Stories by Heather Cherone

“Your war and your tariffs are squeezing Illinois farmers with higher costs they cannot control and never asked for,” Gov. JB Pritzker wrote. “They should not be forced to pick up the tab for your decisions.”

A local team works to get a 15-minute express train from the Loop to O’Hare off the ground. And we get to know Chicago mayoral candidate Toni Brooks.

Chicago’s race for mayor is on as candidates gather signatures for a spot on February’s ballot. Chicago-born Toni Brooks was one of the first to announce she’d be looking to lead the city. The U.S. Army National Guard veteran said she is the right person to rebuild Chicago, one block at a time.

For Chicago State University, the first game will be about more than football. The university is hoping the new program can help build a new sports identity on Chicago’s South Side.

A Chicago-based team is working to get the so-called O’Hare Flyer off the ground in the next five years. The proposed express train would run from downtown Chicago to Terminal 2 at O’Hare International Airport in just 15 minutes.

This August, Chicago police discovered more than 50 decomposing bodies stored improperly at a South Side funeral home.

New rules governing who can use electric bikes and scooters, including where and how fast they go, will go into effect next year following Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature on Wednesday.

When the temperature heats up, so do emergency rooms, according to a massive study of Chicago hospital and urgent care records.

The Vietnamese Association of Illinois has served as an anchor for the Vietnamese community in the Chicago area for the last 50 years. The organization will hold a 50th anniversary concert celebration Saturday featuring New Orleans–based musical group Saigon Jazz Revival and Vietnamese singer Carol Kim.

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

Illinois sues the U.S. Postal Service in the latest fight over mail-in voting. And what’s being done about a smell on Chicago’s Southeast Side.

For years, Southeast Side residents have complained of foul odors plaguing their neighborhood. The smell is allegedly coming from Pullman Innovations, a vegetable oil plant in South Deering. Neighbors said the smell resembles everything from sewage, to rotting meat, to corpses.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Wednesday announced the lawsuit, arguing President Donald Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional and risks disenfranchising voters by preventing states from effectively administering their vote-by-mail programs.

The eclipse will peak Thursday night at 11:12 p.m., with almost the entire moon darkened by Earth's shadow.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s order requires contractors to certify that they have not committed a “public integrity violation, antidiscrimination or wage theft violation” during the previous five years.

Until the Supreme Court rules, 31 cases will remain in limbo — including three that seek to terminate officers who caused the deaths of Chicagoans, record show.

The American Society of Landscape Architects announced Lurie Garden as the 2026 recipient of the organization’s Landmark Award.

The 23-year-old female whale was part of a second group of four whales that arrived at Shedd in mid-August, following a pod of four who came to Shedd in late July.

Meta agreed to pay out more than $17 billion and must implement significant safety features to protect children on Instagram and Facebook as part of a new settlement with Illinois and dozens of other states announced Wednesday.

The Chicago Sky have banned Enes Kanter Freedom from their home games after the former NBA center was ejected from Sunday’s loss to the Indiana Fever.

With the few months they have left as senators, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Bill Cassidy have embarked on a mission to save tens of millions of Social Security beneficiaries from a projected 22% cut in their benefits, starting in just six years.

The terms of two members of the board expired last month, including Vice Chair Ryan Cortazar, who has led the board since former Chair William Conlon stepped down in July 2025, and Board Member Sarah Jin.

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

The new leader of the Chicago Department of Public Health on his vision for a healthy city. And as kids head back to school, President Donald Trump recommends changes to childhood vaccines.

Dr. Garth Walker assumed the role of Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner this month after he was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and unanimously confirmed by the Chicago City Council in July.

The executive order recommends splitting the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine into three separate shots and reducing the number of vaccines recommended for all children from 18 to 11.