Stories by Andrew Montequin

Friday will mark 25 years since the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Between the attacks themselves, the lasting health impacts on survivors and ensuing wars, the death toll for Americans is in the tens of thousands.

A budget forecast released by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office shows the city faces an estimated $882.4 million budget shortfall for the 2027 fiscal year.

The Northern Illinois Transit Authority is a new regional body overseeing CTA, Metra and Pace. It was created after years of debate over the future of Chicago-area transit.

Chicago taxpayers have paid $7 million to resolve three federal lawsuits alleging misconduct by Officer Michael Donnelly, including the 2019 improper raid of Anjanette Young’s home, records show.

Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $46 million since the start of 2026 to resolve eight lawsuits brought by people who were injured or on behalf of those killed during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

The Chicago Department of Aviation launched a naming contest for a giant boulder unearthed at the airfield.

A federal judge has denied a motion that sought to block a controversial new Illinois law that will allow terminally ill adults to take life-ending medication, just days before that law is set to take effect.

The dubious promise would most likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about inflation.

The total cost of defending and settling lawsuits naming disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynado Guevara topped $191.8 million in May, according to a WTTW News analysis.

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

New reforms to public transit are on the horizon — we have the details. And as the summer months end, a look at violent crime in Chicago and what’s being done to prevent it.

A recent NORC at the University of Chicago poll said 44% of Chicagoans think crime is going up, despite CPD data saying otherwise.

After more than three and a half hours of tense questioning, the dispute triggered by the City Council’s decision to green-light video gambling terminals in every Chicago bar and restaurant remained deadlocked.

The grants from the Department of Agriculture are part of a three-year-old program aimed at making it easier for local farmers to process and distribute food locally. In total, 61 organizations received grants, 16 of them in Cook County and the other 45 distributed among 34 other counties.

The Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight unanimously voted to advance a revised package of reforms first introduced in May 2024, sending it to the full City Council for a final vote on Sept. 23.

Chicago’s Office of Inspector General published a new report evaluating the CFD’s hiring and promotion processes, finding that while the initial firefighter and EMT applicant pool reflected the city’s racial and ethnic diversity, that representation shifted as applicants moved through the hiring process.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office has reached a settlement agreement with the Northern Illinois Gas Company to cut the natural gas utility’s requested rate increase by approximately $140 million.

Starting this month through November, the Chicago Public Library will present book discussions, science talks, films, creative workshops and cultural experiences tied to the book selection. One Book, One Chicago for the first time will include dedicated programming for children and teens.

The park, which serves as an entry to the 606 Bloomingdale Trail, would honor one of Chicago’s most acclaimed street artists.

This year’s Open House Chicago will feature more than 200 locations across 30 Chicago neighborhoods, including 20 sites that are new to the festival, according to a Wednesday announcement. The festival takes place Oct. 17-18.

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

Approximately 6,527 people in Chicago lacked a permanent place to sleep on Jan. 22, according to the annual “point-in-time” count, which sends volunteers out to count the number of unsheltered people on the city’s streets on a single night.

It’s been one year since “Operation Midway Blitz” began, when federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol ramped up arrests of immigrants throughout the Chicago region.

“Operation Midway Blitz,” one year later. We look back and ahead on the state of immigration enforcement. And football season is nearly here — what to expect from the Bears this year.

The Chicago Bears will play their first game of the 2026-2027 NFL season this Sunday against the Panthers in Charlotte. The game marks the beginning of head coach Ben Johnson’s sophomore campaign after he led the Bears to an 11-6 record last season.

The report, “Hunkering Down: The Hidden Economic Cost of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Cook County, IL,” was released by UIC’s Great Cities Institute. The report also found an estimated $107 million was lost in local sales tax revenue.