Stories by Joel Ortiz

Adam Kelly, better known as rapper Adamn Killa, has garnered a lot of attention for his often viral social media presence.

Many of Chicago’s street vendors say they’re being pushed out of business amid concerns over federal immigration enforcement. A number of vendors have stopped selling altogether.

Many Chicagoans impacted by the new rules live in divested neighborhoods already suffering from a lack of access to nutritious food.

High winds and the potential for significant snowfall are likely to affect travelers on the front and back ends of the Thanksgiving weekend.

Most big U.S. retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day. However, many will open early the following day, Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday gift-buying season and the biggest shopping day of the year.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis wrote the footnote in a 223-page opinion issued last week, noting that the practice of using ChatGPT to write use-of-force reports undermines agents’ credibility and “may explain the inaccuracy of these reports.”

The decision by the state’s highest court keeps the system Chicago officials used for 60 years to hold officers accused of the most egregious misconduct in a deep freeze. Oral arguments will take place in 2026.

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

Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans said his office is “reviewing all actions” after a Chicago man who had been out on pretrial release allegedly doused a woman in gasoline and lit her on fire on board a CTA Blue Line train this month.

A long-awaited new fieldhouse, the transformation of a toxic waste site into a lakefront park and plans to address homelessness are all on the list of priorities for the Chicago Park District.

Cook County residents will get another shot to file property tax appeals. A clean slate and a new beginning — we explain. And the Chicago Park District unveils its budget proposal.

The Cook County Board of Review, the office tasked with settling appeals, announced that everyone who lives in a Cook County township that’s already closed its 2025 property tax appeal window will have another shot to file.

The family of a woman who was set on fire on board a CTA Blue Line train last week has launched an online fundraiser to aid in her medical bills as she recovers from the severe burns she sustained.

The 84-year-old civil rights leader was discharged Monday from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, his son and family spokesperson Yusef Jackson said.

The Wisconsin woman who won release from a mental institution after almost killing her sixth grade classmate in the name of horror villain Slender Man only to flee the state weeks later won’t fight extradition from Illinois.

Detectives are using all kinds of gizmos and gadgets to solve crimes these days, but they're overlooking the lowest of low-tech clues: moss. A Field Museum researcher wants to change that.

More than 2 million people in Illinois are eligible to have their records sealed but haven’t acted on what is currently a cumbersome, lengthy process.

O’Hare is likely to see its busiest Thanksgiving travel week in the airport’s 70-year history, according to the city’s aviation department. In Illinois, more than 4.1 million residents are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday period, setting a new record for Thanksgiving travel in the state, according to AAA.

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center disclosed late Sunday that it had purchased the barn located in a rural area outside the city of Drew, aided by a $1.5 million donation from television producer and writer Shonda Rhimes.

What exactly is a consent decree and how does it work? Plus, what the push for police reform looks like at the neighborhood level.

Remel Terry is now president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. Terry has been a member of the commission, better known as the CCPSA, since it was launched in 2022.

Police district councils work in each of the city’s 22 police districts, hearing out residents’ public safety concerns and advocating for accountability in the Chicago Police Department. The first members were elected in 2023, giving everyday people more of a say in how policing is done.

Mohamedou Ould Slahi testified he was treated well at the U.S. detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, until then-CPD Detective Richard Zuley took command of the investigation into his ties to al-Qaida and the torture began.

Chicagoans have been going gaga over a pair of snowy owls that have settled in at Montrose beach. Maybe a little too gaga.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced that Martinez Duncan died after a fire broke out in the jail’s residential treatment unit last Thursday.

The consent decree is a binding court order granting a federal judge oversight of the police department. WTTW News Explains how that works in practice.