Freezing rain, storms bring outages to northern Illinois
January 11, 2020
FREEPORT, Ill. (AP) — Freezing rain left roads and trees glazed with ice Saturday across parts of northern Illinois as a winter storm packing a mixed bag of precipitation cut power to about 5,000 homes and businesses across the region. Just under 5,000 Commonwealth Edison customers were without...
Chicago police say body found in Lake Michigan
December 28, 2019
A woman’s body pulled Saturday from Lake Michigan just north of downtown Chicago, police said. The Chicago Police Department Marine Unit brought the body to shore after it was reported about 8:30 a.m., officials said. The body wasn’t immediately identified, and the cause of death was pending...
More than 200 new Illinois laws take effect at start of 2020
December 28, 2019
The start of the new year will trigger more than 250 new Illinois laws. While the legalization of recreational marijuana is getting the most buzz, state laws affecting higher education, job applicants, crime, parents and the LGBTQ community are also being set into motion. Here’s a closer look...
Want wifi with that commute? Metra seeks input on new cars
December 22, 2019
Metra is buying hundreds of new rail cars and wants passengers to weigh in on what amenities they'd like to see in them, from cup holders to power outlets, tray tables or wifi. The suburban Chicago commuter rail agency expects to spend almost $1.2 billion over the next five years to buy and rehab...
Chicago police: 13 wounded in shooting at memorial party
December 22, 2019
CHICAGO (AP) — A shooting early Sunday at a house party held in honor of someone who was killed in April left 13 people wounded, four of them critically, Chicago police said. The shooting stemmed from a dispute at the memorial party, Chief of Patrol Fred Waller said at an early morning news conference....
Where you’ll be able to buy recreational cannabis in Chicago area Jan. 1
Shane René, Editor-in-Chief
December 20, 2019
As the world celebrates the start of a new decade on Jan. 1, cannabis users in Chicago and across the state of Illinois will also celebrate the long-awaited end of cannabis prohibition. This year, in the early days of J.B. Pritzker’s tenure as governor, Illinois became the 11th state to app...
Man stabbed on Red Line at Fullerton stop
Bianca Cseke, Online Managing Editor
December 6, 2019
A man was stabbed Friday morning on a Red Line train at the Fullerton stop by DePaul's Lincoln Park campus, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. A 29-year-old man said he was on the train about 6 a.m. and tried to calm down another man who had been yelling, and the other man, 31, attacked him and they b...
Chicago mayor fires city’s top cop over ‘ethical lapses’
Sophia Tareen, Associated Press
December 2, 2019
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired the city’s retiring police superintendent Monday, citing “ethical lapses” that included telling lies about a recent incident in which Eddie Johnson was found asleep at the wheel of his car after having drinks. Named to the job in the wake of a police shooting...
City Council approves Lightfoot’s $11.6B budget plan
November 26, 2019
The Chicago City Council has passed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $11.6 billion budget plan by a 39-11 vote. Lightfoot’s office says Tuesday the budget is balanced and will close an $838 million shortfall without a “significant” increase in new property taxes. Lightfoot says in a release that...
CTA holiday trains, bus gearing up for season
November 25, 2019
The Chicago Transit Authority’s holiday train will soon roll into service. The six-car train decorated with holiday scenes, lights and LED displays will begin service Friday on all CTA lines. Santa and his reindeer will ride along and greet children and their families. Saturday riders will get t...
Autopsy shows UIC student found in car died of strangulation
November 25, 2019
The death of a University of Illinois at Chicago undergraduate student whose body was found inside a campus parking garage has been ruled a homicide. The Cook County medical examiner says Sunday’s autopsy showed 19-year-old Ruth George of Berwyn died of strangulation. UIC police Chief Kevin Booker...
Embattled Illinois prosecutor announces bid for reelection
Don Babwin, Associated Press
November 20, 2019
A prosecutor who came under harsh criticism when her office suddenly dropped charges against actor Jussie Smollett and is now the subject of a court-ordered investigation announced Tuesday she is running for reelection. In her news release saying she’s seeking the position again, Cook County State’s...
