The single-term Republican leaves behind a complicated history. He spent five years in federal prison after being convicted of racketeering, bribery, extortion, money laundering and tax fraud for actions during his term as secretary of state. However, while in the governor’s mansion, Ryan commuted the death sentences of 167 men on Illinois’ death row in 2003.

What happens if you don’t have a Real ID when TSA begins enforcement measures tomorrow. And Illinois is pushing back against cuts to Head Start.

Cardinal Robert Prevost was born in Chicago, grew up in south suburban Dolton and served as prior of a local Augustinian order. He will now be known as Pope Leo XIV.

That massive growth funneled $5.84 billion into the special districts designed to spur redevelopment and eradicate blight, according to five years of reports on TIF districts published by the Cook County Clerk’s Office examined by WTTW News.

Tax-increment financing wasn’t invented in Chicago, but former Mayor Richard M. Daley perfected it as he worked to transform Mud City into a gleaming metropolis.

With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday began the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

Chicago faces an affordable housing shortfall of more than 119,000 units, and more than half of Chicagoans spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, making them burdened by housing costs.

What happens if you don’t have a Real ID when TSA begins enforcement measures tomorrow. And Illinois is pushing back against cuts to Head Start.

Amid falling birth rates, the administration is thinking up potential incentives for future mothers that include: a $5,000 postpartum baby bonus, and a “National Medal of Motherhood” for women who have more than six children.

Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on Head Start when they work or go to school. The program operates across all 50 states and supports more than 600 child care centers and 28,000 children across Illinois.

The Secretary of State’s Office is seeing “ridiculously long lines” at DMVs of residents who incorrectly think the office will stop issuing Real IDs after May 7, according to Alexi Giannoulias.

Chicago organizations feel the impact of Trump’s cuts to AmeriCorps programs. And a new book says we fundamentally misunderstand the causes of gun violence.

For decades, conservatives and liberals have fiercely debated what drives the nation’s gun violence epidemic. But a new book called “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence” says neither side has it right — and suggests a new pathway to stop these acts of violence before they start.