Stories by UIS Public Affairs Reporting

The ruling is based on a civil suit brought against Amazon by two former employees after they were not compensated for pre-shift health screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Rep. Margaret Croke finally prevailed in the Democratic primary for Illinois comptroller as the Associated Press declared her the winner Thursday afternoon.

Authorities have been searching for James “Jimmy” Gracey, a junior at the University of Alabama, since earlier this week after he went to a nightclub in Barcelona and failed to return to his short-term rental.

Destroying those videos will lead “to the permanent loss of evidence that may be essential for lawsuits and other challenges to police practices,” according to the city's Department of Law.

Attorneys for the four remaining defendants in the “Broadview Six” conspiracy case are seeking documents that may show the Trump administration pushed for the indictments in the politically charged case.

Named after the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, the act aims to increase youth voter registration.

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

Gov. JB Pritzker on Juliana Stratton’s big win and much more. And the Chicago City Council reverses course — moving to end a phaseout of the tipped minimum wage.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi on Tuesday night conceded defeat to Pat Hynes, a one-time employee of the incumbent’s office, in the Democratic primary.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s reelection bid kicked off in earnest Wednesday, the day after his uncontested primary wrapped up.

“I will not abandon phasing out the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers at a time when Trump’s wars and tariffs are making it increasingly difficult to live and raise a family throughout the city and country,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.

An American college student visiting friends for spring break has gone missing in Spain, his family said, adding police there have his phone.

The City Council voted unanimously to explicitly grant the the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA, the authority to investigate whether Chicago Police Department officers helped federal agents carry out deportations.

The Oklahoma Republican faced questions from members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about his vision for a department tasked with carrying out the Republican administration’s push for mass deportations.

On Wednesday, an investigation by the New York Times found that Chavez, groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement, including the co-founder of the union Dolores Huerta.

The companies flooded the state’s Democratic primaries with millions of dollars to promote candidates they believed would have a light touch when it came to regulating technologies that have begun to upend how people do their jobs and manage their finances.

Calls for regulation are bipartisan, but the specifics are still being negotiated between lawmakers, data center companies and trade groups.

With the backing of hotel owners and the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, the city’s tax on hotel rooms downtown, near McCormick Place, the Illinois Medical District and Hyde Park will rise from 17.5% to 19%, the highest in the nation.

The bill resembles a federal law that gives the Federal Communications Commission authority to regulate the volume of commercials on TV stations, cable and satellite TV services.

In all, groups affiliated with AIPAC spent more than $20 million to influence the outcome of four contests in Illinois’ 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th Congressional districts, according to federal campaign finance reports.

A newly released survey of the eastern monarch’s 2025-26 winter population in Mexico showed a 64% increase over 2024-25.

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

Two incumbents of a Cook County agency responsible for making decisions about taxpayers’ property assessment appeals faced challengers in their reelection bids this year.

For months, the big question in Illinois politics has been who is going to be the Democrat running to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. The Associated Press has called that race, with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton defeating U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has been declared the winner of a jam-packed Democratic primary race for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, which is set to see its first new leader in more than 25 years.

The intense race has drawn tens of millions of dollars spent by outside groups on television, mail and online advertisements, with most coming from pro-Israel, pro-artificial intelligence development, pro-cryptocurrency and pro-cloud data center interests.