Stories by Abena Bediako

For decades, conservatives and liberals have fiercely debated what drives the nation’s gun violence epidemic. But a new book called “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence” says neither side has it right — and suggests a new pathway to stop these acts of violence before they start.

The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s upward revision to its revenue forecast remains significantly more conservative than what Gov. JB Pritzker’s office projected when he proposed a budget in February.

Lawmakers are considering the Hospital Worker Staff and Safety bill, which would establish mandatory nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and increase support for underfunded hospitals.

Two cases were identified in Missouri, and one each in Florida, Illinois, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The community science program Plants of Concern is designed to keep Illinois’ rare plants from going extinct.

The long anticipated announcement is sure to touch off a chain reaction as ambitious politicians prepare to run to represent Illinois’s 9th Congressional District, which stretches from Chicago’s North Side through northwest Cook County to southwest Lake County and southeast McHenry County.

The community college proposal is intended to make certain four-year degrees available through lower-cost institutions and more accessible to older, nontraditional students who don’t live near a four-year institution.

The prison was closed in 1963 due to crumbling infrastructure and the high costs of repairing and supplying the island facility, because everything from fuel to food had to be brought by boat.

The Trump administration says it is going to pay immigrants in the United States illegally who’ve returned to their home country voluntarily $1,000 as it pushes forward with its mass deportation agenda.

The 20 homicides recorded throughout the city last month were the fewest for any month in Chicago since February 2015 while marking the fewest for any April since 1962.

Many Democrats have been in and out of the spotlight as the party looks for effective counters to President Donald Trump. But two disparate figures, Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have seen their national profiles rise by delivering messages that excite a demoralized party.

Jessica Vasquez, who served as former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa’s chief of staff when he represented the 35th Ward on the Chicago City Council, will replace Ald. Anthony Quezada, who was tapped to take Ramirez-Rosa’s seat by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Black and Latino homeowners were forced to cover “a disproportionate share of the burden,” according to the latest analysis from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ research team.

Data obtained by WTTW News shows the overall number of bus and train operators who worked for the CTA last year neared its pre-pandemic peak of employees. As a result, the amount of overtime worked dropped.

Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that the five officers collectively committed 47 violations of departmental rules designed to protect the rights of Chicagoans during two traffic stops and should be suspended for a total of 91 days, records show.

Bits and pieces of Halley’s Comet, which last swung by Earth in 1986, will be visible as meteors in upcoming days. The Aquarid meteor shower will peak in the pre-dawn hours of May 5 and 6.

Klaus Mäkelä, a 29-year-old Finnish-born musician, will become chief conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2027. He has already demonstrated his winning connection with the CSO.

The governor calls on Democrats to step up their game in opposing the Trump administration. And Mayor Brandon Johnson visits Springfield with a wish list for Chicago — is it too late in the session to land a deal?

“Housing is obviously unaffordable for everyone, but it is especially the case for people who have records,” said Ahmadou Dramé, director of the Illinois Justice Project. “Without a stable place to live, you can’t begin to triage all the other challenges that a person has to be navigating.”

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, disgraced by a corruption scandal that landed him in prison yet heralded by some for clearing the state’s death row, has died. He was 91.

Alt Space Chicago is an art gallery that aims to involve the entire neighborhood. Co-founder Jordan Campbell calls it an artist-led engine that uses art and faith to galvanize the community.

The seventeen students and two drivers were transported to hospitals in the area for observation. All are in fair condition, according to police.

A jury convicted 73-year-old Joseph Czuba in February of murder and hate crime charges in the fatal stabbing of Wadee Alfayoumi, who was Palestinian American, and the wounding of his mother, Hanan Shaheen. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba’s home in Plainfield.

Public Broadcasting Service CEO Paula Kerger said the Republican president’s order “threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years.”

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, which is also known as the fall of Saigon. The conflict killed millions of Vietnamese and 60,000 American service members.

Vietnam marks 50 years since the end of the war — we talk with local community members and veterans. And why a historic Chicago parade celebrating Mexican culture is canceled this year.