The Rundown | Chicago News

City and state officials now have a set of clear recommendations on how to create a combined shelter system for both unhoused Chicagoans and recently arrived migrants. A federal judge declared a mistrial in the case of a former AT&T Illinois executive accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Jurors couldn’t agree on a verdict. The CTA chief has ideas to improve service – b...

A federal jury is stalemated over whether a former phone company executive tried to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Illinois could see major cuts to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by the end of the month. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is defending his decision to not say whether he’s taking a pay raise.

Mayor Brandon Johnson says he’ll issue the first veto by a Chicago mayor since 2006. A fight between politicians about the impacts of ending cash bail in Illinois. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says the state needs to do more to meet its climate goals.

The Chicago Board of Education has approved a new five year strategic plan that envisions more students learning a second language. The Chicago City Council has approved an $11.6 million settlement for Anthony Jakes, who spent two decades in prison after detectives under the disgraced late commander Jon Burge beat a false confession out of him in a 1991 murder case. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel...

Illinois has the capacity to meet just 24% of the mental health needs of the state, according to a 2021 analysis by The American Association of Medical Colleges. To help close the gap in the city, a pilot program called “Healing Arts Chicago” is getting creative by training local artists to serve as community health workers.  “The premise was like, we already knew that Chicago has really a we...

A gun design expert took the stand yesterday in a federal trial over Illinois’ ban on assault-style weapons. A politically fraught debate over the gunshot detection technology, ShotSpotter. WBEZ examines year one of Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act.

Chicago has seen an uptick in voter registrations with about seven weeks left until Election Day. A commission created in response to the killing of Sonya Massey held its first listening session last night. Chicago elected officials are slated to receive a 4 percent raise next year – but Mayor Brandon Johnson hasn’t said whether he’ll take it.

A federal trial in Southern Illinois over a state gun ban gets underway with more witness testimonies. The Massey Commission holds a listening session before selecting commissioners… and before technically forming. There’s been a decline in biking deaths across Chicago– but some cycling advocacy groups say more protections are needed.

A Chicago City Council panel today signed off on nearly $15 million to settle four police misconduct lawsuits. The Chicago Board of Education caused a stir in December by saying it intended to shift away from school choice, but now the board says it is not planning on making any big changes to charter or selective enrollment schools. Tito Jackson, the Gary, Indiana-born older brother of Michael Ja...

Here are some reasons you might want to found your tech startup in Chicago: 1) it’s a great place to live, 2) it’s not as expensive as New York or Silicon Valley and 3) the city is not already over-saturated with tech companies vying for investors.  That’s all according to Griffin Cox and Haydée Marino, two of the founders behind ezbot.ai , a Chicago-based tech start-up that uses machine lear...

A federal judge in East Saint Louis is hearing arguments today in a trial over an Illinois gun control law. A Chicago City Council panel is scheduled to vote on a deal that could lead to dozens of settlements in wrongful convictions tied to a corrupt former sergeant. People from all over the country flock to celebrate Mexican Independence Day at Grant Park.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is appointing Walter Burnett, the City Council’s longest-serving alderman, to be the next chair of the powerful Zoning Committee. Mexican Independence Day celebrations kick-off across Chicago this weekend and the Fire Department is warning drivers that caravans could make it difficult for emergency vehicles to pass through. Black fraternities and sororities are hostin...

It’s nearly Libra season, an astrological sign known for patience.  Loona Dae is a Chicago-based musician (and a Libra) who has waited until this weekend to perform songs from her 2023 debut album, ATARI .  “I’m a very patient person,” she told Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez, referring to both releasing and performing songs from that album, but also to her long-term friendship-turned-relations...

Illinois public defenders are feeling the squeeze, one year after the state eliminates the cash bail system. Some changes are coming to Illinois’ Bright Start college savings program. A group of environmental activists is working with state lawmakers to pass a bill aimed at protecting a large, underground water source.

Illinois public defenders are feeling the squeeze, one year after the state eliminates the cash bail system. Some changes are coming to Illinois’ Bright Start college savings program. A group of environmental activists is working with state lawmakers to pass a bill aimed at protecting a large, underground water source.

A veterinarian once employed by suburban horse-racing track Hawthorne is accusing that facility – and a state agency – of misconduct. The north suburban man accused of killing seven people at the 2022 Highland Park 4th of July Parade didn’t show up to a scheduled court hearing today. People in Canada and some northern U.S. cities may see faint auroras late tonight.

Some business owners on the city’s West Side are dreading the return of Riot Fest to Douglass Park later this month. A year since Illinois eliminated cash bail, a study looks at crime rates and the size of jail populations. A new festival kicking off this weekend looks to be a “hoot” for Chicago bird enthusiasts.

Riot Fest is heading back to Chicago’s west side. Rates of syphilis are rising across the country, including in Chicago. University of Illinois system leaders say their three campuses have enrolled a record number of students.

The Johnson Publishing Company was the powerhouse publisher of Ebony and Jet, influential and trendsetting magazines that offered narratives, products and depictions of Black folks that spoke to Black folks throughout the 20th century and beyond. Chicago artist Theaster Gates has been a caretaker, of sorts, for the archive of artifacts that once lived at 820 S. Michigan Avenue, the longtime home o...

The Park District board is set to vote on a permit for Riot Fest today… and one catering company with ties to a board member will set up shop at the big music festival. Chicago officials plan to close three migrant shelters, but some advocates worry about doing so before the city has a plan to end homelessness. An Illinois lawmaker is hoping for a more bipartisan Farm Bill.

City of Chicago officials plan to close three migrant shelters by the end of October since fewer people are arriving in the city. The state of Illinois is spending $6 million to bolster career training for people experiencing homelessness. The Chicago White Sox are just nine losses away from ending up on the wrong side of baseball history.

More charging stations across Illinois could make it easier to own an electric vehicle – new federal money is making that possible. In light of the Georgia school shooting, Illinois state lawmakers look to pass more safe gun storage laws. A new data study aims to help libraries demonstrate their value as community anchors in presentations to stakeholders.

The city of Chicago is enacting a hiring freeze to help close looming budget gaps. A Cook County Commissioner is hosting a public hearing about the lack of public transit in the northwest suburbs. The Chicago Sky will finish the WNBA season without star Angel Reese after a sidelining wrist injury.

Growing up in Englewood, Chatham and Washington Park in the 1960s and ‘70s, Ernest Dawkins said he knew he’d be a musician. “I always had a dream that I was playing the saxophone and I didn’t even know what a saxophone was when I was a child,” Dawkins said on the Rundown podcast.  Dawkins is one of the world’s premiere saxophonists and composers. He’s the leader of several ensembles, includin...

Some Chicago alderpersons say unspent federal relief dollars should be used to plug the city’s budget holes. CTA bus and rail operators raced against each other in a friendly competition over the weekend. Evanston hosted its first folk festival over the weekend.