Illinois lawmakers race to finish a state budget and a Bears stadium deal. And Mayor Brandon Johnson journeys to meet Pope Leo XIV.

Juliana Stratton notches a commanding win in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary. And a busy week at City Hall as Mayor Brandon Johnson pledges a veto — and fires a top deputy.

Another government shutdown looms as Democrats demand an immigration enforcement cool-down. And changes are coming to SNAP, affecting hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents.

Gov. JB Pritzker signs a bill to allow terminally ill adults to die on their own terms. And residents of a troubled South Shore building are being evicted.

The state starts tracking immigration agents accused of abusing their power. And Chicago City Council members start kicking the tires on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget.

Chicago braces for a wave of immigration agents and National Guard troops. And the Chicago Board of Education backs a budget Mayor Brandon Johnson opposed.

Federal agents descend on a local museum, with community leaders saying they meant to bully and intimidate. And the mayor and governor decry the president’s signature new spending bill.

The Illinois House advances a bill allowing physician-assisted death for the terminally ill. And an overhaul of public transit in the Chicago area is lining up in Springfield.

The Trump administration abruptly revokes visas for students at local universities. And state elections officials look into the Illinois Senate president’s campaign fund.

The U.S. Department of Justice strikes at Illinois’ immigration laws. And a debate over a controversial piece of art at the Chicago Cultural Center leads to an alderperson’s ejection.

The mayor brings in a new school board while the district faces a budget crunch. And alderpeople jam up City Council, angry over the CPS board and the end of ShotSpotter.

A Chicago church is launching a strategic voting initiative, bringing in local and national star power like the Rev. Al Sharpton to engage more Black voters and encourage them to coalesce around one candidate.

As Democrats rally behind a new candidate for president, could Illinois’ governor be on the ticket? And Chicago Public Schools budget math. 

Most of the car companies manufacturing electric vehicles, a quickly growing market, have dropped AM radio from new vehicles. Because more than 40% of all radio listening is done in cars, there has been major pushback to the growing lack of AM access.

There’s a grassroots push for an elected school board in Chicago, but how would a move away from an appointed board impact students? We discuss the pros and cons with Jesse Sharkey and Rufus Williams.