The Rundown | Chicago News

Illinois US Representative Nikki Budzinski says her name was included in the notes of the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers last weekend. Federal Plaza turned into a classroom today, with college educators from across Chicago offering lessons about Palestine. CPS officials are grappling with a large budget deficit for their upcoming school year. Plus, many immigrants from cou...

A Chicago city council committee has greenlit a $14.75 million settlement in a wrongful conviction case tied to disgraced former police commander Jon Burge. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the $55 billion state budget for the next twelve months into law. The James Beard Awards – sometimes called the “Oscars of the food world” – is happening Monday night in Chicago. Plus, we hear voices from t...

A man carrying a loaded gun and impersonating a police officer was arrested Thursday during anti-ICE protests in the Loop, according to Chicago police. “No Kings” demonstrations are scheduled in Chicago and across the country to coincide with President Donald Trump’s planned military parade in Washington DC on Saturday. Chicago is reporting its first West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes this season...

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker testified before a Congressional committee about the state’s immigration policies and sanctuary state status. A Chicago woman who was injured by the person who drove through an anti-deportation protest on Tuesday says she thinks the driver should lose their license. Brookfield Zoo’s new baby bottlenose dolphin has died. Plus, Chicago’s home for so-called “outsider art...

Chicago police made at least 17 arrests during Tuesday’s anti-ICE protest downtown. Chicago officials are bracing for more immigration raids as President Donald Trump has announced he’ll target five Democratic-led cities, including Chicago. Chicago aldermen could soon have a bigger say in banning AirBNB rentals in their wards. Plus, ahead of WBEZ's Father's Day Prisoncast special this Sunday, we h...

Immigration and labor organizers rallied in Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago to protest the Trump administration travel ban. Activists and community members plan to gather Tuesday to protest recent ICE raids in Chicago and Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors want a new trial for Illinois lawmaker Emil Jones III. Plus, the decade-long criminal pursuit of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan co...

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling says he feels for the officer who accidentally shot and killed their partner last week. Travelers into O’Hare International Airport this morning reacted to President Trump’s travel ban that went into effect at midnight. Dozens of immigrant and labor organizers rallied in Daley Plaza today to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Plus,...

Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford said haze from Canadian wildfire smoke will persist for the rest of the day and through the weekend. Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera, who was shot and killed Thursday night, is being remembered as a “vibrant” “hero.” The Chicago Sky will head to the United Center for Saturday’s game against the Indiana Fever. Plus, some experts are crediting community...

The Chicago area is under an air quality alert until midnight for people in sensitive groups because of wildfire smoke from Canada. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is condemning the ICE arrests of nearly a dozen immigrants Wednesday in the South Loop. The Chicago White Sox have announced a deal between owner Jerry Reinsdorf and investor Justin Ishbia that lays the groundwork for Ishbia to become the...

Meta has signed a 20-year agreement to buy electricity from the nuclear power plant in downstate Clinton. A federal court has ordered the city of Chicago to install thousands of accessible pedestrian signals over the next 10 years. And two notable local deaths: influential Chicago media columnist Gary Deeb has died at age 79. And Edmund White, who documented and imagined the gay revolution through...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the state should consider alternate revenue sources before taxing everyday riders to make up for a $770 million budget shortfall for local transit agencies. Despite a state law barring cooperating with immigration officials, Illinois State Police are sharing their gang database with ICE. The Chicago Fire plan to build a new stadium at The 78, a vacant space on Ro...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was in Joliet today talking about water. A new study shows exercise improved survival in colon cancer patients. And a bill that would increase funding for Illinois public transit stalled in the General Assembly over the weekend. Illinois lawmakers have adjourned for the summer. WBEZ’s Alex Degman has an update on the state budget passed this weekend.

The archbishop of Chicago has issued a rare statement to condemn a bill at the Illinois statehouse known as “Medical Aid in Dying." People living with old criminal records may soon get what advocates are calling a “second chance.” Illinois health organizations and doctors are concerned about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for hea...

The Illinois House passed a measure restricting the ability of ICE to operate at public schools. A measure to overhaul public transit has surfaced at the Illinois capitol – this one includes tax and fee hikes to pay for it. The Chicago area has been stuck with daily cloud cover and cooler temperatures but higher temps are expected by the start of next week. Plus, a conversation with Chicago musici...

An Illinois House committee has approved a measure that would let doctors prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients. A City of Chicago program wants to turn vacant city land into housing for working middle-class families. Pope Leo won’t make an in-person appearance at Rate Field next month to celebrate his papacy. Plus, WBEZ Contributor Adora Namigadde reports on a new play co-wr...

Shootings and homicides this past Memorial Day weekend were significantly lower compared with last year. The Chicago Housing Authority has a new team that will address environmental issues like lead, mold, and air quality. State lawmakers are considering a bill to place a statue of Pope Leo the 14th on the grounds of the state capitol in Springfield. Plus, Sueños Music Festival was this past weeke...

Local Jewish leaders are condemning the killing of two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. Chicago’s lakefront beaches are officially open for the summer. Festival season is back with Sueños this Saturday and Sunday. Plus, the Trump administration’s tariffs are meant to encourage companies manufacturing overseas to shift operations back to American soil. WBEZ’s Michael Puente r...

Chicago city leaders are condemning the killing of two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. last night. This season Chicago Sky fans have the opportunity to purchase student-designed apparel. The Northwestern Women's Golf team are national champions. Plus, President Donald Trump is going after student borrowers and it has some Chicagoans feeling stressed and hopeless. WBEZ’s Lis...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the Bears moving to Arlington Heights is not a done deal. The Chicago City Council is considering a measure to require landlords to have a valid reason for evicting tenants. Beloved Chicago actor and comedian George Wendt died this week. Plus, President Donald Trump is going after student borrowers and it has some Chicagoans feeling stressed and hopeless. WBEZ’s...

House Republicans are proposing roughly $300 billion dollars in cuts to SNAP. The non-profit Reparations Stakeholders Authority of Evanston says it has raised one-million dollars. A former Chicago priest with several accusations of child molestation says the newly-elected pope signed off on moving him into a monastery that sits next to an elementary school. Plus, new analysis by WBEZ and Chalkbeat...

The WNBA is investigating racial slurs directed at Chicago Sky star Angel Reese by fans during the Sky’s season opener loss against the Indiana Fever on Saturday. Illinois preschool providers say they're struggling after the Trump administration closed half of the federal offices for the early childhood education program Head Start. The dust storm that swept across the Chicago area on Friday is be...

A measure in Springfield to preempt potential actions by President Trump on abortion is one vote away from heading to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The Chicago Bears are reportedly shifting their focus back toward Arlington Heights as the site of the team's new stadium. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has tapped two people – the CEOs of the Chicago Urban League and the investment banking firm Loop Capi...

After months of negotiations, some Illinois lawmakers are convinced they can find enough money to stave off cuts to public transit. A new study from Northwestern Medicine finds participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program leads to better health outcomes for kids. The Illinois governor’s budget office says the state will have less money than expected going into the next fiscal yea...

New analysis shows the Illinois governor’s budget office expects fewer revenue dollars for the next fiscal year. A new HIV center in Edgewater hopes to be a resource for the thousands of people living with HIV in Chicago. Chicago has been selected to host next year’s UNESCO’s International Jazz Day. Plus, WBEZ’s data intern Ashley Soriano looked into Chicago landlords denying potential tenants tha...

Illinois plans to sue the Trump administration again. Chicago's former cultural commissioner was in town today urging local arts leaders to think big when it comes to advocacy in the Trump era. And, an innovative public defender's office is now open on Chicago’s far south side. Plus, WBEZ’s Dave McKinney reports on whether Governor Pritzker should seek re-election if he’s also eying the White Hous...