Stories by Heather Cherone

Officer Elmer Carrillo Jr. is the first CPD officer to be terminated for failing a drug test since Illinois legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and is the first to be fired by the Police Board in nearly a year and a half amid a protracted legal battle, records show.

“We may not have the majority of the City Council but we do have the people,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said just before the the Chicago City Council voted to approve a budget he fiercely opposed.

The Chicago City Council takes the first step toward passing a rival budget plan. And the Bears threaten to take their ball and go to a new home — in Northwest Indiana.

A new report by state regulators projects energy shortfalls will begin in northern Illinois by 2029 and the rest of the state by 2031 if lawmakers and grid operators don’t act.

Instead of allowing police to impose so-called “snap” curfews just 30 minutes in advance, a new plan calls for more lead time before dispersing large crowds.

Mayor Brandon Johnson stopped short Friday of promising to veto that spending plan but said he has “serious and significant concerns about the plan, which he and the city’s top financial officials contend would leave the city with a deficit of more than $163 million.

Collecting native seed can be labor intensive but it eventually pays for itself by creating even more seeds — for free.

The Federal Transit Administration on Friday said it determined the CTA failed to comply with a special directive issued earlier this month that required the agency to implement “immediate, measurable corrective actions” aimed at reducing violent crime and addressing “unsafe conditions.”

Each year, the Office of Science at the Department of Energy evaluates the performance of the organizations that run its national laboratories. Despite some grades improving in the past fiscal year for local labs, records show scores dropping in some key areas.

The latest lawsuits were filed against Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and the District of Columbia. The Justice Department has now filed 22 lawsuits seeking voter information as part of its effort to collect detailed voting data and other election information across the country.

The first meeting of the state's Immigration Enforcement Accountability Commission looks at the deployment of chemicals against protesters. Some alderpeople push forward with an alternative budget plan and a new teen curfew. And digital literacy efforts are helping seniors in Chinatown — but lost funding is threatening the effort.

Federal prosecutors unsealed a new indictment against Lawrence Reed, 50, that alleged he “maliciously damaged and attempted to damage and destroy, by means of fire” Chicago’s City Hall building, located at 121 N. LaSalle Street on Nov. 14.

While Mayor Brandon Johnson weighed what could be the biggest decision of his time as mayor, the Civic Federation said the proposed "budget does not move Chicago appreciably toward long-term fiscal stability."

“The McCaskey family should focus on hosting a playoff game in a stadium that actually exists not distract by pontificating about hosting a Super Bowl in one that doesn’t,” State Rep. Kam Buckner said.

The Illinois Accountability Commission held its first public hearing in the Little Village neighborhood, where federal agents have repeatedly targeted residents in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.

Bishop Ronald Hicks, the current bishop of Joliet, Illinois, replaces the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. Hicks grew up in South Holland, a short distance from the suburban Chicago childhood home of Leo, the former Robert Prevost.

Got a good snow pun? Enter it in Chicago's fourth annual "name a snowplow" contest.

The classes help seniors learn how to use technology — from identifying online scams to using Google Maps to navigate public transportation. Seniors develop independence and autonomy and overcome significant language barriers.

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

Mayor Brandon Johnson called the plan speculative, infeasible and immoral, but has yet to announce whether he would veto the plan. It would take 34 votes to override that rejection.

The clock is ticking as Chicago alderpeople work to pass a budget before the end-of-year deadline. And the Trump administration unveils an aid package for farmers — but is it enough?

Supporters of the measure say it gives those who are already dying a peaceful way to go. Opponents argue the law would worsen health care disparities.

In a letter addressed to Chicago Bears fans, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren wrote that the search for a new stadium site will now include “opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.”

Video shared with WTTW News showed Daniel Biss walk up to Greg Bovino and a handful of masked immigration agents outside a gas station Wednesday morning. The group was surrounded by people holding camera phones as whistles blown by residents to warn of the agents’ presence repeatedly sounded in the background.

Illinois health officials are maintaining their stance that all newborns should receive a hepatitis B vaccination, days after federal vaccine advisors voted to remove a similar recommendation.

This year marks the first time “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” will feature a live broadcast from downtown Chicago, with the show’s first Central time zone midnight countdown.