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Experts say the increases are driven by warmer temperatures due to climate change and the expanding presence of ticks in more areas in the U.S. and Canada — including places where people are less familiar with the risks and how to prevent disease.

A key split is whether the treaty should require cutting plastic production, with powerful oil-producing nations opposed; most plastic is made from fossil fuels. They say redesign, recycling and reuse can solve the problem, while other countries and some major companies say that’s not enough.

The word “gerrymander" was coined in America more than 200 years ago as an unflattering means of describing political manipulation in legislative map-making. The word has stood the test of time, in part, because American politics has remained fiercely competitive.

The Republican-controlled committee issued subpoenas for depositions with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.

Jay Doherty, the longtime City Club president and consultant for utility giant ComEd, will be headed to prison for his role in a yearslong conspiracy to bribe ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan.

There promises to be nothing boring about the Illinois race to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who will retire in 2027 after 30 years in office.

Lori Cannon was known for her advocacy work with ACT UP Chicago, the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power, in the 1980s. It was during that time, she also co-founded Open Hand Chicago, an in-home meal delivery program for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Texas Democrats flee to Illinois to block a Trump-backed redistricting plan. And what recent air quality alerts could mean for your health.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender who has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics during his second term, had been in quiet talks with Texas Democrats for weeks about offering support if they chose to leave the state.

The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for the city on Thursday and kept extending it through Sunday night. There was no alert Monday.

Starting in 2013, a mysterious sea star wasting disease sparked a mass die-off from Mexico to Alaska. The epidemic has devastated more than 20 species and continues today. Worst hit was a species called the sunflower sea star, which lost around 90% of its population in the outbreak’s first five years.

Two of the most closely followed measures aim to protect the drinking water of a wide swath of central Illinois and boost the pension benefits for first responders in Chicago.

Federal data released Friday, for example, shows COVID-19 is trending up in many parts of the country, with emergency department visits up among people of all ages.

Launched in 2018, CPS based its SCS model around engaging academic curriculum, high-quality teaching, wrap-around supports, restorative justice discipline, parent engagement and inclusive school leadership.

The strike started at Boeing facilities in St. Louis; St. Charles, Missouri; and Mascoutah, Illinois, after about 3,200 local members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted Sunday to reject a modified four-year labor agreement, the union said.

Ferris, one of three chicks hatched at Montrose in 2025, was killed by a red-tailed hawk midday Saturday, according to Chicago Piping Plovers.

Longtime U.S. Rep. Danny Davis says he’s calling it a career — and endorsing a successor. And the Chicago Cubs say goodbye to Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cornerstone of American culture for three generations, announced Friday it would take steps toward its own closure after being defunded by Congress — marking the end of a nearly six-decade era.

U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin were among 17 lawmakers who signed a letter urging the Trump administration to reinstate Environmental Protection Agency employees placed on leave after they signed a statement criticizing the administration for “recklessly undermining the EPA mission.”

While the jobs numbers are often the subject of political spin, economists and Wall Street investors — with millions of dollars at stake — have always accepted U.S. government economic data as free from political manipulation.

Chicago police, along with the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, announced the child was found with their mother after they had gone missing in 2018.

Gender-affirming care includes a range of medical and mental health services to support a person’s gender identity. It includes counseling and treatment with medications that block puberty, and hormone therapy to produce physical changes, as well as surgery, which is rare for minors.

Research vessel Blue Heron trawls the Great Lakes, gathering data from the water. The floating laboratory’s most recent discovery, however, came from an unexpected location: its own rudder.

American businesses and consumers woke up Friday to find the contours of President Donald Trump’s foreign trade agenda taking shape but without much more clarity on how import taxes on goods from dozens of countries would affect them.

Baseball’s biggest names will be heading to the Friendly Confines in July 2027 as Wrigley Field is set to host the MLB All-Star game for the first time in more than 30 years.

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will give one-time emergency grants between $10,000 to $25,000 to eligible nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Chicago that have experienced recent federal funding cuts.