Stories by Heather Cherone

“It is great to see the truth come to light after years of false allegations,” Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th Ward) said.

“Even if the federal government doesn’t know or care about the Constitution, Chicagoans deserve to know their constitutional rights,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Two weeks after announcing a plan to build a privately funded $650 million stadium on the South Branch of the Chicago River, the Chicago Fire has released new renderings of the proposed arena.

Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling promised to use the power to expand the city's curfew only preemptively, to prevent large teen gatherings from taking place. That goal is shared by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has repeatedly questioned the constitutionality of the proposal.

The president considers adding more countries to his travel ban list. And Gov. JB Pritzker signs a $55 billion budget bill that’s reliant on millions in new taxes.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last week announced he would “retire” the entire panel that guides U.S. vaccine policy.

President Donald Trump recently imposed a travel ban on 12 countries, with restrictions on visitors from seven more. A memo from the U.S. Department of State revealed that 36 additional countries could soon face full or partial entry restrictions.

The significant surge in shootings by officers in the first five months of 2025 comes more than six years after city and police leaders agreed to extensive oversight from a federal judge after decades of scandals sparked by misconduct and brutality.

The $55.1 billion spending plan set to take effect July 1 is the largest in state history and is supported by $55.3 billion in anticipated revenue, including more than $700 million in new taxes and more than $500 million in one-time revenues.

A former Dolton employee is seeking to halt the village’s purchase of the pope’s former home, claiming such a move would be “financially irresponsible” as the village is in “severe financial distress.”

The 2025 edition of NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race is still more than two weeks away, but road closures and traffic disruptions are scheduled to begin Thursday morning.

The Chicago Park District has announced that for the first time since 2020, all of the district's 50 outdoor pools will be open seven days a week, beginning Saturday, just as temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago filed a motion strenuously objecting to Kelly’s request for release and disputing the “fantastic allegations” in the disgraced singer’s motion.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Chicago and across the country Saturday in opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration. Organizers say the national No Kings Day of Defiance aims to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of the country’s democracy.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered at multiple protest sights across Chicago and the suburbs Saturday in protest of the Trump administration.

Police have recovered writings that mentioned the names of multiple lawmakers and other officials in the fake police car they believe a suspect used in the shooting of two Democratic legislators in Minnesota.

Chicagoans can still make an appointment online to apply in-person for a City Key ID card, officials said.

Onetime political heavyweight Michael Madigan has his fate decided by a federal judge. And Chicagoans join nationwide protests against the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge John Blakey handed down the sentence Friday, four months after the former Illinois House speaker was convicted of 10 felony corruption charges.

The Juneteenth installment of the short film series “Life Within the Lens” will take place 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at the Music Box Theatre. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers.

According to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort, 2025 has been a year for the record books, with 82 breeding pairs counted.

The dataset includes the information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., all of which allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias asked the attorney general to review the matter. He also is creating an audit system to ensure police departments don’t run afoul of a 2023 law banning the distribution of license-plate data to track women seeking abortions or to find undocumented immigrants.

Kwame Raoul’s office has joined lawsuits challenging actions of the Trump administration as well as defending the state against legal actions the administration has filed against Illinois.

Liz Callaway returns to Chicago this weekend to perform “To Steve with Love” at the Studebaker Theater and celebrate the composer through his words and music – and she’ll offer some personal recollections of the man himself.

In a joint statement, the Coalition of Haitian American Organizations in the Chicagoland Area and the United African Organization called on congressional leaders to put pressure on President Donald Trump to reverse the ban.