With only $40 and forged paperwork, crooks are stealing houses from unsuspecting homeowners. It’s real -- and a felony. Last week, the Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance cracking down on the "Clouding A Title" scammers, adding steep fines to jail sentences. City Treasurer Stephanie Neely and Cook County Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarbrough join us with tips on how to protect yourself from strangers changing your locks and moving in.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart plans to eradicate abandoned and blighted homes throughout the county, using county boot camp labor. What community is he starting with? Brandis Friedman has the story. Read an article and view a slideshow.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is raising concerns about local law enforcement's ability to object to certain concealed carry applicants. Brandis Friedman has the details. Read an article.

Embattled Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios joins Elizabeth Brackett for a one-on-one interview. View a timeline of his political career.

Boarded up homes; distressed neighborhoods -- Chicago is struggling to deal with the fallout of the foreclosure crisis on top of depopulation on the south and west sides. The city is tearing down abandoned properties that are magnets for crime. But what else can be done to reshape troubled areas? We talk with Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, who spearheaded the creation of the Cook County Land Bank, and Marshall Brown, an architect, urban planner and professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

17-year-old criminal offenders in Illinois will go to juvenile detention instead of jail beginning next year. We have the details about why that has some concerned. Read an article.

After appealing to the Supreme Court for help, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle hopes the system is one step closer to resolving the massive backlog of Cook County criminal cases resulting in some inmates waiting years for their cases to be adjudicated. Carol Marin and her guests take a closer look at the effort to improve criminal courts operations. Read letters from President Preckwinkle and Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Kilbride.

A new investigation by the Better Government Association reveals doctors and staff at Cook County's Stroger Hospital are allegedly shorting their hours and wasting taxpayer money. We discover the BGA's disturbing findings and what the hospital has already done as a result of the investigation. Read an article.

With Illinois now the final state to allow concealed carry, law enforcement officials are putting in place the infrastructure to make it happen. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is here with details on how gun owners will apply for permits.

We share what you had to say about Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and a recent giraffe birth at Brookfield Zoo in tonight's Viewer Feedback.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has released an initial budget for the next fiscal year, and in it she estimates a $152 estimated deficit. We talk with President Preckwinkle about what to expect with Cook County’s fiscal health. Read her preliminary budget.

A group of Democratic ward bosses pick a replacement for convicted former Cook County Commissioner William Beavers. Spoiler alert: it wasn't Todd Stroger. Paris Schutz has more on who it is, and why the choice is raising eyebrows.

An ordinance that would crack down on illegal gun purchases quietly passes the Cook County Board today. Paris Schutz has more on what this means to the city's gun control efforts.

Two years ago tomorrow, Toni Preckwinkle became Cook County Board President. She joins us with a look ahead at the rest of her term.

How could Rhode Island's pension reform efforts inform Cook County's solution? The architect behind some of the country's boldest pension reform joins us.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle asks a political insider to resign from his part-time county post that pays salary and full benefits. Paris Schutz has more on this obscure county agency, and what it costs taxpayers.