Stories by Patty Wetli
Summer Heat Is Pushing Deeper Into Fall and New Report Says That’s Cause for Concern
| Patty Wetli
According to Climate Central, summer temperatures are extending deeper into fall in more than 90% of major U.S. cities.
Stalemate Over Serious Chicago Police Discipline Cases to Continue as Illinois Supreme Court Weighs Police Union’s Plea to Intervene
| Heather Cherone
An appeals court ruled last month that Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct have the right to ask an arbitrator — and not the Chicago Police Board — to decide their fate, but those proceedings must take place in public.
Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Sept. 17-23
| Josh Terry
Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Sept. 16, 2025 - Full Show
| WTTW News
More back-and-forth on whether President Donald Trump plans to send troops to Chicago. And the Federal Reserve considers cutting the interest rate — what you should know.
Chicago Among Major US Cities That Are Slowly Sinking: Study
| Blake Thor
What was once thought to be a mainly coastal phenomenon is now showing up in most major cities in the U.S. and around the world.
Fed Convenes Meeting With a Governor Newly Appointed by Trump and Another He Wants to Oust
| Associated Press
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is widely expected to cut its key rate by a quarter point to about 4.1%, which would be the first reduction since last December.
Key Panel of Illinois Lawmakers Objects to Department of Corrections’ Move to Scan Mail in Prisons
| Blair Paddock
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules objected to the Illinois Department of Corrections’ emergency rule allowing facilities to electronically scan mail. The objection does not stop the department’s emergency rule, which paves the way for IDOC facilities to transition to scanning incarcerated peoples’ mail, instead of giving them physical mail.
FBI Director Kash Patel Clashes With Skeptical Democrats at Contentious Hearing
| Associated Press
FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with skeptical Democrats at a contentious Senate oversight hearing Tuesday, defending his record amid criticism that he has politicized the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency and pursued retribution against perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump.
WTTW News Explains: Why is Chicago Sinking?
| Abena Bediako
Attention Chicagoans, brace yourselves because Chicago is sinking. Northwestern University researchers were the first to study underground climate change and its effects on urban infrastructure. They call it a “silent hazard.”
Elizabeth Catlett, a Master Artist With a Message, Gets Her Due at the Art Institute of Chicago
| Marc Vitali
The Art Institute of Chicago is giving the artist her due with a solo show that surveys 75 years of the artist’s work. It is called “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies.”
‘I Think He’s Losing It’: Pritzker Brushes Aside Latest National Guard Threat From Trump
| Matt Masterson
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday he can’t take “anything that (Trump) says seriously” and said he thinks Trump is “losing it” following another threat of a military deployment into Chicago.
Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor Concerned Americans Cannot Distinguish Between Presidents and Kings
| CNN
Speaking to the New York Law School in Manhattan, the Supreme Court’s senior liberal encouraged people to get involved and lamented what she described as a lack of knowledge about fundamental aspects of American law.
Robert Redford, Oscar-Winning Actor, Director and Indie Movie Patriarch, Dies at 89
| Associated Press
Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died Tuesday at 89.
Chicago Should Hike Property Taxes Annually to Keep Pace With Inflation, Budget Task Force Recommends
| Heather Cherone
The report offers “89 preliminary options to improve operations, generate new revenue, and pursue strategic opportunities, all while preserving city services” that could add between $1 billion and $2.1 billion to the city’s bottom line.
Sept. 15, 2025 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Chicago’s Mexican community celebrates despite an ICE crackdown. And the state of political discourse in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
College Students on the State of Public Discourse Following Charlie Kirk’s Death
| Shelby Hawkins
The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has spurred public discourse on political violence and the rhetoric that perpetuates it. Reactions to Kirk’s death range from anger and grief to indifference and relief, revealing the longstanding chasm in American political ideology.
Mexican Independence Day Celebrations Continue in Chicago Despite an ICE Crackdown
| Joanna Hernandez
Despite fears of enhanced immigration enforcement, the Little Village Mexican Independence Day Parade took place this weekend without any issues. On Monday, events continued for El Grito, an annual celebration marking Mexico’s independence.
Donald Trump Deploys National Guard to Memphis and Says Chicago Is Next
| Associated Press
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.
Ragweed vs. Goldenrod: One of Them Makes You Sneeze, the Other is the Bee’s Knees
| Patty Wetli
If your fall allergies have kicked in, ragweed is the likely culprit, but goldenrod often takes the blame.
2 More Developments Designed to Transform Chicago’s Financial District Into a Residential Neighborhood Advance
| Heather Cherone
A final vote on both proposals, which would create 786 new homes, including 237 units of affordable housing, is set for the Sept. 25 City Council meeting.
5 CTA Stations Will Have Narcan Vending Machines Under Pilot Program
| Eunice Alpasan
The vending machines will be located at the 47th Street Red Line station, Wilson Red and Purple Line station, Jefferson Park Blue Line station, Harlem/Lake Green Line station and the Central Park Pink Line station.
A Framework Deal on TikTok Has Been Reached Between the US and China
| Associated Press
The meeting in Madrid is the fourth round of trade talks between U.S. and Chinese officials since Trump launched a tariff war on Chinese goods in April.
Key City Panel Unanimously Agrees to Pay $90M to Resolve 176 Lawsuits Tied to Disgraced Ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts
| Heather Cherone
The first global settlement of lawsuits tied to a single officer is now set for a final vote by the full Chicago City Council on Sept. 25.
ICE ‘Unwilling’ to Share Details After Agent Killed Suburban Man During Immigration Operation, Pritzker Says
| Matt Masterson
“We need more information,” Gov. JB Pritzker said at a press event Monday in Chicago. “We’ve asked ICE for all of the information around it, they have given very little.”
Gov. JB Pritzker Blasts Trump, Saying He ‘Fans the Flames of Division’ Amid Ice Raids, Charlie Kirk’s Killing
| Heather Cherone
“This should come from the top, yet with each new crisis in recent years, we are reminded that we cannot rely on President Trump to tamp down the anger and the passion in the aftermath of political violence,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “Instead, he actively fans the flames of division.”
Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a Popular Two-Term Republican, Dies at 79
| Associated Press
Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a popular two-term Republican credited with guiding the state into a period of greater financial stability in the 1990s, died Sunday, according to his family.
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