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Illinois Man’s Family Files Lawsuit After Paramedics Charged With Murder
| Associated Press
Prosecutors have separately charged two paramedics with first-degree murder, accusing them of tightly strapping Earl Moore on a stretcher after Springfield police who initially responded to a 911 call at Moore’s home requested an ambulance.
Lawsuit Alleges DCFS Has Left Children Jailed Despite Orders For Their Release
| Matt Masterson
A federal lawsuit alleges that rather than housing children in appropriate settings, DCFS allowed them to remain locked in juvenile jails without access to proper educational, medical and mental health supports.
Pritzker Meets With Political, Business Leaders in Switzerland at World Economic Forum
| Amanda Vinicky
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called himself the state’s chief marketing officer during a trip to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. He couldn’t name any specific projects that have been secured after his Swiss schmoozing but said Illinois’ commitment to 100% clean energy by 2050 is an “important calling card here.”
US Treasury Buys Time for Biden and GOP on Debt Limit Deal
| Associated Press
The Treasury Department said in a letter to congressional leaders it has started taking “extraordinary measures” as the government has run up against its legal borrowing capacity of $31.381 trillion. An artificially imposed cap, the debt ceiling has been increased roughly 80 times since the 1960s.
10 Things to Do This Weekend: Jan. 20-22
| Kristen Thometz
Puppets, a winter market, Disney on Ice and special menus usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
Jan. 18, 2023 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Why ComEd wants to raise your utility bills. City action on transgender and abortion issues. The debt ceiling staredown approaches a potential economic cliff. And why artificial intelligence is shaking up the education system.
Illinois Utilities Seek to Increase Rates Across the State
| Amanda Vinicky
Utilities companies like ComEd and Peoples Gas make money by delivering energy. The rates they’re seeking to hike are for distribution, including infrastructure like pipes and transmission lines, and the profit they can tack on to those costs.
Illinois State Rifle Association Files Lawsuit Challenging Assault Weapons Ban in Federal Court
| Matt Masterson
The Illinois State Rifle Association and other pro-2nd Amendment groups on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit claiming the ban “infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens” to possess such firearms and extended magazines “for the defense of self and family and other lawful purposes.”
How Gender-Affirming Health Care Helps Trans and Nonbinary People Feel ‘Seen And Whole’
| Eunice Alpasan
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that provides more protection for patients coming to Illinois to seek gender-affirming health care. The move comes as several states attempt to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender people.
ChatGPT: What to Know About the New AI Technology
| Acacia Hernandez
Some school districts have banned the chatbot, which can answer questions, generate essays and even write scientific papers from a short prompt.
Explainer: How Ominous is the Debt Limit Problem?
| Associated Press
On the brink of hitting the nation’s legal borrowing limit on Thursday, the government is resorting to “extraordinary measures” to avoid a default. Sounds ominous, right? But — take a breath — the phrase technically refers to a bunch of accounting workarounds.
Swept Into Office by Promises of Reform, Lightfoot Faces New Scrutiny on Ethics Record
| Heather Cherone
Lori Lightfoot’s bid for reelection has been weighed down by a growing amount of evidence that she has governed at times more like an old-school machine politician than a reformer.
Chicago’s Urban Forestry Advisory Board Officially Takes Root With City Council Approval of Members
| Patty Wetli
The board will help ensure the growth, maintenance and health of Chicago’s tree canopy for generations to come, officials said. The group’s first meeting could come as early as February.
Lightfoot Backs Plan to Use Cameras to Bust Drivers Who Park in Bus, Bicycle Lanes
| Heather Cherone
The Chicago City Council could vote on what the mayor’s office called a “small scale” pilot program as soon as Feb. 1 — less than a month before Election Day.
Biden Nominates 2 Judges to US District Court in Chicago
| CNN
CNN has learned that the president’s first slate of judicial nominees this year includes Jeffrey Cummings and LaShonda Hunt for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
CPS Taking Parent Feedback on 2023-24 Calendar Proposal
| Matt Masterson
CPS on Wednesday published its proposed calendar for the 2023-24 school year, which would see classes resume Aug. 21, 2023, and run until June 6, 2024. Parents and families now have a week to tell the district what they think before the Board of Education approves the new calendar next month.
City Council Unanimously Votes to Expand Protections for Trans Chicagoans and Those Seeking Abortions
| Heather Cherone
The Chicago Commission on Human Relations now has the authority to investigate complaints of housing discrimination or retaliation. The commission will work with the city’s Office of Labor Standards to probe complaints of workplace discrimination or retaliation, according to the new law.
Retail Chain Party City Files for Bankruptcy
| CNN
The company said it secured $150 million in financing that will allow it keep its stores open and operations running. As of October, the Company had 761 total Party City stores and 149 temporary Halloween City stores.
Wholesale Inflation in US Slowed Further in December to 6.2%
| Associated Press
The ongoing slowdown in wholesale price growth is adding to evidence that the worst bout of inflation in four decades is steadily easing, though it remains far above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
Kevin Warren Ready to Embrace New Challenge as Bears President
| Associated Press
A new suburban stadium could be on the horizon for the Chicago Bears and the team owns the No. 1 pick in the draft coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
Jan. 17, 2023 - Full Show
| WTTW News
UIC faculty go on strike. Unpacking new plans for the LaSalle Street corridor. Talking to sheriffs who say they won't enforce the new assault weapons bill. And what’s with the high price of eggs?
Sheriffs Across Illinois Say They Won’t Enforce New Assault Weapons Ban
| Eunice Alpasan
The pushback from sheriffs comes as the Protect Illinois Communities Act already faces legal challenges in the courts, including one from former Republican Illinois attorney general candidate Tom DeVore on behalf of more than 800 plaintiffs.
Warmth Can't Last Forever: Frigid Temps to Hit Chicago Next Week
| Acacia Hernandez
With temperatures averaging in the mid to high 30s, Chicago is seeing its fourth warmest January on record. Climatologist Trent Ford said the only years that were warmer were 1880, 1939 and 2006.
LaSalle Street Development Plans Come Slowly Into Focus
| Paul Caine
The historic LaSalle Street corridor has been an economic engine for the city since the turn of the last century. But in recent years, the once vibrant financial district has suffered as major banks that anchored the area moved elsewhere in the city.
UIC Faculty Begins Strike Tuesday With No Contract in Place
| Matt Masterson
University of Illinois-Chicago faculty striked Tuesday after union and administration officials were unable to come to a contract agreement during a “contentious” 12-hour bargaining session Monday.
Soaring Egg Prices Linked to Avian Flu Outbreak
| Jennifer Cotto
What was once a cheap source of protein has become a luxury breakfast food. Egg prices have soared over the past year, as the worst avian flu outbreak in U.S. history has infected more than 57 million chickens.
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