The Rundown | Chicago News

Chicago airports are expecting record-breaking air travel this summer. Columbia College Chicago has named a new president. The Cubs open regular season play against the defending World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers tomorrow in Tokyo, Japan.

A state lawsuit over a company’s publication of voters’ birthdates and home addresses is being settled. Illinois lawmakers consider a measure to legalize online gambling – meaning you’d legally be able to play poker on your phone for real money. Steppenwolf ensemble member Carrie Coon is intriguing audiences in this season of HBO’s White Lotus.

A wind advisory will be in effect later this afternoon and tonight for the Chicago area. The Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is closing. Plus, Chicago's chunky beaver has a name.

U.S. Department of Education layoffs put Illinois at risk of losing more than 3 billion in federal funding, Governor JB Pritzker warns. Chicago Board of Education members talk about the possibility of making a controversial pension payment. Cook County could lose more than $100 million dollars a year if the state ends a health insurance program for immigrants.

Governor JB Pritzker is comparing the Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs within the Education Department to dismantling democracy. The first regional branch of the Chicago Public Library to open on the city’s South Side is celebrating 50 years in business. Plus, a total lunar eclipse could be visible from Chicago tonight.

The latest round of layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education may complicate the college financial aid application process, according to laid-off workers. The Chicago Board of Education holds a hearing today on amending the current year budget. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says gun reforms are needed in the wake of two recent shootings.

Farmers in Illinois are concerned about massive cuts targeting the scientists who provide weather forecasts and storm warnings. Some Illinois education leaders say President Donald Trump’s move to cut staffing at the Department of Education by half will have dire consequences. Plus, one of Chicago’s premiere theaters celebrates its 50th birthday next season.

Eligible homeowners can now register for a chance to apply for a city program that would provide them with free roof and porch repairs. After a yearlong fight, one man earns his release from prison. New data from the state shows the Illinois teacher shortage is easing.

Students and faculty are calling on the University of Chicago to protect students from the Trump administration. Chicago’s summer jobs program is seeing yet another year of growth after a big pandemic-induced dip. Plus, Billy Corgan, of the Smashing Pumpkins, will stage a world premiere show at Lyric in November. 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is now allowing the public to see the infamous “gift room.” U.S. Representative Frank Mrvan says he does not support a government shutdown, but is also against deep cuts to Medicaid. A measure to regulate Illinois homeschooling is getting some pushback.

A Chicago City Council committee gave initial approval to a $280,000 settlement stemming from a 2020 protest at the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park. People who live in Illinois owe more than $63 billion in student loans and face multiple levels of uncertainty as the Trump administration strips away debt relief programs. The city of Gary, Indiana is demolishing several old housing structu...

The women’s rally downtown this weekend offered a platform to hundreds of locals to vent their frustrations towards President Trump. Public health officials are urging residents to stay current on measles vaccinations amid national outbreaks. Researchers have created a machine that can detect bird flu.

Illinois is joining 19 states to sue multiple federal agencies. Property values have fallen in downtown Chicago. Plus, the newest Beluga calf at the Shedd Aquarium now has a name.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Illinois Department of Public Health officials say there was a more than 8% drop in overdose deaths in 2023, exceeding a nationwide decline of 4%. The results of an online contest to pick the new Illinois state flag are in.

After months of planning – city officials have begun connecting people living in Gompers Park with permanent housing. Illinois Department of Public Health officials are reporting an 8 percent drop in overdose deaths in 2023. Plus, Chicago released its first look at the summer festival calendar today.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s stuck to his talking points during a Congressional hearing. Chicago advocates criticize GOP leaders for spreading misinformation about immigrants during a congressional hearing yesterday. Chicago school board members are facing big budget decisions in the next two weeks.

A day after announcing it was selling 443 federal buildings, Trump administration officials apparently have reversed course for now. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city’s sanctuary status helps reduce crime – not exacerbate it – while testifying before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee along with the mayors of Boston, New York, and Denver. As the Trump administration continues t...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to keep it cool, calm and collected at what’s expected to be an aggressive Congressional hearing on the city’s sanctuary status. A veteran Democratic congressman is strongly criticizing the Trump administration’s plans to sell federal buildings in Chicago. Preservation Chicago has released its annual list of the seven most endangered buildings in the city.

Democrats Jan Schakowsky, Sean Casten, and Mike Quigley say they will not attend President Trump's joint address to Congress tonight. Hundreds of parents and some of their children rallied at the Illinois State Capitol today. Plus, a national theater group sees a silver lining in its latest report on the financial health of the industry.

The mayor of Highland Park says it's a relief Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty yesterday. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the Democratic Party needs to reset its agenda to win back the White House. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says it’s going to take $19 million dollars to fix up the site of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home.

Robert Crimo III is pleading guilty to the mass shooting at the 2022 4th of July parade in Highland Park. A federal judge in Chicago is throwing out four of nine bribery convictions in a case involving a group of former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists. Polish President Andrzej Duda is in Chicago to celebrate Pulaski Day.

Chicago News: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s supporters sent him off to D.C. with words of advice. Opening statements begin today (MON) in the trial of the young man suspected of pulling the trigger in the Highland Park mass shooting in 20-22. Plus, Local medical experts worry that some patients may lose their lives, or livelihoods, if Congress slashes Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Plainfield landlord accused of attacking his Palestinian tenant and killing her six-year-old son has been found guilty on all counts. More than a dozen Democratic elected officials in Illinois are blasting Republicans in Congress for voting to cut Medicaid health insurance by billions of dollars. Plus, Caitlin Clark is coming to the United Center.

Chicago News: Five of seven charter schools slated for closure get another reprieve at an emotional Chicago school board meeting. After a judge rules in favor of federal workers, a Chicago area union leader calls the ruling a big win. Plus, The organizer of the new Social Change Theater Festival talks about the plays of tomorrow.

Dozens of parents, students, and teachers are asking the Chicago Board of Education to save their charter schools. The 2026 campaign for Illinois governor is starting to take off. Plus, an update on where you can get a REAL ID this weekend.