Brutal cold blasts Chicago during the busiest travel days of the year. Gun rights advocates protest assault weapons ban proposal. Two dead in a shooting outside Juarez High School. And Cubs and Sox sign big free agents.

A bartender mixes a drink at the Chicago restaurant 14 Parish. (WTTW News)

A look at the political and economic ramifications of the COVID-19 surge. Our politics team and guest reporters weigh in on that and more.

A juror was dismissed on the third day of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial for making a joke about a white police officer shooting Jacob Blake who is Black.  (WTTW via CNN)

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse gets underway in Kenosha. CPS cancels classes for Nov. 12 as CDC OKs vaccine for kids. More fallout from the Chicago Park District sex abuse scandal. And Rahm Emanuel is one step closer to becoming Ambassador to Japan.

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A war of words ensues as the mayor and police chief blame the courts for the city’s violence. Joe Biden’s first stop in Illinois as president. The list of alderpeople under indictment grows. And the city pension debt swells.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives an update on the coronavirus and announces new reopening guidelines on Thursday, March 18, 2021 (WTTW News)

Gov. Pritzker’s plans for a full reopen. A West Side hospital in trouble for Trump Tower vaccinations. The Bears’ new quarterback lands with a thud, and Loyola and Illinois tip off the NCAA tourney.

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COVID-19, civil unrest, a chaotic election, spiking homicides and the walls close in on House Speaker Madigan. Looking back at a year nobody will ever forget, and what lies ahead in 2021.

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Illinois reports a record 6,943 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, surpassing the previous record set one day earlier. As cases rise so do tensions between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and business owners amid pandemic-related closures.

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Mayor Lightfoot tests negative for COVID-19 after appearing with an alderman who later tested positive. Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes aim at businesses flouting public health guidance with new rules designed to enforce capacity limits and the state’s mask mandate.