Stories by WTTW News

The impact big data centers are having on the Great Lakes water supply. And Veterans Affairs staff speaks out after losing union protections — what it could mean for local veterans.

The Trump administration cut union contracts for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees earlier this month as part of a larger effort to strip federal workers of union protections.

A funhouse of art and technology, the WNDR Museum started as a pop-up in 2018 and then became a fixed destination in the West Loop. WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali explored the space.

The high court majority lifted a judge’s order blocking $783 million worth of cuts made by the National Institutes of Health to align with Republican President Donald Trump’s priorities.

The lawsuits allege that United and Delta long have been aware of consumer complaints posted on social media about the windowless seats yet continued charging extra for window seats without windows.

On Thursday, Brookfield Zoo announced that Amelia Gray, an 8-year-old female, will be making the move from the Oregon Zoo to Chicago’s suburbs, where she’ll also be paired up with 5-year-old Hudson.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has thus far focused on deporting migrants illegally in the United States as well as holders of student and visitor exchange visas.

Several overnight ramp and lane closures are scheduled to take place over the next week to facilitate the reopening of lanes on the north end of the work zone, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Robert Gordon, a senior vice president at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, said property losses from natural disasters are common in Illinois, and they have been growing more frequent.

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability announced it has begun accepting applications for the role of chief administrator in the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Now in its third year, the Waterlily Weigh-Off has bulked up to more than 40 competitors across eight countries. The winner will be announced Aug. 28.

Former Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald and his attorneys announced the “satisfactory settlement” Thursday, though terms of the agreement were not immediately known.

Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events.

The head of the Chicago Teachers Union on the district’s budget deficit and more. And prison lockdowns are on the rise — we explore the reasons.

More than 1 million Illinois residents have benefitted from an educational program that teaches SNAP recipients about nutrition.

CPS is facing a $734 million shortfall with a deadline to pass a balanced budget coming next Friday, but the options facing CPS board members and the interim CEO appear to be narrowing.

The pilot is a partnership between the Illinois secretary of state and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Motorists are expected to test vehicle emissions every two years for cars older than four years.

Lockdowns can be indistinguishable from solitary confinement-like conditions, with those incarcerated given little yard time and limited access to educational programming and commissary.

For the first time in seven years, NASCAR will be returning to the 1.5-mile speedway in Joliet with an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on July 4, 2026 and a Cup Series race scheduled for July 5.

Clinton County Board Chairman Brad Knolhoff said the county had no legal authority to regulate the billboard’s content, but he and many others contacted the company, expressing their outrage.

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

A new report explores how unprecedented levels of consumption by heavy water users — namely “hyperscale” data centers — could lead to conflicts over and even shortages of water, even in the Great Lakes.

Local reaction to President Donald Trump’s effort to ban mail-in voting. And will a peace deal be reached between Russia and Ukraine?

For more than 100 years, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has sought to play a positive role in helping to shape American foreign policy and its engagement with the world.

In Illinois, there are numerous security checks in place to ensure the accuracy and security of mail-in voting, according to Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the state’s Board of Elections.

Arts of Life is a place where creative people with intellectual and developmental disabilities produce works of art and earn an income. Now their colorful work fills the gallery at the Design Museum of Chicago in a group exhibition called “Community on the Make: Arts of Life 2000-2025.”