Stories by nick blumberg

(Sarah A. / Flickr)

CTA Weekend Closures at Three Red Line Stations in Edgewater

For the fourth weekend in a row, three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning.

Matt O’Connor, left, and Greg Kot appear on “Chicago Tonight” on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. (WTTW News)

Tribune Buyouts: Mixed Emotions for Longtime Journalists Leaving Company

Two veteran journalists who agreed to leave the Chicago Tribune after a recent round of buyouts talk about their hopes for the company’s future.

The CTA’s South Terminal at 95th/Dan Ryan on the Red Line opened in April 2018. A plan to extend the Red Line would connect the terminal to 130th Street. (Chicago Transit Authority / Flickr)

Long-Awaited CTA Red Line Extension Moves Forward With New $38M Contract

The CTA’s proposal for a 5-mile extension of the Red Line south to 130th Street is one step closer to reality. 

A brick building in the Italianate style at 110 W. Grand Ave. (Felix Mendez / WTTW News)

Historic Near North Houses Headed for Landmark Status

A proposed new landmark district aims to protect historic Chicago homes from demolition, but some owners worry it will tie their hands.

(Eric Fischer / Flickr)

Weekend Closures and Interruptions on 4 CTA Train Lines

Bridge maintenance, CTA station upgrades and a massive modernization project will impact travel on portions of the Red, Blue, Green and Pink lines this weekend. Get the full details.

(Sarah A. / Flickr)

Three Edgewater Red Line Stations Closed This Weekend

For the second weekend in a row, three CTA Red Line stations on the North Side will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning.

(Chicago Transit Authority / Flickr)

Get Ready for Big Red Line Changes, CTA and City Warn

Red Line riders have several years of North Side station closures, construction work and delays ahead of them as the CTA and contractor Walsh-Fluor work to rebuild a miles-long section of the century-old “L.”

The Week in Review: A New Era in Springfield

Springfield readies for the 2020 legislative session. The mysterious coronavirus rears its head in Chicago. House Democrats wrap up their impeachment case against President Trump. And Tribune reporters take on their owners.

(Sarah A. / Flickr)

4 CTA Stations on Red, Blue Lines Will Be Closed This Weekend

Three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning, marking the first of several planned weekendlong closures. The Grand Blue Line station will also be closed this weekend.

Jim Lehrer speaks at the Miller Center of Public Affairs in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2011. (Steven Morgan / Wikimedia Commons)

‘PBS NewsHour’ Co-Founder Jim Lehrer Dead at 85

Jim Lehrer’s longtime colleague and current “NewsHour” anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff announced the news in a release, saying Lehrer died peacefully in his sleep at home.

(WTTW News)

Lawmakers, Neighbors Debate Fixes as Beaches Shrink, Shoreline Erodes

High lake levels, fluctuating temperatures and winter storms have battered Chicago’s lakefront in recent weeks. Emergency projects are in the works to ward off further damage, but is a bigger redesign of the lakefront needed?

The Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center, a printing and inserting facility along the Chicago River. (WTTW News)

Chicago Tribune Reporters Sound the Alarm on Newspaper’s Future

Two Chicago Tribune investigative reporters are speaking publicly about their fears for the company amid staff cuts and uncertainty over the hedge fund Alden Global Capital, now the largest shareholder of Tribune Publishing.

(Oliur Rahman / Pexels)

Anti-Plastic Advocates Defend Cost of Chicago’s Proposed Single-Use Ban

Chicago aldermen have proposed a ban on single-use plastics and Styrofoam containers in an effort to cut down on plastic pollution. We learn more from Abe Scarr of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, which helped craft the proposal.

(Sarah A. / Flickr)

Weekend Red Line Construction, Station Closures Canceled

Three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater that were scheduled to be shut down this weekend will remain open after construction work was canceled due to a high wind advisory, according to the office of 48th Ward Ald. Harry Osterman.

How the Warren Court Helped Create the US We Know Today

A new book explores the landmark years in which the Supreme Court reshaped the course of the United States. We discuss “Democracy and Equality” with University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone, who co-authored the book.

The Week in Review: Shocking Email Puts Madigan on the Defensive

A shocking email has Springfield at attention and Madigan on the defensive. Presidential hopefuls set up shop in Illinois. Cannabis flies off the shelves in Chicago and a local coyote gets a DNA test.

City Outlines Plans to Curb Racing, Stunt Riding by Large Groups of Motorcyclists

The city is developing plans to curb drag racing and stunt riding by large groups of motorcyclists along city streets and Lake Shore Drive during warm weather, officials said Thursday.

(Jason Mrachina / Flickr)

City to Install Noise Monitors Along Lake Shore Drive

The city of Chicago plans to install six noise monitors along Lake Shore Drive with an eye toward cracking down on illegally modified motorcycles that race up and down the highway, city officials said Thursday.

(WTTW News)

Police Oversight is Widespread in the US. But is it Effective?

Sharon Fairley, the former head of Chicago’s civilian police oversight agency, talks about the findings of a new survey and breaking the cycle of scandal, reform, repeat.

Presumptive Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi speaks with reporters at City Hall after the City Council’s Transportation Committee advanced her nomination on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. (Nick Blumberg / WTTW News)

Lightfoot’s Transportation Commissioner Nominee Headed for Council Approval

A key City Council committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of Gia Biagi, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pick to lead the Chicago Department of Transportation.

Jim Riebandt appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Jan. 2, 2020. (WTTW News)

Longtime Bears PA Announcer Jim Riebandt Reflects on 38 Seasons

It’s the end of a considerable era for Chicago Bears fans. The team’s longtime public address announcer, Jim Riebandt, worked his last game at Soldier Field in December when the Bears faced off against Kansas City.

The Week in Review: Eventful 2019 Means Big Questions in 2020

With the new year come recreational marijuana, growing federal investigations, the search for a Chicago police superintendent and some soul-searching for the Bears. We peer into the crystal ball.

President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable with governors on government regulations in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

The Evangelical Christian Argument for Removing Trump from Office

Mark Galli, editor-in-chief of the influential evangelical Christian publication Christianity Today, joins us to discuss his recent editorial that fired up the president.

(Jason Mrachina / Flickr)

Aldermen Pushing for Lake Shore Drive Noise Monitors

A group of aldermen have introduced a long-discussed ordinance directing the city’s Transportation Department to install noise monitors along Lake Shore Drive, with an eye toward cracking down on illegally modified motorcycles that race up and down the highway.

(Andrys / Pixabay)

Shake-ups, Shutdowns and New Models: The State of Chicago Journalism

A notorious hedge fund becomes the largest shareholder of Tribune Publishing. Two other news outlets are going by the wayside. But the local media landscape includes some possible bright spots, too.

(Steven Vance / Flickr)

CTA Bus Driver Fired After Striking Cyclist Racked Up Overtime Pay

A Chicago bus driver who was fired after running over a cyclist in River North in June racked up more than 532 hours of overtime in 2019 – including on the day of that nonfatal crash, according to records obtained by WTTW News.