Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at a news conference in Springfield on Wednesday before signing an order to rename McFarland Mental Health Center after Elizabeth Packard, a woman who was committed into an Illinois asylum against her will in 1860. (Capitol News Illinois)

A state-run mental health center in Springfield is being renamed to honor the woman who publicized its former namesake’s abusive methods.

A sign urging voters to vote "no" on Issue 1 in front of the Franklin County Board of Elections in Columbus, Ohio, on August 3. (Samantha Hendrickson / AP)
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The results underscore the new political reality, one that’s been repeatedly demonstrated in both blue and red states: Since the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year, abortion rights are a major, driving force.

Illinois State Capitol. (WTTW News)
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The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline reported a 9% uptick in contacts received between 2020 and 2021, according to The Network for Advocating Against Domestic Violence 2021 annual report. With those grim statistics, Illinois lawmakers hope updates to domestic violence laws will help survivors of abuse.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at a bill signing ceremony in Chicago Aug. 4, 2023, before signing three measures extending cultural protections to Native Americans in Illinois and requiring the teaching of Native American history in public schools. (Credit: Illinois.gov)
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At a bill signing ceremony in Schaumburg, Pritzker highlighted three historic sites that were significant in Native American history in Illinois.

Illinois Department of Human Services Inspector General Peter Neumer is pictured with a backdrop of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center, where he investigated allegations of abuse and neglect. (Neumer photo provided, Choate photo by Beth Hundsdorfer)

After serving nearly four years as the watchdog for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Peter Neumer will join the Chicago Park District as inspector general. 

Semi-automatic guns are displayed for sale at Capitol City Arms Supply, Jan. 16, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo / Seth Perlman, File)
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The prime exhibit in Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s effort is the JR-15, a smaller, lighter version of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle advertised with the tag line, “Get ‘em One Like Yours.” 

A homeless encampment in Humboldt Park. (WTTW News)

According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, more than 65,000 Chicagoans are currently unhoused.

(WTTW News)

Trump arraigned on four felony counts tied to Jan. 6. Mayor Johnson defends police response to teenage troublemakers last weekend. Northwestern hires the former U.S. attorney general. And Cubs bat the team into playoff contention.

A bus outside Broadway Armory. (WTTW News)

Hundreds of migrant men, women and children continue to sleep on police station floors, despite efforts to move them into shelters.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Arlington, Va., as he heads to Washington to face a judge on federal conspiracy charges alleging Trump conspired to subvert the 2020 election. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
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Former President Donald Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted on four felony counts by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. 

(WTTW News)
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City officials announced the lawsuit had been filed Thursday against Vision Property Management, LLC, its successor FTE Networks, Inc., and other affiliates in Cook County Circuit Court.

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a news conference on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. (WTTW News)

“No one was moved as a result of Lollapalooza,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday. “We are transitioning people into shelters. As a city, do we want people living in police stations? Is that acceptable? It’s not.”

(Alexander Grey / Unsplash)

Congress intended for the loans issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration, most of which were later forgiven, to keep small businesses afloat and their employees on the payroll as COVID-19 resulted in lockdowns and interrupted commerce.

From left, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell and Jeffrey Clark are pictured. (AP, Getty Images via CNN)
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The charging documents repeatedly reference six of these co-conspirators, but as is common practice, their identities are withheld because they have not been charged with any crimes.

Former President Donald Trump enters Erie Insurance Arena for a political rally while campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election on July 29, 2023 in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen / Getty Images)

The newest criminal counts against Trump include: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

FILE - This exhibit from video released by the House Select Committee, shows President Donald Trump recording a video statement on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, from the Rose Garden, displayed at a hearing by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (House Select Committee via AP,  File)

The indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a long-running federal investigation into schemes by Donald Trump and his allies to subvert the peaceful transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Joe Biden.