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Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pictured in a July 2023 file photo. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

Pritzker Appoints Prisoner Review Board Director Following Controversy Over Release of Inmate Charged With Killing 11-Year-Old Boy

Appointee Jim Montgomery will be responsible for overseeing administrative board operations, including bolstering domestic violence prevention training and “other important equity-based trainings for board members,” according to the governor’s office. 

South Carolina Gamecocks center Kamilla Cardoso drives past LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese in the first half at Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 12, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Jeff Blake / USA Today Network via CNN Newsource)

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso Spent Their Careers Battling Each Other. Now They’ll Be Chicago Sky Teammates in the WNBA

The WNBA draft came eight days after the college women’s basketball season ended with a historic championship game. Nearly 19 million people tuned in for the matchup, making it the most-watched basketball game at any level, regardless of gender, since 2019.

Philip Clement has been named the new president and CEO of World Business Chicago. (Courtesy of World Business Chicago)

Chicago Gets New Chief Economic Recruiter, Booster

As the new president and CEO of World Business Chicago, Philip Clement is charged with reversing high-profile departures of businesses like Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel while continuing recruiting momentum.

Hershey Felder in “Monsieur Chopin, A Play With Music.” The show runs at Writers Theatre in Glencoe through May 12. (Courtesy of Hershey Felder)

Hershey Felder, the Musical and Dramatic Polymath, Brings ‘Monsieur Chopin’ to Vivid Life: Review

If you happen to be looking for a synonym to the word “polymath” you are sure to find its very best definition by heading straight to Writers Theatre. That is where the exceptionally multi-talented Hershey Felder is lighting up the stage with his remarkable performance of “Monsieur Chopin, A Play With Music.”

In this courtroom sketch, former President Donald Trump turns to face the audience at the beginning of his trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York, Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jane Rosenberg / Pool Photo via AP)

Trump Trial: Why Can’t Americans See or Hear What is Going on Inside the Courtroom?

It’s a moment in history — the first U.S. president facing criminal charges in an American courtroom. Yet only a handful of observers are able to see or even hear what is going on. New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country.

FILE - An airline agent helps travelers in the departures area of Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in New York. (Mary Altaffer / AP Photo, File)

Biden Administration Recruits 15 States, Including Illinois, to Help Enforce Airline Consumer Laws

Under U.S. law, the federal government alone regulates consumer-protection laws covering airlines. The carriers are not legally required to respond to state investigations. Consumer advocates have pushed to expand enforcement power to the states.

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

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

During the more than hourlong confirmation hearing, Marlene Hopkins was not asked about what she did as the top official from the city’s Buildings Department charged with overseeing the implosion of the smokestack at the former Crawford Power Plant in Little Village.

Brumby, a 2-year-old koala, is coming to Brookfield Zoo Chicago. (Courtesy of San Diego Zoo)

G’Day, Chicago! Koalas Coming to Brookfield Zoo, Debuting Memorial Day Weekend

For the first time in its 90-year history, Brookfield Zoo Chicago will welcome koalas.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Teachers Union Leaders Hopeful for ‘New Chapter’ in Contract Negotiations as Bargaining Set to Begin

CTU leaders on Tuesday announced their contract demands as bargaining gets underway on a new deal as the union’s existing contract is set to expire in June.

Cook County Medical Examiner's Office (WTTW News)

Cook County Event Aims to Provide Resources, Support to Families and Friends of Missing Persons

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office is hosting its fourth Missing Persons Day on Saturday as a way to provide support and resources for the loved ones of missing persons.

Amanda Vinicky (WTTW News)

April 15, 2024 - Full Show

The chief medical examiner on supporting the loved ones of missing persons. Navigating neuro-divergence and the path to a diagnosis. And exploring Chicago’s gospel music history. 

Karen Clark Sheard, Lamar Campbell and The Spirit of Praise, Smokie Norful, and The Chicago Mass Choir.

Concert to Celebrate Chicago’s Place in Gospel Music History

Some of gospel’s biggest stars are coming together for a night of performances in the city where it all began, right here at WTTW.

Megan Roberts, a professor in communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern. (Credit: Medill)

Project Aims to Reduce Wait Times for an Autism Diagnosis in Illinois: ‘Is There an Alternative Model?’

With $3 million in federal funding, researchers are studying how to expand the types of professionals who can issue a diagnosis. Currently in Illinois, only physicians and clinical psychologists can do so.

Melissa Conyears-Ervin is pictured in a campaign photo. (Credit: Campaign photo)

Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin Fined $60K for Violating Ethics Ordinance

The board found Conyears-Ervin committed 12 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance for violating her fiduciary duty to the city, for the unauthorized use of city property and prohibited political activity.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court with his legal team, Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. The hush money trial of former President Donald Trump begins Monday with jury selection. It's a singular moment for American history as the first criminal trial of a former U.S. commander in chief. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Trump’s Historic Hush-Money Trial Underway; 1st Day Ends Without Any Jurors Being Picked

It’s the first criminal trial of any former U.S. commander-in-chief and the first of Trump’s four indictments to go to trial.

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

Key City Panel Advances Plan to Spend $70M More to Care for Migrants in Chicago

The City Council’s Budget Committee voted 20-8 to advance the proposal to the full City Council, which could vote on it as early as Wednesday. The panel also agreed to accept $48 million in federal and state grants to care for the migrants.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Police Lieutenant Who Failed to Investigate Sergeant Accused of Sexual Assault for 5 Years Should Be Fired, Watchdog Says

A 2016 probe by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Chicago police officers were rarely held accountable for misconduct because of badly broken systems as well as a “code of silence” among officers that allowed them to act with impunity. CPD has fully complied with just 6% of the court order known as the consent decree designed to require the police department to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers.

Former Illinois House Michael Madigan leaves the Dirksen Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2024. (WTTW News)

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Bribery Statute at Heart of Michael Madigan Trial

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguements in a case that could have wide-ranging impacts on bribery cases like the one involving former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

O’Hare International Airport is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

Protesters Calling for Cease-Fire in Gaza Temporarily Blocked Traffic Near O’Hare Airport

Demonstrators used the traffic shutdown to bring attention to the continuing war in Palestine and push for a cease-fire in Gaza. Traffic flow resumed by about 9:20 a.m. 

A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen, May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, File)

Tax Day Reveals a Major Split in How Joe Biden and Donald Trump Would Govern

Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

‘We Are All Allowed to be Outraged Today’: Young Girl Among 7 People Killed by Gunfire Over Weekend Across Chicago

According to the Chicago Police Department, 48 people were shot in separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, marking one of the most violent weekends in the city thus far this year.

Art on display in “Alice Shaddle: Fuller Circles” at the Hyde Park Art Center. (Marc Vitali / WTTW News)

Discover an Unsung Chicago Artist, Explore Colorful Collaborations at Hyde Park Art Center

It’s an inspiring spring at the Hyde Park Art Center, where two shows by essential Chicago artists are currently in bloom.

(WTTW News)

8-Year-Old Girl Killed, 10 People Including Small Children Wounded in Southwest Side Shooting: Chicago Police

Four victims were children, police said Sunday. An 8-year-old girl was fatally shot, while a 1-year-old boy and a 8-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and listed in critical condition.

Products that contain delta-8 THC are pictured next to the original packaging they resemble. (Hannah Meisel / Capitol News Illinois)

Illinois Lawmakers, Cannabis Industry Call for Ban on ‘Delta-8’ and Other Psychoactive Hemp Products

New legislation filed in Springfield revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other hemp-derived products, which are totally unregulated in Illinois even as the state approaches the five-year anniversary of legalizing cannabis.

(WTTW News)

As Illinois Continues to Inventory Lead Pipes, Full Replacement Deadlines Are Decades Away

Illinois has the most lead pipes per capita of any state, according to a 2023 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Deb Robertson sits for a portrait at her Lombard, Ill. home, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo)

‘I’m Dying, You’re Not’: Terminally Ill Patients Ask More States to Legalize Physician-Assisted Death

A bill moving through the Illinois legislature to allow certain terminally ill patients to end their own lives with a doctor’s help had made progress. Vermont and Oregon permit any qualifying American to travel to their state for the practice.