Stories by Heather Cherone

“Any student of CPD’s modern history can recognize that there have been these groups of officers that have contributed more than their fair share of harm and misconduct,” Inspector General Deborah Witzburg told WTTW News Wednesday.

The budget request for the upcoming fiscal year calls for only a minimal increase in K-12 education spending, a reflection of the state’s tightening fiscal condition.

The food hall, which first opened in 2019, was created by the media company Time Out to “bring together the best of the city under one roof.” The 50,000-square-foot food hall houses more than 15 food vendors, three bars and a rooftop terrace across three floors, according to its website.

A week after Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, her family hired the Chicago-based law firm that also represented George Floyd’s family to conduct a civil investigation.

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

The City Council’s Finance Committee endorsed the $135 million project from Golub & Co to transform 16 floors of the 44-story tower at 30 N. LaSalle St. into 349 homes, including 105 units set aside for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans.

Both Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, say the changes — if ultimately deemed necessary — would be narrow despite Republicans’ desire to see the law drastically overhauled.

The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.

The high court ruled 7-2 that candidates like Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill. have the legal right to such challenges, even if the ballots have little effect on the race.

The Citizens Utility Board is sounding the alarm on data centers’ growing demand on the electrical grid, saying Illinois consumers can expect higher electric bills.

Illinois sues the Trump administration — what it could mean for immigration enforcement in Chicago. And could your electric bill be going up? A new report looks at data centers and their impact.

Illinois and Minnesota officials are separately suing the Trump administration over the enforcement tactics used by federal immigration agents. The lawsuits seek broader limits on the conduct of immigration agents in both states.

Since 2013, the prison abolition collective has processed mail from largely LGBTQ people incarcerated in Illinois. How those materials are delivered has recently changed. 

U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued an injunction Aug. 22 that prevents the Trump administration from blocking funding for some of the nation’s largest cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Boston and Baltimore.

The proposed non-binding ballot question violates Illinois’ election law, which requires advisory questions to “be confined to one topic and should not contain alternative or bifurcated questions,” the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners unanimously ruled.

Illinois is one of 23 states and Washington, D.C., that are being sued by the Trump administration for access to their unredacted voter rolls. The U.S. Department of Justice filed the Illinois case Dec. 18 following months of efforts to obtain the information directly from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Experts warn that the number of people who have signed up for plans may still drop even further, as enrollees get their first bill in January and some choose to cancel.

Anne Pramaggiore, who was convicted along with three other former ComEd officials in 2023, has begun serving her sentence at the federal correctional institution in Marianna, Florida, according to federal records.

In a reversal from previous years’ pollution reductions, the United States spewed 2.4% more heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels in 2025 than in the year before, researchers calculated in a study released Tuesday.

The chain, with U.S. operations based outside of Chicago, went on an expansion tear soon after inflation began to spike in 2021 and opened a record number of new stores last year.

Chicago Public Schools students will return to their classrooms to kick off the 2026-27 academic year on Aug. 24, according to the district’s newly proposed annual calendar.

Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield for the spring legislative session. They’re facing some tough realities: a budget gap in the billions, growing pressure to deliver affordability relief, and a widening financial rift with Washington, D.C.

Illinois is suing the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement tactics. And state lawmakers are returning to Springfield — what’s on their to-do list.

Mayda Alexandra del Valle will serve a two-year term and receive $70,000 to commission new works and create public programming. As Chicago’s second poet laureate, del Valle will serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities.

Albeiro Ropero Remolina and his wife were taken into custody in Chicago on Dec. 29. While his wife was released, he remains detained. Ropero Remolina needs to take medication twice daily for a severe seizure disorder, his wife said.

The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend with the murders of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois.