The Rundown | Chicago News

A letter obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows 16 current or former employees of COPA, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, are calling on an oversight board to consider taking the first step toward removing the agency’s chief, Andrea Kersten. The leader of Chicago’s immigrant and refugee rights committee wants to hold hearings on how to remove barriers to housing for migrants. A new pl...

Chicago Latin pop artist Adam Martinez said he can struggle with conversational Spanish, not unlike the late Mexican-American superstar, Selena, who learned Spanish as a young adult. “Selena is one of my biggest inspirations,” Martinez said. “She learned through music. And there’s a lot of people in my family who only speak Spanish. And so I love to communicate with them through the way that I kno...

A new Save A Lot comes to West Garfield Park. Chicago's school board election is heating up as two groups raise big money to support candidates. Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren says there’s no deadline for closing a deal on a stadium downtown.

Some CTA riders are rattled by the murders on the Blue Line this week and are changing their routines as a result. Illinois State Senator Doris Turner says she’s holding off – for now – on filing police reform legislation in honor of Sonya Massey. The Illinois Flag Commission is now accepting designs for a new state flag.

The alleged shooter in a quadruple murder on the CTA Blue Line this week is ordered to remain locked up pending trial. A report says in 2023 – more dogs and cats were killed at Chicago’s Care and Animal Control shelter than in any other year since 2016. Meteorological summer is over… what weather can we expect during fall?

A judge ordered pre-trial detention for the alleged shooter in this week’s quadruple homicide on a CTA Blue Line train. The book “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin is this year’s pick for the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program. Tears were shed in last night’s finale of HBO’s Hard Knocks docu-series featuring the Chicago Bears.

Usually at a live performance, the audience is encouraged to give the performers their undivided attention. But at Meanwhile Chicago – a variety show featuring storytellers, essayists, comics and dancers – the audience is encouraged to draw and doodle the whole time.  “When you put a piece of paper and a pen in front of someone, almost everyone is going to grab it and start doodling,” said Me...

Illinois elected officials say they are prioritizing safety on public transit, in the wake of a fatal shooting on the Blue Line. About 30 people gathered outside Chicago’s Israeli consulate last night to protest Israel's government and mourn the recent deaths of Hamas-held hostages. Northwestern’s LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic is asking the US Supreme court to overturn a ban that prohibits gender affirmin...

Chicago’s top federal judge says the publication this year of home addresses for members of the federal bench is dangerous. Foxtrot is reopening its Gold Coast location on Thursday, five months after it closed. The Archdiocese of Chicago will be the first Catholic diocese in the state to offer natural burials.

An update on Chicago’s response to the influx of asylum seekers bused her from Texas. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle explains why she’s been quiet on abortion rights two years after Roe v Wade fell. Plus, the busy Ashland Avenue bus route will now run north an extra mile.

Chicago could soon be one of the largest cities worldwide without an intercity bus terminal. The Illinois Tollway is reminding drivers it has its own service to request roadside assistance. Federal COVID relief funding for school districts expires in September.

Chicago musicians Marquis Hill – a jazz trumpeter and bandleader – and Manasseh – a singer and soul artist – both stopped by Vocalo to talk with Nudia Hernandez about their lives, their love for one another, and their recent and upcoming collaborations. “He’s booked and busy,” Hernandez said of Hill.  And Manasseh?  “I feel like is the next big up-and-coming Chicago artist,” Hernandez sa...

There’s been a possible breakthrough in Chicago’s teacher contract negotiations: Chicago Public Schools administrators are planning to offer significant raises. The new Hard Rock Casino in Rockford is now open. The CTA is now using a new program powered by artificial intelligence to detect guns brandished by passengers at its train stations.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is anticipating a roughly $982 million budget gap for next year. The Food and Drug Administration has approved new COVID-19 vaccines to tackle new strains of the virus for the fall and winter months. The Chicago Jazz Festival kicks off tonight.

Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general is leaving the district for a new job. The State of Illinois is probably getting a new flag. The bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease have been found in the drinking water at the EPA’s regional headquarters in Chicago.

For the first time in five years the Chicago Abortion Fund is scaling back who it can help. Chicago’s civilian police oversight commission is talking about ways to reform traffic stops. New details surrounding the death of Emmett Till are coming out today on the 69th anniversary of Till’s murder.

Imagine dancing your heart out with your bestie like you used to, but still getting home by 10 p.m. That’s the idea behind Earlybirds Club, according to creators (and high school friends) Susie Lee and Laura Baginski.  “It’s a dance party for women that starts early and ends early because we all value our sleep,” Baginski said. Lee and Baginski have been selling out Earlybirds Club dance part...

Who will be running for Chicago’s first ever school board? The list is basically set. The city’s civilian police oversight held a hearing on traffic stop reform last night. New research shows Chicago’s housing developers are disproportionately white and male.

Chicago has reached record-breaking heat. Democratic Illinois lawmakers are vowing to enact Karina’s Bill, a measure that would require judges to order the confiscation of guns from people who have restraining orders against them. Brookfield Zoo announced that Judy, a 24-year-old bison, has died.

Chicago Public School students started their new school year yesterday in record heat – and are back for more of it today. A national bus tour kicking off in Chicago highlights child and home care workers’ struggles. Hopes that Illinois legislative employees will be allowed to unionize are dwindling.

There was excessive heat, a lack of bus drivers and also normal first day jitters as Chicago Public Schools welcomed thousands of students back to class today. The attorney for former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson is trying to get his client out of jail pre-trial for the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey. The White Sox have lost 100 games this season and it's not even September.

Tera Murray is a “chef instructor” at Silver Fork, a free culinary work-readiness program at the Center on Halsted. The seven-week program helps people in need prepare for future work opportunities in the industry.  “One of the students just recently incarcerated, he gave a speech at graduation,” Murray recalled. “And he said, ‘That was the first time that I felt human after coming out of pri...

Today is the first day of the fall semester for Chicago Public School students. We hear from one student who got ready for the big day this weekend. Illinois Democrats plan on hitting the road this fall – making sure people in swing states get out to vote. Northwestern University received a grant to create a new center focused on developing robot hands.

Workers started tearing down the Democratic National Convention at the United Center early Friday morning, and at least one expects to be working until 7 p.m. United Auto Workers at the Stellantis plant in Illinois could go on strike as early as mid-October. The Chicago Bears have reportedly traded for defensive end Darrell Taylor from the Seattle Seahawks.

Omar Apollo takes the stage at Northerly Island Friday night not too far from home – the Mexican-American musician hails from Hobart, Ind. – and ahead of his performance he talked with Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about his childhood there, how his Mexican-American parents gave him brutally honest feedback about his vocals when he was a teenager, and about the origins of his latest album (and current...