Facebook icon Twitter icon Instagram icon YouTube icon

Stories by

New Leader of Chicago Council on Global Affairs Discusses America’s Foreign Policy Challenges

For more than 100 years, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has sought to play a positive role in helping to shape American foreign policy and its engagement with the world.

As Trump Vows to Eliminate Mail-In Voting, Illinois Elections Officials Say Fraud is ‘Extremely Rare’

In Illinois, there are numerous security checks in place to ensure the accuracy and security of mail-in voting, according to Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the state’s Board of Elections.

Arts of Life Showcases 25 Years of Creativity and Opportunity for Artists With Disabilities

Arts of Life is a place where creative people with intellectual and developmental disabilities produce works of art and earn an income. Now their colorful work fills the gallery at the Design Museum of Chicago in a group exhibition called “Community on the Make: Arts of Life 2000-2025.”

Hit With Flood Damage? Johnson Asks Chicagoans to Complete Survey While Calling for State, Federal Support

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday blamed climate change and a poorly built water management system on the recent flooding impacting the West and Southwest sides.

Illinois Beekeepers Battle Losses, Costs to Keep Hives Buzzing

Bee loss is a persistent issue throughout the state. It’s not uncommon for beekeepers to lose over half of their colonies each year — primarily during winter — due to disease, competition, poor nutrition or limited resources.

US Pediatricians’ New COVID-19 Shot Recommendations Differ From CDC Advice

The group’s new COVID-19 recommendations come amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine skeptics have come into power in the Trump administration and government guidance has become increasingly confusing.

A Texas Democrat Spent the Night in Legislature Protesting Police Shadowing in Redistricting Battle

The Republican-controlled Texas House scheduled a vote for Wednesday on the new maps while California Democrats are retaliating by advancing their own new U.S. House boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Pritzker Gives Boon to Trial Lawyers, Vetoes Treasurer-Backed Bill

The Illinois governor signed 266 laws on Friday. The new laws include measures to make public defenders more independent, tighten safety regulations at warehouses and increase the age for required annual driver tests.

Aug. 18, 2025 - Full Show

The Adams County sheriff has been cooperating with ICE — does that violate Illinois law? WTTW News investigates. And CPS board members weigh in on the controversial budget proposal.

Chicago Board of Education Members Weigh in on CPS Budget Proposal, $734M Shortfall

CPS leaders said they crafted a budget proposal to keep cuts out of the classroom, but the plan leans heavily on one-time funding, raising questions about long-term stability.

Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source Gets $815M Upgrade

Since 1995, Argonne National Laboratory, located just southwest of Chicago, has been at the forefront of atomic-scale research in the United States.

Billboard Promoting Far-Right Group Proud Boys Pops Up in Southern Illinois

The sign is located at Old U.S. Route 50 and St. Rose Road, about 1,000 feet from the entrance to Central Community High School. It lists a local phone number for people to call.

Illinois Sues Trump Administration for Access to Crime Victim Funding

The lawsuit is one of 35 such suits challenging Trump administration policies that Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined as part of a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general. That’s an average of more than one suit per week since Trump resumed office on Jan. 20.

Northeastern Illinois University Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for $125M Education Building

The nearly 190,000-square-foot, multi-use building will be home to NEIU’s Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education. The facility, set to open in 2027, will include classroom space, laboratories, administrative and office space, and general campus space.

FDA’s New Expert Panels Are Rife With Financial Conflicts and Fringe Views

Former agency officials worry the meetings are skirting federal rules on conflicts of interests and transparency, while promoting fringe viewpoints that align with those of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Adams County Sheriff Has Been Cooperating With ICE. Does That Violate Illinois Law?

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office in western Illinois has transferred at least two men into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, in apparent violation of the state’s TRUST and Way Forward Act, according to a lawyer who helped provide technical support for the legislation.

CPS Students Return for 1st Day of Classes as District Continues Working to Close Budget Gap

Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms Monday for the start of the new academic year, as district officials continue working to finalize a budget proposal to close a $734 million funding gap.

Black Mayors of Cities Trump Decries as ‘Lawless’ Tout Significant Declines in Violent Crimes

Members of the African American Mayors Association are determined to stop President Donald Trump from burying accomplishments that they already felt were overlooked. And they’re using the administration’s unprecedented takeover in the nation’s capital as an opportunity to disprove his narrative.

Texas Democrats Return to Capitol for Republicans’ US House Map Overhaul as California Democrats Counter

Texas Democrats said Monday that they were ending a two-week walkout that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts as part of a national partisan brawl over President Donald Trump’s desire to reshape U.S. House maps to his advantage.

Chicago Officer Who Fatally Shot Partner Krystal Rivera Stripped of Police Powers After New Allegations

A Chicago Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Officer Carlos Baker has been relieved of his police powers, effective Friday.

Unions Rally at Jesse Brown VA Facility, Demand Trump Administration Restores Collective Bargaining Rights

Last week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs terminated union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees, stripping labor protections for about 400,000 workers. Friday’s rally was part of a national day of action called “Stand for Veterans, Stand for Unions.”

Week in Review: Trump Threatens DC-Style Crime Crackdown in Chicago; CPS Presents 2026 Budget Plan

Local leaders slam President Donald Trump’s threat to take over policing in Chicago as flat-out illegal. And school board members push back on a CPS budget that puts off a huge pension payment.

Feds Demand Sensitive Illinois Voter Registration Information After State Provides Redacted Data

In a letter dated Thursday, Aug. 14, an attorney in the department’s Civil Rights Division rejected the Illinois State Board of Elections’ offer of a partially redacted database insisting that federal authorities are entitled to the complete, unredacted data.

Stewardship Efforts Pay Off at 63rd Street Beach, Where Rare Species Are Making Themselves at Home

63rd Street Beach sees heavy recreational use while also managing to support diverse wildlife.

Judge Orders RFK Jr.’s Health Department to Stop Sharing Medicaid Data With Deportation Officials

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services first handed over the personal data on millions of Medicaid enrollees in a handful of states in June. After an Associated Press report identified the new policy, 20 states filed a lawsuit to stop its implementation.

What States Are Doing in the Battle Over Congressional Maps as Texas Pursues Plan Trump Sought

A partisan move by Texas to redraw its congressional maps in the middle of the decade to secure five more GOP seats in the U.S. House set off a clamor to replicate the effort in statehouses controlled by both parties.
 

Sign up for the WTTW News newsletter

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors