Stories by Peter Hancock — Capitol News Illinois

Money that lawmakers approved to fund after-school programs this year was not distributed until April, leaving organizations only a few months to spend those funds or return the money to the state.

Join WTTW News for a live conversation about police-community relations on Tuesday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at Thalia Hall in Pilsen. Brandis Friedman will host a panel discussion, and audience members will have a chance to participate.

Taste of Chicago will feature a total of 84 food vendors and 20 food trucks, officials said. Approximately 38% of the vendors are making their first appearance at the Taste of Chicago.

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

“Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” features 10 artworks by Chicago-born artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, along with a recreation of his childhood living room from the Robert Taylor Homes public housing project.

Debate over the future of the tipped minimum wage in Chicago. And what’s our local readiness for Ebola?

Global health organizations are racing to stem an Ebola outbreak in central Africa. While the immediate threat is still far away from Chicago, local specialists are working to ensure the city is prepared for all possibilities.

CPS leaders are citing rising pension payments and operating costs, while arguing the district needs greater support from state and federal leaders. Some policy analysts, meanwhile, say the district is responsible for its own deteriorating finances.

“One proposal is not a silver bullet,” Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) said. “But we should do what we can, when we can.”

The ordinance's passage means that tipped workers in Chicago would not get another city-ordered wage boost as scheduled on July 1, 2026, or July 1, 2027.

More than 1,100 people participated in the contest, submitting more than 3,200 options. A committee narrowed the choices down to three finalists.

Chicago City Council members unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s Native and Pollinator Garden Registry ordinance, which now allows plants up to 36 inches tall in the parkway.

The lawsuit claims the government’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund" is an illegal slush fund that Trump will use to “finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.”

Barney Frank, the longtime Democratic congressman and leading liberal who brought new visibility to gay rights and crafted the most significant reforms to the financial system in a generation, has died. He was 86.

A new report found Chicago has made significant progress in its push to increase the number of Equitable Transit-Oriented Developments, but warned investment remains deeply uneven.

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

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday is set to vote on a compromise measure to delay the phaseout of the city’s tipped minimum wage.

An agreement is reached to delay the phaseout of Chicago’s tipped minimum wage. And prioritizing affordability and accessibility near public transit.

Students from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism traveled to Mexico City in early 2026 to report on stories shaping life in and around the city.

Just steps from the city’s Monument to the Revolution, a unique community is taking shape. The neighborhood, known as “Little L.A.,” is populated by people who spent decades in the U.S. and are now struggling to adapt to a country they barely remember.

In Mexico City, sex work is legal but largely informal — a form of work that many women rely on to pay rent, buy food and cover medical costs.

On the waterways of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City’s center, communities are working to preserve a farming system that has sustained life for centuries.

For decades, street art has been dominated by men, not only in Mexico but around the world. Now, a growing movement of women artists is changing that reality by reclaiming public space and transforming the city’s walls into bold statements of visibility and power.

Women’s softball is gaining momentum across the world, and in Mexico, the sport’s growing popularity is creating new opportunities for women and girls who historically have had few places to compete professionally.

For 60 years, Tlaxcala, two hours outside of Mexico City, has been one of Latin America’s most important textile recycling centers. But one family-owned business is imagining something different.

Catholic and interfaith leaders will be allowed to provide spiritual care to detainees held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview under a new agreement reached this month.