Stories by WTTW News

A judge imposes further restrictions on immigration agents’ use of force. And the mayor’s plan for a corporate head tax faces pushback.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is calling for more taxes on big companies in his 2026 budget proposal. Under the mayor’s plan, businesses in Chicago with more than 100 employees would have to pay $21 for each employee every month.

“I thought after COVID, like, alright, we’re in the clear,” said Adrian Zamudio, owner of Angelo’s Stuffed Pizza in Archer Heights. “We don’t have to think of anything spontaneous or something to survive anymore. A couple years later, here we are again.”

U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis said Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino admitted to lying about whether a rock hit him before he used tear gas on Chicagoans in Little Village last month.

S&P, one of a handful of major ratings agencies, revised its rating outlook for Chicago from stable to negative. Mayor Brandon Johnson defended his spending plan proposal as a “structurally sound budget.”

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it would reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown.

A federal judge in Rhode Island said Thursday that the Trump administration must fully cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November.

The RTA held a special meeting to approve new funding projections for 2026 through 2028 based on revenue estimates from new funding sources for public transportation. Those were approved by the General Assembly last week, which Gov. JB Pritzker said he will sign.

If approved, it would be the ninth lawsuit filed by Chicagoans who said they were the victims of former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara’s misconduct to be resolved, for a total cost of more than $112 million to Chicago taxpayers.

Abraham Lincoln penned the entreaty on behalf of his young friend, William Johnson, because ironically, his dark complexion caused freed Black White House staffers with lighter skin to shun him.

U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis is the second federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois to find that federal agents have presented unreliable testimony about their actions and the actions of Chicagoans in response to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied career as not only the first woman in the speaker’s office but arguably the most powerful in American politics.

Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

Illinois lawmakers last week signed off on a sweeping $1.5 billion transit funding package that reshapes how the CTA, Metra and Pace are run and funded. The plan also creates what’s called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority to oversee the transit agencies.

Protesters, clergy members and others who say they’ve been directly impacted by a series of increasingly aggressive raids across Chicago and the suburbs will testify before a federal judge weighing whether to impose a lengthier ban on immigration agents’ use of chemical weapons like tear gas and pepper balls.

Community outcry after ICE agents pull a teacher from a day care. And state lawmakers approve at $1.5 billion transit funding bill.

Author and historian Jill Lepore’s new book examines the political gridlock that has left many voters disillusioned with both parties and skeptical of the government’s ability to solve problems. She suggests more frequent changes to the constitutional system as a possible alternative.

The video shows two agents detaining the teacher inside the preschool and day care and then removing her from the facility. The teacher can be heard saying she has papers.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order requiring ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to provide clean bedding mats, toiletries and at least three full meals per day to detainees at the Broadview detention center.

Advocates for the bill say it is rooted in compassion and will bring agency to already dying people in the last stages of life, while opponents cite religious concerns and potential harm to vulnerable populations.

The Trump administration says this move allows better vetting of those using work permits. However, some are skeptical of that reasoning.

Illinois lawmakers passed two dozen bills during their annual fall veto session that ended Friday, Oct. 31, including a measure that will empower the state’s Department of Public Health to issue vaccine guidelines amid federal uncertainty.

While the questions at times seemed to challenge the rationale for the tariffs, the arguments are still ongoing, and further questioning could shed additional light on their positions. A decision in the case could take weeks or months.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

Allowing CPD to spend unlimited sums of taxpayer money is a “crazy way to run a city,” said Justin Marlowe, a professor in the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and the director of the Center for Municipal Finance.

What a redistricting push in Illinois could mean for the midterms as voters in California consider redrawing districts. And a move to end automatic extensions of some immigrant work permits.