Stories by Angel Idowu

Norm Lewis stars as Capt. Richard Davenport in “A Soldier’s Play” at the CIBC Theatre through April 16. The show depicts a Black soldier’s experience during WWII.

Louisiana State University women’s college basketball star Angel Reese has been in the center of conversations about double standards Black women face in sports, in light of the final moments of LSU’s national championship game against the University of Iowa.

Portillo’s is celebrating 60 years of Chicago-style hot dogs and its famous Italian beef sandwiches. Meanwhile, workers at the company’s production facility in Addison are leading efforts to form a union with Iron Workers.

New alderpeople are ready to take their spot at City Hall. A local student is using art to redefine her self identity. And workers at a classic Chicago spot are looking to unionize. 

The city elects its third Black mayor in history. Double standards in women’s basketball. “A Soldier’s Play” takes the stage. And the last word from a woman who sleeps outside to prove her friendship.

Chicago City Council will look a lot different this year following Tuesday’s runoff election — made up of many younger, more progressive alderpeople who will be working with Chicago’s Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.

Art student Jackie Patino grew up in a religious household and had an exorcism performed on her. She now uses art not only to process trauma but also as a tool to heal and forgive.

More young voters cast their ballots in the mayoral runoff election. The trial of the so-called “ComEd Four” wraps up another week. And the city’s crosswalks are violating some Chicagoans’ rights.

Chicago was hit with a lawsuit over its overwhelming lack of accessible crosswalks in 2019. The lawsuit in 2022 became a class action covering the estimated 68,000 adults in Chicago with a vision-related disability.

According to Chicago Board of Elections data, there was a 32% increase from Feb. 28 to April 4 of votes cast by voters ages 18 to 24. Voters ages 25 to 34 increased their votership by 24%.

Juan Ochoa testified at the ongoing trial of the “ComEd Four,” who are accused of corruptly seeking to influence Michael Madigan. Federal prosecutors claimed Ochoa’s appointment to the board was a part of that conspiracy to further garner support from the former speaker.

Chicago chooses Brandon Johnson for mayor. Turnover on the City Council. And former President Donald Trump battles indictment.

“Those who want to see our city divided, today this is a very clear day, an indication that those are the politics of old,” Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said Friday.

“We should put the right to choose on every ballot across the country in 2024 — not just with the candidates we choose, but with referendum efforts to enshrine reproductive rights in states where right-wing politicians are stripping those rights away,” Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker told CNN.

The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school sports that align with their gender identities. If finalized, the proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972.

It’s been less than six years since a total solar eclipse cut across the U.S., from coast to coast. That was on Aug. 21, 2017. The next one is predicted to hit Illinois.

Measured month to month, wages rose 0.3% from February to March, a tick up from a mild 0.2% gain from January to February. But even that figure signaled a slowdown from average wage increases in the final months of 2022.

Why a State Street building is set for demolition. The pros and cons of ranked choice voting. The impact of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. And we’re “in your neighborhood” as three religious holidays converge.

“I think that faith should always be something that helps people to see the connections between themselves more than the divisions,” said Alia Bilal of the Inner-City Muslim Advocacy Network.

Spending on the race topped $42 million, nearly triple the national record for a court race. Almost 40% of the state’s eligible voters cast a ballot, the highest turnout for a spring election that didn’t feature a presidential primary in 20 years.

There’s an effort to implement ranked choice voting in Illinois as early as the 2024 presidential primary. Proponents say ranked choice voting helps ensure representative outcomes; opponents say it’s confusing to voters.

The move is the latest development in a fight over historic preservation and courthouse security. The government has also been pushing to demolish the Century and Consumers buildings, two early 20th century skyscrapers located to the east of the Dirksen Federal Building.

An art exhibit, improv brunch and classical Chinese dance usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in Chicago.

The mayor-elect has just 41 days to set up his administration and prepare to tackle the myriad problems facing Chicago.

The report of the connection between Thomas and conservative businessman Harlan Crow is already adding to calls that Congress investigate potential ethical lapses. Key Senate Democrats were previously mulling using this year’s funding legislation for the Supreme Court to pressure the justices to adopt some sort of ethics code.

Dr. Aleksandra Gmurczyk helped take two people off the waitlist when she donated her own kidney to a woman she had never met and launched a kidney-paired donation.