Chicago’s City Council is tightening public access amid a slew of chaotic meetings
In recent months, alderpeople have been accosted, received threats and security has had to clear council chambers on more than one occasion.
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Five years ago today: Butcher paper signals FBI raid on offices of ‘untouchable’ Ed Burke — and changes Chicago history
Reporters could only speculate about what prompted the raid, but ex-Mayor Lori Lightfoot admits she “rode that wave ‘till it crashed on the beach.”
Her family called police for help, then her lease was terminated
Diamond Jones is challenging Richton Park’s crime-free ordinance, saying it violated her constitutional rights. The suburban Cook County community is among several municipalities with similar laws on the books.
Despite frigid temps this week, El Niño year could mean mild, dry Chicago winter
The snow and lows in the teens Chicago experienced after Thanksgiving could be an anomaly in what’s shaping up as a strong El Niño winter.
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Holiday season in Chicago
Enjoy Chicago’s most festive season with these holiday happenings.
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Your Chicago holiday season bucket list: 33 festive things to do, from lights to live shows
Whether you’re looking for holiday songs, ice skating or a tea party, there’s a whole lot to do in Chicago right now. This curated list will jumpstart your planning.
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Chicago wrongly limited affordable housing with aldermanic prerogative, HUD says
Feds say giving Council members “a local veto over proposals to build affordable housing” has meant it’s “rarely, if ever, constructed in the majority-white wards that have the least affordable housing.”
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Mayor Johnson announces new church-city partnership to house migrants
The plan will shelter migrants in local churches until they find housing. It will reach 100 migrants immediately and 340 in total. More than 1,000 migrants remain at police stations.
Chicago students are working to improve their schools through student voice committees
As part of a shift in civics education, CPS is moving beyond facts and dates and toward helping students experience what it is like to create change.
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Illinois middle schoolers have to pass a civics ed class. How do you make sure it sticks?
CPS discourages civics tests based on rote memorization. Try a quiz using that approach — and see what schools are doing now instead.
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Sun-Times sports columnist Rick Telander is now a published poet, too
‘Sweet Dreams: Poems and Paintings for the Child Abed’, a passion project more than three decades in the making, is out now.
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A stitch in time: Joffrey Ballet costume crew stands ready to fix any rips in ‘The Nutcracker’
From repairing torn pants to stopping the walnuts from bumping into each other on stage, the work of Joffrey Ballet’s sewing team goes on long after the show starts.
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Buying a used car? Double-check safety recalls first
Federal law doesn’t require sellers to fix recalled vehicles before putting them up for sale.
What the Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen merger means for Chicago
The two upscale Chicago-based grocery stores announced the merger Monday.
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Got fall allergies this year? You’re not alone
Chicagoans have been reporting itchy eyes, runny noses and fatigue in high numbers. Experts say months of warm weather are to blame.
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COVID, RSV on the rise in the Chicago area
COVID risk is still low in our area, but with cases up, what can we expect during the winter months?
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Wonder what all those property taxes pay for? Cook County treasurer offers way to find out
The online education tool, “Where Your Money Goes,” calculates the money owed to each school district or other local unit of government in the past two years — showing the increase or decrease from the year before.
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Congressional Dems see potential challengers as 2024 election gets under way
A slew of statewide and county candidates filed petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Cook County clerk’s office on the first day of the week-long filing period to gain a spot on the March 19 primary ballot.
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COVID-19 dogs Burke trial, but no plans to halt rest of week’s testimony
COVID-19 is arguably one of the reasons it took so long for the feds to take former Ald. Ed Burke to trial in the first place.
Chicago is changing its migrant arrivals playbook
Taking advantage of a slowing number of buses arriving in Chicago and with an eye toward winter, the city is retooling its approach to welcoming migrants, aiming to soon empty all police stations.
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Construction of winter tents for migrants in Brighton Park to start Monday, alderperson says
A contractor is expected to begin the final phase of construction over the objections of Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) at a site where heavy metal contamination was found.
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Black Panthers’ legacy, image at issue in feud over historic sites
A push to memorialize the Illinois Black Panther Party on the National Register of Historic Places has advanced to the national level.
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Column: Slain drill rapper King Von looms on King Drive
King Von’s controversial mural near Parkway Gardens symbolizes not only the birthplace of drill, which boasts a global reach, but the neglect and violence troubling the community.
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How one Chicago artist is creating space for Indigenous queer, trans and two-spirit writers
For River Ian Kerstetter, collaboration and community are key.
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Convention for Palestine brings thousands to Tinley Park amid the Israel-Hamas war
More than 4,000 people packed the Tinley Park Convention Center for the 16th annual event that aims to preserve culture and history.
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U.S. airlines lose 2 million suitcases a year. Where do they all go?
When luggage and its owner can’t be reunited, airlines sell it to a store in Alabama, where its contents are sold to the public. The result is a grab bag of normal and odd things people travel with.
Who was Betty Boop? A new stage musical in Chicago tells a tale of the timeless cartoon creation.
Almost 100 years after Max Fleischer created the character, she remains a wildly popular slice of American pop culture.
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When Magic Happens: What Are We Binge-watching?
From vintage sitcom marathons to guilty pleasure trash TV, we’re spilling everything we’ve been watching.
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Justice reform groups partner with Vic Mensa’s pot company to provide care packages to people released from jail
The packages are co-branded with the logos of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and the rapper’s cannabis company, 93 Boyz.
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Get used to it: COVID is a part of the holidays. Here’s how to think about risks now
As the country enters its fourth holiday season with COVID-19, experts offer advice about how Americans should navigate the risks and what precautions still make sense.
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Chicago’s small-business owners have their day amid the holiday hoopla
Big-box chains still draw the crowds, but many shoppers prefer to support local merchants. They’re getting a push from Chicago-area festivities planned for Small Business Saturday.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters rally on Mag Mile to draw attention to Israel-Hamas war
Many attendees said terms of a four-day cease-fire in the Israeli bombardment of Hamas weren’t enough to end the long-term misery either.
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Making the holiday trains: How CTA decks the L’s at Santa’s Skokie workshop
It takes three months to ready the festive rail cars, which will start picking up passengers Nov. 24.
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Dog bites hit South and West Sides hardest — areas that lack dog parks, pet shops, other resources
While dog bites since 2019 have taken place all across the city, communities with the highest number of complaints are largely on the West Side, where there are fewer resources for dogs and their owners.
In a Northbrook mural, nods to nature and, of course, ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’
Terry Luc and Gerry Luc included a water tower bearing the words “Save Ferris” like a real one nearby was painted for the 1986 movie by John Hughes, who grew up in Northbrook.
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Thousands flock toward Loop for 89th annual Thanksgiving Parade
The award-winning parade returns to Chicago Thursday, starting on State Street from Ida B. Wells Drive until Randolph Street.
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How Chicago’s Mexican bakeries stay competitive
Lots of Mexican panaderías can be found near one another in neighborhoods like Pilsen. Here’s what it takes to stay in business.
