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Bring Chicago Home Referendum Still Too Close to Call as Mail-In Ballots Counted

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People speak out in support of Bring Chicago Home at a rally on March 15, 2024. (WTTW News)

The ballot measure would give Chicago City Council the power to hike the Real Estate Transfer Tax on property sales over $1 million to help fight homelessness. The close race could point to some disagreement among Chicagoans over how to support the city’s unhoused.

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People speak out in support of Bring Chicago Home at a rally on March 15, 2024. (WTTW News)

Johnson Vows to Continue Pushing ‘Big, Bold’ Agenda After Progressives See Some Disappointing Election Results

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Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a news conference Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (WTTW News)

“No one said it was going to be easy,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “I’m very much committed. The fight still goes on. We’re going to keep organizing.”

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Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a news conference Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (WTTW News)

At Least 2 State Legislators Lose Their Seats in Primary Election. A Look at the General Assembly Results

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Illinois State Capitol. (WTTW News)

At least two sitting members of the Illinois state legislature – including the longest-serving member of the General Assembly – won’t be returning to Springfield next year after losing their primary races Tuesday.

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Illinois State Capitol. (WTTW News)

Johnson Taps Official Who Greenlighted Botched Little Village Smokestack Implosion to Lead Buildings Department

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A still image from a video taken of the demolition of the Crawford Coal Plant smokestack, April 11, 2020. (Alejandro Reyes / YouTube)

Mayor Brandon Johnson nominated Marlene Hopkins to permanently replace former Buildings Commissioner Matthew Beaudet, whom Johnson fired last month. Hopkins’ nomination must be confirmed by the Chicago City Council.

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A still image from a video taken of the demolition of the Crawford Coal Plant smokestack, April 11, 2020. (Alejandro Reyes / YouTube)

Illinois to Create Advisory Council for Affordable Sickle Cell Treatment

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs an executive order March 18, 2024, alongside 7-year-old Kioko Jenkins, who has sickle cell disease, at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago. The order creates an advisory council to investigate how Illinois’ Medicaid program can help cover costs of emerging gene therapies. (Dilpreet Raju / Capitol News Illinois)

About 5,000 Illinoisans live with sickle cell disease, a gene defect most common in Black people that causes red blood cells to be misshapen and die off early, resulting in chronic fatigue and pain. 

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs an executive order March 18, 2024, alongside 7-year-old Kioko Jenkins, who has sickle cell disease, at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago. The order creates an advisory council to investigate how Illinois’ Medicaid program can help cover costs of emerging gene therapies. (Dilpreet Raju / Capitol News Illinois)

EPA Issues New Auto Rules Aimed at Boosting Electric Vehicles and Hybrids, Cutting Carbon Emissions

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An electric vehicle is pictured charging in Chicago. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois)

The new standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of planet-warming carbon emissions over the next three decades and provide nearly $100 billion in annual net benefits, the EPA said.

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An electric vehicle is pictured charging in Chicago. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois)

Two-Thirds of Young Children in Chicago Are Exposed to Dangerous Lead Levels in Water: Study

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There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune / Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Researchers found about 75% of residential city blocks in Chicago had lead-contaminated water. And more than two-thirds children under the age of 6 in Chicago live on these blocks and may be exposed to lead-contaminated water.

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There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune / Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Chicago to Pay $57.2M to Settle 3 Police Misconduct Cases, Including Pursuit That Left Teen Unable to Walk or Speak

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(WTTW News)

The cost to taxpayers of the settlements approved without debate by the City Council on Wednesday is equivalent to more than a third of the city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

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(WTTW News)

March 19, 2024 - Full Show, 10 p.m.

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The polls are closed, and a number of Illinois primary races have been called. Our Spotlight Politics team analyzes the day’s biggest contests.

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Push to Give City Council Power to Hike Taxes on Sales of Million-Dollar Properties Trails As Neither Side Concedes

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Mayor Brandon Johnson rallies supporters of the proposal known as Bring Chicago Home on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)

The last time Chicago voters passed a binding referendum that applied to the entire city was 1885, when they voted to create the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, according to city records.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson rallies supporters of the proposal known as Bring Chicago Home on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)

Eileen O’Neill Burke in Tight Race With Clayton Harris to Replace Kim Foxx as Cook County’s Top Prosecutor

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Eileen O’Neill Burke and Clayton Harris III are running for the Democratic nomination in the race for Cook County state’s attorney. (Photos provided)

Retired judge Eileen O’Neill Burke is facing off against lobbyist and former prosecutor Clayton Harris as they each vie to become state’s attorney for the nation’s second-largest prosecutor’s office.

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Eileen O’Neill Burke and Clayton Harris III are running for the Democratic nomination in the race for Cook County state’s attorney. (Photos provided)

Justice Joy Cunningham Claims Victory in Illinois Supreme Court Primary Race

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1st District Appellate Justice Jesse Reyes and state Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham. (Provided)

Justice Joy Cunningham was appointed by the court to fill the seat ahead of Justice Anne Burke’s 2022 retirement. Cunningham’s opponent in Tuesday’s race, Appellate Judge Jesse Reyes, was striving to be the first Latino on the state’s high court.

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1st District Appellate Justice Jesse Reyes and state Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham. (Provided)

Democratic Incumbents Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García, Danny Davis Stave Off Primary Challenges

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The U.S. Capitol Building (Paula Nardini / Pexels)

With polls across Illinois officially closed, several longtime incumbent House representatives will soon learn if they’ll retain their Congressional seats or if their challengers will emerge victorious.

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The U.S. Capitol Building (Paula Nardini / Pexels)

As Polls Close in Illinois Primary, Chicago Ekes Out 20% Voter Turnout

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(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The initial turnout tally was at just 20.2% of the nearly 1.7 million registered voters — including early voting and vote-by-mail ballots.

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(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Spyropoulos Defeats Martinez in Race for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk

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Incumbent Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez (left) faces a challenge from Mariyana Spyropoulos (right), a member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. (Provided)

While the office of circuit court clerk might not be as well-known as other county offices up for grabs Tuesday, it is a powerful perch. The clerk controls more than 1,400 jobs and handles everything from evictions to traffic tickets to child support.

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Incumbent Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez (left) faces a challenge from Mariyana Spyropoulos (right), a member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. (Provided)

Biden and Trump Notch Primary Wins in Illinois, Other States as Races Offer Hints on National Politics

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President Joe Biden speaks at an event Dec. 8, 2023, in Las Vegas. Five states will hold presidential primaries on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their party's primaries in Illinois on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in this November's presidential election.

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President Joe Biden speaks at an event Dec. 8, 2023, in Las Vegas. Five states will hold presidential primaries on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

March 19, 2024 - Full Show, 5:30 p.m.

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It’s Election Day in Illinois. We break down what voter turnout looks like and its impact on races. Our Spotlight Politics team analyzes the day’s biggest contests.

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