Stories by Josh Terry

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

Illinois lawmakers last week signed off on a sweeping $1.5 billion transit funding package that reshapes how the CTA, Metra and Pace are run and funded. The plan also creates what’s called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority to oversee the transit agencies.

Protesters, clergy members and others who say they’ve been directly impacted by a series of increasingly aggressive raids across Chicago and the suburbs will testify before a federal judge weighing whether to impose a lengthier ban on immigration agents’ use of chemical weapons like tear gas and pepper balls.

Community outcry after ICE agents pull a teacher from a day care. And state lawmakers approve at $1.5 billion transit funding bill.

Author and historian Jill Lepore’s new book examines the political gridlock that has left many voters disillusioned with both parties and skeptical of the government’s ability to solve problems. She suggests more frequent changes to the constitutional system as a possible alternative.

The video shows two agents detaining the teacher inside the preschool and day care and then removing her from the facility. The teacher can be heard saying she has papers.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order requiring ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to provide clean bedding mats, toiletries and at least three full meals per day to detainees at the Broadview detention center.

Advocates for the bill say it is rooted in compassion and will bring agency to already dying people in the last stages of life, while opponents cite religious concerns and potential harm to vulnerable populations.

The Trump administration says this move allows better vetting of those using work permits. However, some are skeptical of that reasoning.

Illinois lawmakers passed two dozen bills during their annual fall veto session that ended Friday, Oct. 31, including a measure that will empower the state’s Department of Public Health to issue vaccine guidelines amid federal uncertainty.

While the questions at times seemed to challenge the rationale for the tariffs, the arguments are still ongoing, and further questioning could shed additional light on their positions. A decision in the case could take weeks or months.

Allowing CPD to spend unlimited sums of taxpayer money is a “crazy way to run a city,” said Justin Marlowe, a professor in the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and the director of the Center for Municipal Finance.

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

What a redistricting push in Illinois could mean for the midterms as voters in California consider redrawing districts. And a move to end automatic extensions of some immigrant work permits.

Republicans and Democrats are in an escalating national fight over congressional seats. Some members of Congress are pushing for Illinois to redraw its districts to get another Democratic seat.

The Grainger Center for Conservation and Science, projected to cost $50 million to build, will be a space for conservators across departments to collaborate, conduct research, teach and preserve the Art Institute’s collection, according to the museum.

From his use of chemical agents to a helicopter raid on an apartment building, Greg Bovino defended the approach of U.S. Customs and Border Protection as appropriate and necessary for what he says are threats his agents have faced in Chicago.

Let’s hand it to the moon, it makes skywatching easy.

Left-hander Shota Imanaga became eligible for free agency when the Chicago Cubs declined an option to keep his contract by guaranteeing $57 million for the 2026-28 seasons and he turned down a $15.25 million option for 2026.

Mayor Brandon Johnson blocked the city’s watchdog from searching for gifts he accepted on behalf of the city without reporting them as required, as required by the city’s ethics ordinance, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Tuesday.

Dick Cheney, the hard-charging conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S. history and a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, has died at 84.

The proposal is opposed not only by business groups but also labor organizations, including the Chicago Federation of Labor, which are concerned that the measure would snarl new and expanding businesses in red tape, preventing them from creating new jobs.

Some SNAP funds will be released as the government shutdown drags on. And meet the Adler Planetarium’s new president.

The museum is celebrating its own history as the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere by preparing for its centennial celebration in 2030.

The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month.

The MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Illinois filed a lawsuit alleging ICE officials are denying detainees access to their attorneys and subjecting them to mistreatment and overcrowding. Federal officials have denied those accusations.