Stories by Patty Wetli

Thanks to an evening surge in voters, Chicago's unofficial turnout for the 2026 primaries inched over 25%, with the tallying of additional mail-in and provisional ballots likely to boost the numbers even more.

Melissa Bean, who previously led Illinois’ 8th Congressional District for three terms, took a major step toward taking that seat back, as she has been declared the winner in Tuesday’s Democratic primary race.

It’s Election Day in Illinois. We’ll have the latest on key races and voter turnout. Plus, a look at what’s at stake and how local races play into the national picture.

The board’s decision comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed for nearly a year to name former Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) to lead the CHA, only to run into a brick wall of opposition from board members and federal officials.

Lollapalooza takes place July 30–Aug. 2 in Grant Park. Charli xcx, Tate McRae, Lorde, Olivia Dean, John Summit, JENNIE, the Smashing Pumpkins and the xx are headlining this year, the festival announced.

When polls open Tuesday at 6 a.m., voters and poll workers will be greeted with sub-zero wind chills in Chicago. Could the cold have an icy effect on voter turnout?

What to watch for in tomorrow’s primary election. And could it be the Hammond Bears? Where things stand on Indiana’s push to court the Monsters of the Midway.

The battle for the Bears may be headed to the fourth quarter. As the team looks to move on from its home at Soldier Field, a suitor has emerged across the state line: Hammond, Indiana.

More than 100 people gathered in Sheridan’s gymnasium, about 70 miles southwest of Chicago. Students of the Northwestern Prison Education Program, which offers undergraduate degrees to men incarcerated at Sheridan, their families and professors had the opportunity to speak with Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Poll watching is one part of a broader response network the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago have partnered up to build in order to monitor possible cases of voter intimidation and federal immigration agents near polling places during the primary election. Legal volunteers, field volunteers, local rapid response teams and volunteer hotline operators will also be mobilizing as part of the effort.

Officer Chavez Siler Sr. violated nine departmental rules on Nov. 16, 2021, when he grabbed and pushed a student who was then 17, during dismissal, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Three leading candidates in a contentious Senate fight and a host of other races make their closing arguments as Election Day fast approaches.

Grub infestations have been identified at four Chicago Park District parks, including two that were hit hard in 2021.

King is joined on the list of finalists by former New York City Public Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Sito Narcisse, who previously led the East Baton Rouge Parish school district in Louisiana.

“Operating at Chicago O’Hare continues to be challenging,” according to a Southwest Airlines spokesperson in a Friday statement, “and we are confident we can serve Chicagoland through our strongly-held position at Chicago Midway.”

In a miniature version of the Chicago River dyeing celebration, Garfield Park Conservatory turned its fern pond green for St. Patrick's Day.

While the blues may be having a mainstream moment, the Chicago blues community has long been dedicated to the art form’s preservation, history and future.

Residents in several North Side neighborhoods reported a foul stench on Tuesday, described by some as “skunk”-like but mostly sewage.

NetChoice, a trade association representing the tech industry, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court to block the Social Media Amusement Tax included in the city’s 2026 spending plan.

How are financial markets responding to news around the world? And the movie “Sinners” is up for 16 Oscars this weekend. How the film is sparking conversation around blues history.

“Volatile” is the word many are using to describe the economy these days. How should you react to the ups and downs of the market?

Lawyers for the Harrell family all but dared the Chicago City Council to reject their lawyers’ recommendation to pay $27 million to resolve the lawsuit blaming the Chicago Police Department for the death of Stacy Vaughn-Harrell during a police pursuit.

Prosecutors filed a motion Thursday afternoon in which they plan to drop charges against Catherine Sharp and Joselyn Walsh, while continuing on in their case against four others.

An attacker armed with a rifle rammed his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest reform synagogues Thursday, driving through a hallway as security opened fire, fatally shooting him.

Anjanette Young has worked for more than six years to force CPD to change the way it uses search warrants after a botched raid of her apartment.

The ordinances rejected by the committee would have banned video slots and poker machines in the 26th Ward, the 27th Ward, the 28th Ward, the 33rd Ward, the 35th Ward and the 49th Ward.