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Warblers, like this palm warbler, are among the biggest group of migratory birds crossing Chicago at the moment, as spring migration nears its peak. (U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region)

Chicago On Migration High Alert as Hundreds of Millions of Birds on the Move Nightly Across the US

BirdCast, a project of Cornell Bird Lab and Colorado State University, has issued a high alert for Chicago, recommending lights out to reduce collision risks for birds.

A periodical cicada nymph, flushed from its tunnel is pictured on April 28, 2024, in Cook County’s Palos preserve system. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Early Cicada Sightings Are a False Alarm, Mass Emergence Not Here Yet, Researchers Say

It’s not uncommon for some cicadas to jump the gun, experts said. Recent sightings, especially after last weekend’s rains, aren’t a sign that the mass emergence has started. 

A rendering of the proposed new stadium for the Chicago Bears on a redesigned Museum Campus. (Credit: Chicago Bears)

New Chicago Bears Stadium Plans Met With Mixed Reviews as Analysts Question True Cost to Taxpayers

Last week’s announcement of a proposed new domed, lakeside stadium brought with it more questions. Namely, the price tag.

Darren Bailey, right, offers testimony during a hearing over allegations that he illegally coordinated campaign expenditures with GOP operative Dan Proft, left, during the 2022 gubernatorial campaign. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois)

Illinois Election Officials to Decide If Darren Bailey and GOP Operative Dan Proft Illegally Coordinated During 2022 Campaign

The complaint alleges Proft’s independent expenditure committee – the “People Who Play By The Rules PAC” – coordinated with Bailey, violating both state and federal law.

Brandis Friedman (WTTW News)

April 29, 2024 - Full Show

Lawmakers pitch a bold plan to merge CTA, Metra and Pace. Pushback to the Bears’ new stadium plans. And Asian American organizers plan a political action day. 

(WTTW News)

New Summer Meals Program Will Give Low-Income Illinois Families $120 in Grocery Benefits Per Child. Here’s How to Apply

Starting this summer, families in Illinois with school-age children can receive a preloaded card to purchase groceries during summer break as part of a new permanent federal program called Summer EBT, or the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children.

A casket carrying the body of fallen Officer Luis Huesca is carried by fellow officers before funeral services April 29, 2024. (Credit: Chicago Police Department)

‘He Was a Great Man’: Slain Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca Remembered, Celebrated During Funeral

“Luis left a great impression on not only everyone sitting here, especially his team, but he’s leaving an impression on the entire country,” Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said.

Kenneth Chesebro speaks to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on October 20, 2023, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Getty Images / File via CNN Newsource)

Michigan Attorney General Executes Search Warrants on Google and X in Ongoing 2020 Fake Trump Electors Probe

The warrants make clear that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is still gathering new information in her probe, nine months after she charged the state’s fake electors with forgery and other crimes for signing certificates falsely claiming Donald Trump won the state in 2020.

A group of protesters set up on Northwestern University’s campus on April 25, 2024. (WTTW News)

Northwestern to Allow ‘Peaceful Demonstrations’ on Campus After Reaching Agreement With Protesters

Protests began on the Evanston campus and at universities across the country in recent weeks amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pictured on the state House floor on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

Efforts to Add Abortion Protections to the Illinois Constitution Cool as Election-Year Focus Turns to Other States

State legislators would need to vote by May 5 to place a question on the November ballot, and key players indicate there’s no effort to do so despite earlier talk at state government’s highest levels after Roe v. Wade was dismantled by the U.S. Supreme Court almost two years ago.

(WTTW News)

Illinois Lawmakers Unveil Proposal to Merge CTA, Metra and Pace; Plan Would Replace RTA and Add $1.5B in New Funding

Backers of the MMA plan say siloed agencies have long competed for funding, failed to integrate fares for passengers and aren’t delivering the service riders should be able to depend on.

In this Feb. 5, 2018, file photo, the seal of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve System is displayed in the ground at the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, File)

Affluent Americans Are Driving US Economy and Likely Delaying Need for Fed Rate Cuts

Older Americans are fueling a sustained boost to the U.S. economy. Benefiting from outsize gains in the stock and housing markets over the past several years, they are accounting for a larger share of consumer spending — the principal driver of economic growth — than ever before.

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar)

Tractor-Trailers With No One Aboard? The Future is Near for Self-Driving Trucks on US Roads

The image of a fully loaded, 80,000-pound driverless truck weaving around cars on a super-highway at 65 mph or more may strike a note of terror. A poll conducted in January by AAA found that a decisive majority of American drivers — 66% — said they would fear riding in an autonomous vehicle.

Officer Luis M. Huesca (Chicago Police Department / Youtube)

Officials Announce $100K in Rewards for Information Leading to Arrest of Suspect in Officer Luis Huesca's Killing

The Chicago Police Department over the weekend announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for 22-year-old Xavier L. Tate Jr., who is being sought in connection with Huesca’s death.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

2 People Killed in Weekend Shootings Across Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, 16 people were shot between Friday evening and Sunday night.

Chicago Bears No. 9 draft pick wide receiver Rome Odunze, left, and No. 1 draft pick quarterback Caleb Williams, right, hold up jerseys as they pose for a photo during an NFL football news conference in Lake Forest, Ill., Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

No. 1 NFL Draft Pick Caleb Williams Realizes All Eyes Are on Him and He’s Embracing the Chicago Attention

The former Southern California star was ready to embrace the attention after the Chicago Bears grabbed him with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. 

Week in Review: Bears Pitch Domed Lakefront Stadium; Pro-Palestinian Protests at Northwestern

The Bears unveil plans for a $4.75 billion state-of-the-art domed lakefront stadium. And pro-Palestinian Northwestern students and staff protest the war in Gaza.

Medical equipment. (WTTW News)

Immigrant Advocates Tout New Report Showing Benefits of State-Funded Health Plans

Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status.

“Midsummer Night’s Dream” performed by the Joffrey Ballet ensemble. (Cheryl Mann)

The Joffrey Ballet Reaps an Extraordinary Work of Dance Theater With ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Review

It is a very good bet that you have never seen (and might never see) anything quite like Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss. She calls the show a wild and crazy dream-come-to-life that is brilliantly performed.

Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon (left) will run in the November general election to replace Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough. Chief Deputy Clerk Cedric Giles (right) will server as interim clerk through the end of December. (Provided)

Cook County Democrats Tap Commissioner to Replace Karen Yarbrough, Pick Interim Clerk

Leaders of the Cook County Democratic Party selected Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon to run in the November general election to replace Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who died April 7.

A group of former Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen and Market employees, and supporters, rallied in front of the Foxtrot Commissary in Pilsen on April 26, 2024, to demand back pay following abrupt closures of all Foxtrot and Dom’s stores. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

Former Foxtrot Employees Rally to Demand Back Pay After Abrupt Store Closures, Layoffs

The upscale grocery retailers Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen and Market announced Tuesday they would cease operations, shuttering 35 stores across Chicago, Austin, Dallas and the D.C. area.

Syphilis is caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. Cases have been increasing in the United States. (NIAID via CNN Newsource)

Doctors Seeing More Syphilis Patients With Unusual and Severe Symptoms, Study Shows

Syphilis cases are surging across the U.S. In 2022, there were more than 207,000 syphilis cases reported, the highest number since the 1950s, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

R. Kelly appears for a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Friday, March 22, 2019 in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Federal Appeals Court Upholds R. Kelly’s Child Pornography Convictions From Chicago Trial

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the R&B singer’s claim that the statute of limitations had passed and instead affirmed his convictions, stating that “(f)or years, Robert Sylvester Kelly abused underage girls.”

(The Silverman Group)

‘Physician Magician’ Pioneers English and Spanish Shows at the Rhapsody Theater

In a series of back-to-back English and Spanish performances set for the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend, the “Physician Magician” will become “El Medico Mago” at the Rhapsody Theater in Rogers Park.

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams celebrates with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Chicago Bears with the first overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (Jeff Roberson / AP Photo)

Caleb Williams Goes to the Chicago Bears With the No. 1 Overall Pick in the NFL Draft

The expectations are clear: Become the franchise quarterback the Bears have craved for years and lift the founding NFL franchise to the top of the league. Other than that, there's no pressure at all.

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, April 25, 2024 - Full Show

Advocates say huge warehouses and constant truck traffic are hurting Black and Brown communities. And the “physician magician” is here with a new trick up his sleeve.