Milkweed stems stand tall in the Field Museum's Rice Native Gardens. In the past, gardeners have been threatened with fines when native plants were mistaken for weeds. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

More than two years after Chicago's City Council passed an ordinance creating a Native and Pollinator Garden Registry, an advisory board has finally been appointed to oversee the operation.

A ShotSpotter microphone is pictured on Feb. 7, 2024. (WTTW News)

Supporters say the ShotSpotter system is a useful tool that helps Chicago police officers get to crime scenes faster. But critics say the technology is unreliable and contributes to over policing in communities of color.

Bally’s Chicago Casino at Medinah Temple in River North. (WTTW News)

The temporary Bally’s casino in River North’s Medinah Temple brought in just over $3 million in tax revenue last year. That’s almost $10 million short of what former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration projected.

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Products made from delta-8 promise to deliver a milder marijuana-like high. But unlike marijuana, which is strictly regulated and can only be sold in licensed dispensaries, delta-8 can be sold in convenience stores and cafes, and there are no age minimums for purchase.

Bally's casino opening day on Sept. 9, 2023. (WTTW News)
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After three decades and several mayors pressuring Springfield, Chicago’s first casino officially opened its doors on Saturday. Hopes are high for a big economic boost. 

A Chicago Works sign hangs on the fence separating traffic from ongoing work to renovate the Dearborn Street bridge. (Heather Cherone/WTTW News)

Representatives of the city’s Department of Transportation and the Budget Office declined to provide WTTW News with a full breakdown of spending during 2021 and 2022 under the banner of Chicago Works.

Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward) carries the map crafted by the City Council's Latino Caucus into the city clerk's office Thursday, Dec. 2, 2020. (Heather Cherone/WTTW News)

By filing the map crafted by the Chicago Latino Caucus with the city clerk’s office, the alderpeople ensured that the June 28 primary election ballot could ask voters to decide what the ward map should look like for the first time in 30 years.

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According to Chicago police data, shootings have increased in both the downtown police districts over last year, with District 1 seeing a 66% increase and District 18 seeing a 59% increase.

Native plants are highly beneficial for the environment, but they often get mistaken for weeds. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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The creation of the Native and Pollinator Garden Registry means Chicago gardeners now have protection from overzealous ticket writers. And plants like milkweed can take their rightful place alongside other “flowers” instead of being mistaken for weeds.

A person rides a motorcycle in Chicago. (WTTW News)

Residents in and around downtown neighborhoods describe a noisy problem that has been festering for a year, and one that seemed to hit a fever pitch during Lollapalooza. But are law enforcement officials listening?

Members of the Chicago City Council meet on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (WTTW News)

As the battle over control of business sign permits concludes, a new front in the struggle over aldermanic prerogative opened Wednesday over the future of the city’s ward superintendents. 

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Leaders of the group that launched the push to rename Lake Shore Drive say they will agree to a compromise plan to call the iconic roadway “DuSable Lake Shore Drive,” but Mayor Lightfoot has yet to endorse the proposal.

A bartender mixes a drink at the Chicago restaurant 14 Parish. (WTTW News)
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The measure, which would ban the sale of alcohol at stores after midnight, is part of a part of a massive package of initiatives Mayor Lori Lightfoot said was designed to help Chicago businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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While celebrating the full reopening of Chicago on Friday morning as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she does not support the push to rename Lake Shore Drive, again calling it an “iconic” name with national recognition.

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Changing the addresses of the four museums could cost the institutions a significant amount of money and complicate their efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

(docaz / Pixabay)

Opponents of a plan to rename 17 miles of Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, Chicago’s first permanent non-Indigenous settler, blocked a vote on the measure Wednesday, enraging supporters of the plan, who called the move racist.