Stories by Shelby Hawkins

Jon Martin started his coin collection 20 years ago and has amassed about 600 pieces. In a bid to connect with his community and perhaps get more people interested in numismatics, the Rogers Park resident recently decided to give away some of his collection.

Federal prosecutors have not filed criminal charges against anyone who was arrested. Nor have they revealed any evidence showing that two immigrants arrested in the building belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang, or even provided their names.

Diana Santillana Galeano, who had been held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention in Clay County, Indiana, was released Wednesday night, hours after a federal judge granted a habeas petition.

The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

Crime in Chicago has been dropping significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic began to wane in 2022, a trend that accelerated after Mayor Brandon Johnson took office in May 2023 and has continued since, according to Chicago Police Department data.

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

Could 50-year mortgages soon become an option? A look at the pros and cons. And a local coin enthusiast shares some of his collection with neighbors.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2026 budget proposal includes a controversial head tax he hopes will generate $100 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs in the city.

Most first-time homebuyers in the United States take out 30-year mortgages. Under a new proposal from the Trump administration, they may soon have an even longer loan option.

A stretch of Chicago’s southernmost lakefront long used as a toxic landfill is now one step closer to becoming parkland open to all.

Hundreds of people who have been arrested and detained in the Chicago area during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown could soon be released on bond.

While the study has its fair share of critics, it has raised alarms when it comes to the business benefits around a multi-billion-dollar advancement in the tech industry. 

Abughazaleh and five others entered their not guilty pleas before a packed courtroom in the Dirksen Federal Building on Wednesday,

Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is running to represent Illinois’ 7th Congressional District and replace retiring U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis.

Since the start of a federal immigration crackdown that has led to more than 3,200 arrests in the Chicago metropolitan area, streets and storefronts in the city’s Latino neighborhoods have emptied out.

The emails made public by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee also include one that Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he said Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a victim of sex trafficking.

The 2026 budget makes permanent the regional day pass allowing a single, discounted 24-hour fare across CTA, Metra and Pace, as well as a program allowing paratransit users to ride for free on fixed routes.

Chicagoans — and folks across the country — were treated to a dazzling display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) Tuesday night and there could be an encore in the works Wednesday.

As national attention focused on Chicago, federal immigration agents carried out a wave of raids across the suburbs, sparking outrage and fear in communities including Aurora and Evanston. Local leaders say the aggressive actions and lack of transparency have left residents shaken and demanding accountability.

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

A marathon session before the City Council’s Budget and Government Operations Committee on Monday made it clear there is no easy way to bridge the city’s $1.19 billion projected shortfall, leaving alderpeople across the political spectrum frustrated as the budget debate hits a tipping point.

CPS Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht’s office on Wednesday published a new report on the district’s travel and overnight spending, which jumped from around $300,000 in fiscal year 2021 to nearly $8 million in 2024.

Reports that Border Patrol agents could be leaving Chicago. And local veterans are bracing for more federal cuts.

The order, which is three sentences long and comes with no explanation on the court’s thinking, will expire just before midnight Thursday.

As the city honors Veterans Day, some local veterans are fearful of potential impacts to services amid staffing reductions and other sweeping federal cuts across the government.

As Chicago-area veterans gathered Tuesday to commemorate Veterans Day around the city, some used the opportunity to speak out about the government’s failure to care for veterans, as well as to sound the alarm about what some described as attacks against democracy.