Bally’s opened a temporary casino at Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave. (WTTW News)
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Chicagoans and tourists feeling lucky can play 800 slot games and 56 table games in the century-old Shriner’s temple at 600 N. Wabash Ave., with its distinctive domed ceilings and stained-glass windows.

Construction is underway at the Garfield Park Community Plaza on Aug. 11, 2023. (WTTW News)

Renovations are underway at the Garfield Park Community Plaza to create more play areas for kids, a stage, a covered roller rink and a sculpture designed by young people from the community.

(WTTW News)

Public transit and amenities like theaters, parks, libraries and grocery stores make neighborhoods more livable and appealing. But do they actually make them safer?

(WTTW News)

Neighborhood development and transit options are one way to make neighborhoods more livable, local advocates say. That’s why a coalition of organizations, artists, authors and developers are all working to advance the goal of equitable transit-oriented development.

A Chicago landmark since 2001, the Medinah Temple was most recently home to a Bloomingdale’s furniture store and is now set to become a temporary casino. (WTTW News)
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It is not clear exactly when Bally’s will be able to open a temporary casino in the century-old Shriner’s temple at 600 N. Wabash Ave., with its distinctive domed ceilings and stained-glass windows. A Chicago landmark since 2001, the temple was most recently home to a Bloomingdale’s furniture store.

Hundreds of acres of land in Sugar Grove are targeted for redevelopment. (WTTW News)

Hundreds of acres of vacant land in Sugar Grove has a developer looking to build housing, civic space, retail – and distribution warehouses. Some residents are uneasy the project would change the village’s small town feel. 

Paul Vallas fields questions from the news media on Feb. 7, 2023, after the WTTW News mayoral forum. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas’ plan to reverse decades of disinvestment on the South and West sides of Chicago focuses on the creation of an independent community development authority that would limit tChicago City Council members’ control of zoning in their wards. 

A view of La Salle Street and the Chicago Board of Trade. (WTTW News)

The historic LaSalle Street corridor has been an economic engine for the city since the turn of the last century. But in recent years, the once vibrant financial district has suffered as major banks that anchored the area moved elsewhere in the city.

(WTTW News)

Demolishing the record set in each of the past two years, $1.22 billion poured into the city’s 129 TIF funds in 2021, according to a report from the office of the Cook County Clerk.

The proposed casino is set to be built on the Chicago Tribune printing plant and newsroom site near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. (WTTW News)
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Bally’s Chicago casino is set to have 3,400 slots and 173 table games in addition to an exhibition hall, 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater and 11 restaurants. The development will include a 2,100-square-foot park and walking path along the river and a three-level underground parking garage, according to the plans released by city officials.

The proposed casino is set to be built on the Chicago Tribune printing plant and newsroom site near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. (WTTW News)
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The $1.74 billion proposal still needs the approval of the Illinois Gaming Board, which must license Bally’s to operate the Chicago casino set to be built along the Chicago River near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

(WTTW News)
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The community’s 53rd Street is home to many locally-owned shops, nightlife spots and restaurants. There’s been some turnover during COVID, but a lot of the small businesses have hung on — even though they’re still facing challenges. 

Bally’s casino and resort would be built on what is now the Chicago Tribune printing plant and newsroom near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. (Provided)
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The $1.73 billion proposal now heads to the Illinois Gaming Board, which must license Bally’s to operate the Chicago casino set to be built along the Chicago River near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

Bally’s casino and resort would be built on what is now the Chicago Tribune printing plant and newsroom near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. (Provided)
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The Chicago City Council is expected to give its final stamp of approval to the Bally’s plan on Wednesday, sending the proposal to the Illinois Gaming Board, which must license Bally’s to operate the Chicago casino set to be built near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

Bally’s casino and resort would be built on what is now the Chicago Tribune printing plant and newsroom near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. (Provided)
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Even though Lightfoot stacked a special City Council committee with her allies to consider the casino proposal, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th Ward) acknowledged Friday that the mayor did not have enough support to advance the plan to build a casino and resort.

(WTTW News)
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While Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her administration have touted the proposal from Bally’s as the most lucrative proposal the city received and said the casino would be an “iconic” addition to Chicago’s riverfront, members of the City Council continue to greet those claims with skepticism.