Stories by

Fallout from a scandal within the Park District’s aquatics division continues to reverberate. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Park District Promises Accountability in Wake of Harassment Scandal. Public Can Decide If Proposed Changes Deliver

An amendment to the Park District’s code has been submitted to formally create the Office of Prevention and Accountability. The public can take a look at the language and comment within the next 45 days on whether it hits or misses the mark.

(Josh McCausland / Unsplash)

Lake Michigan’s Ice Show Keeps Getting Better: First Came Pancakes, Now It’s Ice Balls

Lake Michigan is doing the most to keep us entertained during the bleak mid-winter. First came pancake ice and now it’s serving up ice balls the size of boulders.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez. (WTTW News)

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to Focus on Diversity in Leadership Team Hires

“I want to make sure that our team reflects the diversity (in Chicago), because it’s one of the riches of our city,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said Wednesday during the monthly Board of Education meeting.

(WTTW News)

10 Things to Do This Weekend: Jan. 27-30

High-flying skiers, ice sculptures, sledding hills and one-act plays usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

(Irvin Campaign)

Richard Irvin Launches Gubernatorial Campaign With Questionable Claims About Protests, Unrest

The first campaign salvo by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin erroneously claims he deserves credit for “calling out” the Illinois National Guard once protests turned violent on June 1 and falsely claims that Chicago officials “did nothing to stop looting.”

(WTTW News)

Chicago Teachers Union Leadership Faces Competition

Wednesday marks two weeks since Chicago Public Schools students returned to class — after a standoff between the teachers’ union and the district over COVID-19 protocols resulted in canceled classes. Union leadership already has another fight on its hands.

January 25, 2022 - Full Show

City Council pushes back on the mayor’s gang asset forfeiture plan. Political tensions strain CTU. College enrollment lags pre-pandemic numbers. And the latest on Russia and Ukraine.

(WTTW News)

Higher Education Seeing Decreased Enrollment Nationally

National data shows college enrollment fell another 2.7% in the fall of 2021. It’s a bit larger than the previous fall, when institutions saw a 2.5% drop, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

A serviceman checks his machine-gun in a shelter on the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants at frontline with Ukrainian government forces in Slavyanoserbsk, Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (AP Photo / Alexei Alexandrov)

Ukrainian Leaders: Stay Calm, Russian Invasion Not Imminent

Ukraine’s leaders sought Tuesday to reassure the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and received a shipment of U.S. military equipment to shore up their defenses.

(WTTW News)

As Deadlock Over Chicago Ward Map Continues, Black, Latino Caucuses to Meet Behind Closed Doors

City Council members have yet to redraw the city's ward maps. They’re contending with a controversial ordinance to go after street gangs’ profits. And, the city’s watchdog released two reports on a botched smokestack demolition and a wrongful police raid, while the city's without a permanent inspector general.

(ISS Above / Twitter)

Chicago, It’s the Space Station Calling. You Look Cold

Recent flyovers by the International Space Station have captured some stunning images of Chicago, as seen from 250 miles above.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Public Schools Claims ‘No Ill Intent’ Behind Changes to COVID-19 Data Dashboard

CPS has been criticized in recent days for not telling students and families that it changed the way positive cases among students and staff are reported on its online dashboard.

A spongy moth caterpillar. (Feliciano Moya Lopez / Pixabay)

The Gypsy Moth Is Now the Spongy Moth. Less Derogatory Name, Same Destructive Insect

The gypsy moth has been going by its mouthful of a scientific name — Lymantria dispar — since July, when scientists scrapped the insect’s derogatory common name and began weighing alternatives.

The iconic arch that welcomes everyone to La Villita is set to become an official landmark. (WTTW News)

Little Village Arch Poised For Landmark Status

The Little Village arch is the first structure designed by a Mexican American architect to get landmark status in Chicago, officials said. 

Pharmacist Sima Manifar prepares a children’s dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic on Dec. 29, 2021, in Lawrence, Mass. (AP Photo / Charles Krupa)

Pfizer Begins Testing Omicron-Matched COVID Shots in Adults

Pfizer is enrolling healthy adults to test a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine that matches the hugely contagious omicron variant, to see how it compares with the original shots.

In this March 9, 2020, photo, Rep. Marie Newman campaigns in Chicago. (AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Congressional Ethics Office Says Rep. Marie Newman May Have Broken Law

An investigative report from the Office of Congressional Ethics released Monday detailed a “substantial reason to believe” that Newman promised federal employment to a political opponent.

Branford Marsalis performed at Orchestra Hall with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. (Courtesy of Eric Ryan Anderson)

Capturing the Intersection of Classical and Jazz with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Branford Marsalis

The goal behind the concert at Orchestra Hall, which featured the notably “conductorless” New York-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra along with saxophone master Branford Marsalis, was to explore the intriguing early intersection of classical and jazz music. 

(WTTW News)

January 24, 2022 - Full Show

Chicago police step up their investigation into an 8-year-olds killing. Plus, what the state is doing about COVID-19 sick days. A major Asian carp barrier moves forward with federal help, and whats behind a state shortage of dental workers. 

Leo Segedin, 95, discusses his upcoming exhibition of self-portraits. (WTTW News)

Evanston Artist’s New Exhibition Showcases 75 Years of Self-Portraits

For the first time, self-portraits of Evanston artist Leo Segedin are on display in a solo exhibition.

(WTTW News)

Boost in Funding Moves Invasive Carp Barrier Forward: ‘This Money Can’t Come Soon Enough’

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allocated $225.8 million to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam invasive carp barrier. The funds will complete the planning and engineering phase of the project.

(WTTW News)

Illinois Dentists Report Worker Shortages Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

As dentists across Illinois experience staffing shortages and an increased demand for dental appointments, they are asking state officials to consider teledentistry and other services to help fill the demand. 

(WTTW News)

Crain’s Headlines: McDonald’s Faces Legal Battles

McDonald’s faces a lawsuit that claims systemic racism in the company’s practices. Ann Dwyer has details on that story and more.

(WTTW News)

Some Illinois Workers Are Forced to Take Unpaid Leave as COVID-19 Drags On

In the first half of January, an estimated 8.8 million U.S. workers were reported to have stayed home either because they were sick with COVID-19 or were caring for someone who was sick. The news comes as some workers are running out of employer-provided sick days, or don’t have enough earned sick days to begin with. 

In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, trader Phyllis Arena Woods works on the floor, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (Courtney Crow / New York Stock Exchange via AP)

Stocks Climb Back After Steep Slide on Fed, Ukraine Jitters

The stock market extended its three-week decline and put the benchmark S&P 500 on track for a so-called correction — a drop of 10% or more from its most recent high. 

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)

Gov. J.B. Pritzker Announces Compromise on Paid Leave For Vaccinated School Employees

Under a new statewide compromise, public school and higher ed employees across Illinois won’t have to expend their sick time if they are forced to miss work due to COVID-19 — as long as they’re fully vaccinated.

Jon Burge (WTTW News)

Council Committee Agrees to Pay $14M to 2 Men Who Spent 43 Years in Prison for Murder They Didn’t Commit

The City Council’s Finance Committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend the settlement, which is set for a final vote by the full City Council on Wednesday.