Stories by Abena Bediako

For many in Chicago’s transgender community, the order and other policies of the new administration are cause for concern. They say the policy focus on transgender people is a distraction from other national issues.

Michael Madigan’s defense team rested Thursday, nearly three months after opening statements and testimony began in the landmark case. Here is what you need to know about the case.

The White House rescinds its memo freezing federal funding. And a plan to hold companies complicit in slavery to account.

Artist and photographer Tonika Lewis Johnson and sociologist Maria Krysan compiled Chicagoans’ stories in their new book. The goal was to better understand what can happen when people explore often ignored parts of the city.

State Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago), sponsor of the Enslavement Era Disclosure and Redress Act, said it’s a way for corporations that profited on the backs of enslaved people to help repair the legacy of harm caused for generations of Black Americans.

“Most people don’t even know about it. We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. This will double our capacity immediately,” President Donald Trump said from the White House.

An officer who was part of the team that fired 96 times in 41 seconds in the fatal shooting of Dexter Reed resigned from the Chicago Police Department in late 2024 and accepted a job with an Ohio police department.

The winter theater season in Chicago is a reliable source of heat. Here are five promising productions.

Jury deliberations finally got underway Wednesday afternoon in the landmark corruption trial of powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan after six days of closing arguments.

In a contentious confirmation hearing to be the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled to answer questions about how he would reform Medicaid or Medicare, the government health care programs used by millions of disabled, poor and older Americans.

In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Different countries across Asia celebrate the new year in many ways and may follow a different zodiac.

Illinois was one of 22 Democratic-led states that filed suit Tuesday asking a federal court to block the sudden pause on funding, which was announced Monday evening. The freeze threatened to hold up trillions of dollars in funding for basic government functions like health care, infrastructure and support for children and veterans.

"These gifts are, by definition, city property; if they are squirreled away and hidden from view, people are only left to assume the worst about how they are being handled," Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.  Daily Chicagoan, the newsletter from WTTW News, sends these picks to your inbox each week along with more essential recommendations from our staff. Sign up here.

Property tax bills for Cook County residents are available online at cookcountytreasurer.com and should hit mailboxes this week.

Medicaid, the health care program for low-income people and families, is jointly administered by the federal and state government, which also share costs.

Illinois reacts to the president’s move to pause federal funding. Calls for cancer warning labels on alcohol. And the mayor weighs in on immigration raids in Chicago.

In this lab, you can find students working on projects like a smartwatch incorporating muscle stimulation, an augmented headset that expands our perception, or a device to assist individuals in learning the drums.

Most adults in the United States drink alcohol, but there is steadily growing public concern about the health effects of moderate drinking.

The vast majority of the ideas won’t make it to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker or become law, but the list of proposals offers some insights into the issues members of the lower chamber are concerned about as they kick off their new terms in office.

The 66-year-old’s unexpected decision Tuesday to step aside after just two terms comes as a surprise and poses a challenge for Democrats in Michigan during a turbulent period, likely dividing their strong bench between the gubernatorial and Senate races in 2026.

President Donald Trump's second White House is looking a lot like the inside of Mar-a-Lago, with extremely wealthy Americans taking key roles in his Republican administration.

Six transgender active duty service members and two former service members who seek re-enlistment on Tuesday filed the first lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that calls for revising policy on transgender troops and probably sets the stage for banning them in the armed forces.

The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December. That’s not quite as high as the $4.82 record set two years ago, but the Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year.

Of the 23 total charges in the indictment, Michael McClain faces six counts including racketeering conspiracy, federal program bribery and wire fraud. He has pleaded not guilty.

Here are five excellent places to reflect and recharge. Just don’t everybody go at once.