Stories by Dan Lambert

Sam Neill, the smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose prolific career moved from art films to blockbusters has died. He was 78.

Logan Correctional Center, the largest women’s prison in Illinois, will be rebuilt with an 800-bed capacity about 140 miles north of its current location. As of this spring, Logan housed around 1,200 women and employed more than 400 people.

Federal prosecutors charge state lawmaker Carol Ammons with fraud and lying to the FBI. And a judge scolds U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros for publicly discussing a sealed indictment.

Neighbors have described the stench emanating from the reservoir as “horrific” and “putrid.”

Rep. Carol Ammons was charged Wednesday with 10 felonies for her role in a scheme prosecutors say was designed to enrich herself and her daughter using campaign funds and state grants.

One House Democrat was indicted this week and another resigned amid an ethics investigation last week. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch kicked both members out of caucus and stripped them of leadership positions.

The former head of a southwest suburban school district is facing criminal charges alleging he used a district credit card to cover $10,000 in personal expenses, including adult websites, golf equipment and Visa gift cards.

The 2-1 appellate decision found that the Illinois law does not violate the Second Amendment, and its restrictions are “consistent with the principles that underpin our Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation.”

Chicago taxpayers paid three times more to resolve police misconduct lawsuits in 2025, as compared with 2024, according to the annual report detailing the cost of lawsuits filed against the Chicago Police Department.

A federal judge finds Chicago’s U.S. attorney violated a court order. And what happens to all the storm water after heavy rainfall like we saw last weekend.

About 13 billion gallons of combined storm and waste water flowed into two Cook County reservoirs this past weekend, part of the region’s network of stormwater management infrastructure.

Advocates gathered in the Back of the Yards to sound the alarm over an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on the Southwest Side, including in the nearby neighborhoods of Gage Park and Brighton Park.

One bill increases the state’s eligibility for access to federal energy assistance funds to 300% of the federal poverty level. The second bill requires the state to publish a report detailing all the charges on an energy bill, what laws or agencies mandate them, and what programs or services they support.

A federal judge has found Chicago’s U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros committed a “clear violation” of a court order when he openly discussed a criminal complaint in a kidnapping and murder case that remained under seal last week.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer home in Highland Park starts its season Saturday night with chief conductor Marin Alsop leading a program with pianist Yunchan Lim and flautist Lizzo.

Wrongful convictions have long been the most expensive kind of police misconduct in Chicago, costing taxpayers $131.5 million in the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

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

Roy Flowers started his boxing club in 2021 in the hopes of creating healthy, supportive spaces for the youth in his community. “I just wanted to be the mentor that I wish I had.”

The South Side native is not a career politician but comes with a diverse resume. He’s a co-owner of the iconic Wiener’s Circle and co-owns the city’s first Black-owned marijuana dispensary alongside his brother and mom.

The memorial aims to honor the more than 125 Black men, women and children who were tortured by disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, and the officers under his command, on Chicago’s South Side from the 1970s to 1990s.

South Side native Matt Brewer on his bid for Chicago mayor. And some SNAP costs are shifting to states — what that means for Illinois.

According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, more than 12 million monthly SNAP payments are made to more than 1.9 million people in Illinois.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch stopped short of calling on Ammons to resign from her seat but said he is temporarily removing her from “any and all House Democratic Caucus meetings, from all House committees, and from accessing Speaker's Office staff and resources.”

The jury found President Donald Trump attacked writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996 in a department store dressing room, and defamed her after she publicly talked about it in a 2019 memoir during Trump’s first term.

Maggi Tudor faces 10 to 16 months in prison and a fine of $5,500 to $55,000.

Team physician Michael Terry said Connor Bedard is expected “to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.” The NHL hasn’t announced its regular-season schedule, but the Blackhawks played their first game last season on Oct. 7.