A new study concludes that Cook County has become one of the most desirable places for those escaping the extreme effects of climate change. Climate refugees seeking more stable environments look to cities across the Midwest. But is the Midwest really a safe haven? 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot began her campaign for a second term as mayor on Wednesday with a whistle-stop tour focused on the South and West sides, vowing to battle the forces that continue to segregate Chicago and exclude Black and Latino residents from getting their share of city resources and investment.

Starting in July, minimum wage employees of larger businesses will see their paychecks rise by 40 cents an hour to $15.40

In 2020, the murder rate with handguns was the highest in 25 years, with over 10,000 gun-related deaths of children and adults younger than 24. Firearm-related murders increased by 35% among children and young adults, from 2019 to 2020. And it has a significant impact on young people’s mental health.

Mayor Lightfoot announces she’ll seek another term. One-on-one with another entrant into the race. Previewing the Jan. 6. Congressional hearings. And combatting mental health issues in youth.

The state has awarded 48 cultivation licenses to craft cannabis growers, and 100% of the licenses are going to social equity winners — folks who were most impacted by the nation’s so-called war on drugs.  

The charges against members of the angry pro-Trump mob range from low-level misdemeanors for those who only entered the Capitol to felony seditious conspiracy charges against far-right extremists. It’s the largest prosecution in the history of the Justice Department.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s opening argument in her bid to be the first woman to be re-elected as Chicago mayor acknowledges that much of her term in office has been marked by bruising and at times deeply personal confrontations. “Change doesn’t happen without a fight,” Lightfoot said in the video.

Late last week, another candidate got into the race for mayor: 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer. Sawyer has a long history with City Hall; his father Eugene Sawyer – served the city of Chicago as mayor for a brief period after the death of Harold Washington. And in 2011, the younger Sawyer was elected to lead the ward where he was born and raised.

Ald. Ed Burke loses big in his attempt to throw out key evidence in his federal criminal trial. Plus, eroded shoreline along Lake Michigan, and Cook County is a top destination for those escaping climate change.

Chicago’s beaches are seeing fluctuating lake levels and worsening erosion. This, as Lake Michigan levels drop, following two years of record highs.

A legal brawl between Fifth Third Bank and federal regulators is underway; Walmart is hiring big time; and a new study says Cook County has earned itself a new title: climate change refuge. 

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow’s 194-page ruling paves the way for Burke and his co-defendants, longtime aide Peter Andrews and Portage Park businessman Charles Cui, to stand trial together in 2023, more than three years after they were indicted and pleaded not guilty.