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(WTTW News)

Guaranteed Income Program Might Take Months to Roll Out

In October, the Chicago City Council approved a $31.5 million plan to send checks to the city’s families most in need, promising immediate assistance. But no assistance has gone out yet.

(Linus Schutz / Pixabay)

Wednesday Could See Record High Temps as La Niña Continues To Keep Things Interesting

A 50-year record could fall Wednesday as the temperature in Chicago is expected to reach the mid- to upper-60s, according to the National Weather Service. The warmest Dec. 15 to date was 64 degrees in 1971.

December 13, 2021 - Full Show

Neighbors in Illinois and other states clean up from deadly tornadoes. How contact tracers are doing their jobs nearly two years into the pandemic. Addressing violence in Chicago. And a COVID-19 outbreak for the Bulls.

(WTTW News)

Crain’s Headlines: Sterling Bay Reveals 4-Year Plan for Lincoln Yards

Sterling Bay is set to unveil its plans for the North Side megaproject. Danny Ecker has the details on that story and more.

A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)

Federal Hearing on Gun Violence Held in Chicago Amid Crime Surge

In 2014, Chicago saw homicides hit a historic low at 426. The city has exceeded that number every year since and is on pace to again this calendar year by more than 80%, according to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch.

Voluteers help Martha Thomas, second left, salvage possessions from her destroyed home, in the aftermath of tornadoes that tore through the region, in Mayfield, Ky., Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Thousands Without Heat, Water After Tornadoes Kill Dozens

As searches continued for those still missing, efforts also turned to repairing the power grid, sheltering those whose homes were destroyed and delivering drinking water and other supplies.

(WTTW News)

Aldermen Set to Pay $2.2M to Settle 3 Police Misconduct Cases

Alderpeople are poised to pay $2.2 million on Wednesday to settle three lawsuits claiming Chicago police officers used excessive force in 2014, before officers were required to wear cameras and record their interactions with Chicagoans.

A heavily damaged Amazon fulfillment center is seen Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. A large section of the roof of the building was ripped off and walls collapsed when strong storms moved through area Friday night. (AP Photo / Jeff Roberson)

Amazon, OSHA Promise Review After Tornado Wrecks Warehouse

OSHA inspectors, who have been at the site since Saturday, will look into whether workplace safety rules were followed and will have six months to complete the investigation, said spokesperson Scott Allen.

(Andrés Rodríguez / Pixabay)

Chicago’s COVID Response Corps ‘Ready for The Next Challenge’ Ahead of Winter, Holiday Gatherings

Earlier in the pandemic, the program began by focusing on contact tracing. But it has since expanded to meet other needs – like scheduling vaccine appointments and working the city’s COVID-19 hotline. 

Justin Berkowitz (left to right), Matt Boehler, Martin Bakari, Leah Dexter and Amy Owens perform in “Becoming Santa Claus.” (Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Imagining Santa Claus’ Childhood in a Chicago Opera Theater Production

Have you ever wondered what Santa Claus’ childhood was like? Or why he’s so driven to take off from the North Pole for an arduous worldwide trip each Christmas Eve? The answers to those questions can be found in the 90-minute opera “Becoming Santa Claus.” 

 A rendering of the proposed two-story sports betting lounge at Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue next to Wrigley Field. (Provided)

Measure to Allow Sports Betting at Chicago Pro-Sports Arenas Advances

A full-court press from the owners of the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks on Monday helped push the measure backed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the goal line.

Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine (8) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lauri Markkanen (24) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo / Tony Dejak)

COVID-19 Issues Prompt NBA to Postpone Bulls’ Next 2 Games

The NBA postponed the Chicago Bulls’ next two games on Monday, with 10 of the team’s players in the league’s health and safety protocols.

GO WEST, 1980, acrylic on canvas, 71 3/4 x 83 7/8 inches © 2021 The Robert H. Colescott Separate Property Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of The Robert H. Colescott Separate Property Trust and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo (Photo Credit: Joshua White)

Provocative Paintings Lampoon Stereotypes at Chicago Cultural Center

A rare Chicago showing of provocative paintings by an overlooked African American artist at the Chicago Cultural Center.

(Nese Dolan / Pexels)

Do You Like Your Coffee Black? It’s Not About Taste, It’s Genetic, New Study Says

If the thought of drinking a caramel brownie iced coffee or peppermint mocha latte sounds like a punishment, you might be a coffee snob or, according to a new study, a preference for bitter cups of plain black joe just might be in your DNA.

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin’s sentencing at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis June 25, 2021.  (Court TV via AP, Pool, File)

Chauvin Expected to Plead Guilty in Floyd Civil Rights Case

A federal docket entry on Monday showed that a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for Derek Chauvin to change his current not-guilty plea in the case. These types of notices indicate a defendant is planning to plead guilty. 

Boxes containing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Mich., Dec. 13, 2020. (AP Photo / Morry Gash, Pool, File)

One Year of Vaccines: Many Lives Saved, Many Needlessly Lost

The nation’s COVID-19 death toll stands at around 800,000 as the anniversary of the U.S. vaccine rollout arrives. A year ago, it stood at 300,000. 

Anjanette Young and her attorney Keenan Saulter speak outside the James R. Thompson Center on June 16, 2021. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)

Council Committee Endorses Proposal To Pay $2.9M to Anjanette Young To Settle Botched Raid Lawsuit

On Monday, members of City Council's finance committee unanimously endorsed a recommendation to pay $2.9 million to Anjanette Young to resolve the lawsuit she brought after police officers handcuffed her while she was naked and ignored her pleas for help during a botched raid in February 2019.

Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams celebrates his touchdown catch with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard (13) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo / Matt Ludtke)

Rodgers Throws 4 TD Passes, Packers Defeat Bears 45-30

After an extraordinary second quarter in which the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears exchanged body blows, the NFL’s oldest rivalry returned to normal, with Aaron Rodgers once again delivering a knockout punch.

The vacant land near Higgins Road and Cumberland Avenue that GlenStar wants to transform into a 297-apartment complex. (Credit: Google Maps)

Affordable Housing Showdown Set Amid Federal Probe

Members of the Chicago City Council have until Friday to respond to 10 questions posed by federal officials probing whether aldermanic prerogative has created a hyper-segregated city rife with racism and gentrification.

Crews move in heavy equipment for search and rescue operations at the Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville, Ill., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. (Daniel Shular / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Crews Search Rubble After 6 Die at Illinois Amazon Facility

The company has not said how many people were in the building not far from St. Louis when the tornado hit at 8:35 p.m. Friday — part of a swarm of twisters across the Midwest and the South that leveled entire communities. Authorities said they didn’t have a full count of employees because it was during a shift change and there were several part-time employees.

Emergency response workers dig through the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo / Timothy D. Easley)

Crews Search for the Missing After Devastating Tornadoes

Rescuers in an increasingly bleak search picked through the tornado-splintered ruins of homes and businesses Sunday, including a candle factory that was bustling with night-shift employees when it was flattened, as Kentucky’s governor warned the state’s death toll from the outbreak could top 100.

Automobiles line up near debris from tornado damage in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey)

Kentucky Hardest Hit as Storms Leave Dozens Dead in 5 States

Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing at least six people overnight as a storm system tore through a candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon facility in Illinois and a nursing home in Arkansas. The Kentucky governor said he feared dozens more could be dead.

This undated photo shows Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old black Chicago boy, who was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in 1955 after he allegedly whistled at a white woman in Mississippi. (AP Photo, File)

Emmett Till Investigation Closed by Justice Department

Two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, were tried on murder charges about a month after Emmett Till was killed, but an all-white Mississippi jury acquitted them. 

Univision’s Alex Hernández guest hosts the 59th episode of “Latino Voices.” (WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, December 11, 2021 - Full Show

Combatting depression around the holidays. Celebrating Minnie Miñoso. Helping Latino college grads find their dream jobs. And a bakery fires up its oven after almost 30 years.

The holiday season is a joyous time for many, but for others, this time of year can bring feelings of sadness, isolation and anxiety.  (WTTW News)

Managing Depression in the Holiday Season

It’s the time of year that Latino families across the country get their homes, churches and communities ready for holiday celebrations. This season is a joyous time for many, but for some, holiday gatherings can bring feelings of sadness, isolation, and anxiety.

Minnie Minoso Autograph on a 1960 Topps (#365)

The ‘Cuban Comet’ Slides Into Baseball’s Hall of Fame

Minnie Miñoso, “the Cuban Comet” broke the color line for the White Sox when he joined the team in 1951. He was selected for induction by the Golden Days Era committee on Sunday, and University of Illinois professor Adrian Burgos Jr says, it’s an honor that was long overdue.