Stories by WTTW News

The U.S. House has a new speaker after three weeks. Why Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. And reaction to the mayor’s proposed police budget.

Deronis Cooper said getting his hands in the dirt helps him cope with the challenges of being a police officer. What started with four planters has grown into more than 50 plant species in his backyard.

Mayor Brandon Johnson praised Ciere Boatright in a statement as a “tremendously talented and respected executive” who has proven she can get deals done.

The state still has a long way to go toward ensuring that all Illinois residents can have a safe and healthy pregnancy, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a press release.

Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team, becomes the fourth Republican nominee in what has become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting since Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. 

Criminals are both stealing mail and targeting carriers’ so-called “arrow keys” to get access to mailboxes.

Chicago police on Wednesday announced Mario Munoz, 34, has been arrested and charged with a felony count of arson and a misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property.

Hanaan Shahin, who works as a caregiver to seniors, lost her son, Wadea Al-Fayoume, in the attack that has contributed to fears about rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the U.S.

Skokie police announced Zevulen Ebert has been charged with two felony battery counts and two felony hate crime counts stemming from an incident at a rally Sunday. 

State Sen. Robert Martwick, a Democrat who represents parts of the city’s Northwest Side, said if Chicago wants a diverse school board, it needs to remove barriers that would prevent some residents from running for board seats.

Brighton Park residents protest a “winterized base camp” for migrants in their community. Controversy over the mayor’s deal with the police union. And if you’re hoping to get a CityKey ID card, you may have to wait a bit longer.

Many furious residents urged Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration to scrap the proposal, while others vowed to protect and care for Chicago’s newest residents.

The Oath Keepers organization is considered by the FBI to be a “large but loosely organized collection of individuals, some who are associated with militias” who have vowed to “not obey unconstitutional (and thus illegal) and immoral orders.”

More than 1,000 people – mostly migrants – lined up hours before the city clerk’s event on Oct. 12 at Gill Park in Wrigleyville was scheduled to start, overwhelming the 15-person staff, City Clerk Anna Valencia told WTTW News.

Vowing to make Illinois the top state in the nation for child care accessibility, Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled a plan to consolidate all the state’s early childhood programs and funding into one new state agency. Currently, early childhood services are spread across three agencies.

Neighborhoods on the South and West Sides of Chicago have seen the highest amount of medical debt erased so far, according to officials.

It’s been three weeks since Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. Rep. Tom Emmer won a simple majority of his colleagues behind closed doors, but he will need the support of most all Republicans during a House floor vote ahead.

A lawsuit filed by 33 states in federal court in California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

The first cohort of students in Northwestern University’s Prison Education Program are set to graduate next month, and when they do they’ll be joined by one of the most renowned writers and journalists in the country.

The FDA has been officially exploring the possibility of a menthol ban for more than a decade. In July 2013, the FDA requested comments on preliminary research, data and evaluations with regard to the regulation of menthol.

The incident occurred Sunday evening near a banquet hall in Skokie, where about 1,000 people had gathered to show solidarity with Israel, according to event organizers. A group of about 200 pro-Palestinian protesters also staged their own rally near the hall.

Dave Graham, who a watchdog report said should be fired for “willful bureaucratic negligence” in the 2020 incident that covered Little Village in dust, is now in charge of environmental inspections and enforcement.

The episode took place Sunday evening around a banquet hall in Skokie, where about 1,000 people had gathered to show solidarity with Israel, according to event organizers.

Less than 72 hours ago, Johnson hailed the agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 7, as “fair and in alignment with Chicago’s current policing needs, economic landscape and budgetary capabilities.”

A major effort to restore nearly 200 acres of wetland habitat at Powderhorn Prairie and Marsh Nature Preserve on the Chicago’s Southeast Side is now complete after more than three years.

Local members of Congress on aid to Israel. What’s behind record opioid overdoses. And a city program that allows drug offenders to choose treatment over arrest.