used the smell of cannabis as probable cause. Lawyers argued the smell of cannabis alone should not be probable cause to search a vehicle given that the substance is no longer illegal in Illinois.

Trees from Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic display were repurposed as enrichment activities for several animals. 

Deshawn Lucas, 33, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and unlawful use of a weapon, as well as individual counts of aggravated battery and burglary.

The video of that reenactment – which Jessica Logan’s lawyers maintain she was coerced into performing – was used as a key piece of evidence in her 2021 conviction on first-degree murder charges.

Students can usually fill out the FAFSA starting in October, but the 2024-2025 version only became available last week because the Department of Education was still working on the new form.

The February trial date for alleged Highland Park parade gunman Robert Crimo III has been removed, with a new trial date coming either later this year or in early 2025.

The Illinois secretary of state’s office, which oversees a number of library grant programs, said the new law does apply to prison libraries as they are eligible for grants.

A ban on extremist police officers is set to go into effect in Chicago. The dangers facing American democracy in 2024. And the history of dibs, Chicago’s tradition of saving parking spots.

Saturday marked the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then President Donald Trump.

The ban on Chicago police officers belonging to extremist groups takes effect Saturday. The U.S. Supreme Court took a pass on the latest challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban. And why it took decades to prove former Ald. Ed Burke's corruption and abuse of power.

Chicago Public Schools was among 67 winners of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first Clean School Bus Program.

The second of two rounds of storms is still expected to dump significant amounts of snow in the northwest portions of the greater metro area Tuesday afternoon and early evening, according to the weather service.

Nanoplastics are so teeny they can migrate through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs into the bloodstream, distributing potentially harmful synthetic chemicals throughout the body and into cells, experts say.

“Those schools, the presidents that were up there testifying, while they were saying, ‘oh you know we preserve freedom of speech, we value freedom of speech,’ they in fact do have records of suppressing speech,” says Tom Ginsburg of the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. 

In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis lamented that 2024 had dawned at a time in which peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and in some part lost.”

The internet radio conglomerate — among the biggest radio companies in the country — was saddled with substantial debt and faced slowed-down advertising revenue. Audacy said it is entering into a restructuring agreement to reduce its debt from about $1.9 billion to $350 million.

In addition to a special four-day celebration of Millennium Park, city officials announced dates for major summer events including an earlier-than-usual Air and Water Show.

Those findings were among numerous cases highlighted in an annual report published Tuesday by CPS Inspector General Will Fletcher, which examined investigations undertaken by his office between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

His story — chronicled by his nephew on now-viral videos — has generated a firestorm of criticism about rental conditions at the dilapidated low-income apartment complex in Harvey, Illinois. People are also debating who's to blame; and Mayor Christopher Clark has promised an investigation.

The push to create a permanent board to oversee the Chicago Police Department begins. An attorney trying to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot in Illinois. And free expression on college campuses.