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(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Give Back to the Land During Cook County Forest Preserves’ MLK Day of Service Events

In honor of Monday’s Martin Luther King Day of Service, Cook County Forest Preserves is hosting volunteer activities at a number of sites across the forest preserve district, from habitat restoration to litter cleanups.

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: CPS Classes Resume, But Tensions Run High

Chicago Public Schools students are back to in-person learning but tensions still surround the CTU. A new entrant is set to join the Republican candidates in the governor’s race. Mayor Lightfoot gets COVID-19. And the Bears search for a new general manager and head coach.

Anjanette Young and her attorney Keenan Saulter speak outside the James R. Thompson Center on June 16, 2021. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)

Lightfoot’s Handling of Botched Anjanette Young Raid Represents ‘Failure’ of Government: Watchdog

The unreleased report attempts to tell the “full story — thoroughly documented and sourced — of how the city’s government worked to prevent a victim of what was plainly either official misconduct or error from obtaining video proof of the raid on her home, thereby frustrating her efforts to secure redress for the injuries inflicted on her, however unintentionally, by government actors.”

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

No City Officials Fired or Suspended After Smokestack Implosion: Watchdog

The first report from interim Inspector General William Marback disclosed that Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration declined to fire an employee of the Chicago Department of Public Health or punish two other employees of the Department of Buildings responsible for approving and overseeing the implosion of the smokestack.

Darrell Brooks Jr. appears in Waukesha County court on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 in Waukesha, Wis. Brooks, accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more when he drove an SUV through a suburban Christmas parade must stand trial, a court commissioner ordered Friday. (Derek Johnson / Waukesha Freeman via AP, Pool)

Waukesha Parade Suspect to Stand Trial for Murder

A Milwaukee man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more when he drove an SUV through a suburban Christmas parade must stand trial, a court commissioner ordered Friday.

Hairdresser Chelsea Woody stands outside her car at a grocery store Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Charleston, W.Va. For the first time in half a year, families on Jan. 14, are going without a monthly deposit from the federal child tax credit. Woody, a single mother, relied on the check to help raise her young son. (AP Photo / John Raby)

Goodbye ‘Godsend’: Expiration of Child Tax Credits Hits Home

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, objected to extending the credit out of concern that the money would discourage people from working and that any additional federal spending would fuel inflation that has already climbed to a nearly 40-year high.

Some schools are struggling to remain open for in-person learning due to the latest coronavirus surge but a lack of money isn't the problem. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

As Schools Battle Omicron, Billions of Federal Relief Dollars Remain Unspent

Much of the $190 billion that Congress authorized for schools earlier in the pandemic has yet to be used. In a majority of states, less than 20% of the federal money had been spent by the end of November, according to the latest U.S. Department of Education data.

A file photo shows Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th Ward) at a Chicago City Council hearing on April 12, 2016. (WTTW News)

Trial of Ald. Daley Thompson Set for Feb. 4 on Charges That He Failed to Pay Taxes, Lied to Feds

Surging COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant will not delay the trial of Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th Ward) on seven charges that he lied to federal bank regulators and filed false tax returns, a judge ruled Friday.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

N95, KN95 Masks Can Be Used More Than Once. Here’s How to Extend Their Life

Though N95 and KN95 masks are treated as disposable, single-use gear in clinical settings, in everyday life they can be reused for extended periods when cared for properly. We’ve got tips.

(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)

When Am I Contagious If Infected With Omicron?

It’s not yet clear, but some early data suggests people might become contagious sooner than with earlier variants — possibly within a day after infection.

The Village of Skokie, a northwest suburb, located 16 miles northwest of downtown Chicago and 12 miles east of O’Hare International Airport, could soon be home to Illinois’ newest auto-vending machine. (WTTW News)

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Skokie

We go to Skokie, where some residents are upset about a potential new neighbor coming to town: a car dealer, with an untraditional model for displaying their wares.

(WTTW News)

January 13, 2022 - Full Show

Spotting COVID-19 testing scams. Schools change their rules on COVID-19 quarantining. Live from Skokie. Why opioid deaths among older Americans have soared. And WTTW’s “Wild Travels” are back.

The show “Wild Travels” is back with a new season premiering this week, and viewers can expect a showcase of eccentric places across the U.S. from pierogi fests to a unicycle football team. (WTTW News)

Third Season of ‘Wild Travels’ Debuts Sunday on WTTW

The show “Wild Travels” is back with a new season premiering this week, and viewers can expect a showcase of eccentric places across the U.S. from pierogi fests to a unicycle football team. We’re joined by the host and the executive producer. 

Illinois schools cut quaratine time in half, following new CDC guidance. (WTTW News)

Illinois Schools Reduce COVID-19 Isolation Time from 10 to 5 Days

According to district data from Chicago Public Schools, over 12,818 students are in quarantine, and 2,355 adults are also staying home due to a positive case.

(Photo by James Yarema on Unsplash)

Northwestern Study Finds Opioid Overdose Deaths Soaring for Older Americans

The number of Americans 55 and older who died from an opioid overdose surged 1,886% from a little over 500 deaths in 1999 to more than 10,000 deaths two decades later, according to a new report.

The Center for Covid Control is temporarily closing all their locations. (WTTW News)

Local Officials Warn About Some Pop-Up COVID-19 Testing Sites

City and state officials are advising people to be on the lookout for untrustworthy COVID-19 testing sites. What you should know before walking into a pop-up testing site. 

(WTTW News)

Lightfoot Renews Stalled Push for Plan to Go After Gangs’ Profits as Opponents Mobilize

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will renew her push for a new city law designed to fight crime by suing gang leaders in civil court on Friday, prompting opponents of the revised proposal to form a coalition determined to convince the City Council to reject the measure they say would target Black and Latino Chicagoans and do nothing to stop violent crime.

Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin (Aurora Mayor’s Office)

Aurora Mayor Plans to Enter Republican Race for Governor on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Sources Say

Multiple sources tell WTTW News that Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is currently planning to announce his candidacy for governor on Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

(Courtesy of South Side Irish Parade Committee)

Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parades to Return in March

Irish eyes will be smiling in March as all three of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parades are set to return after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks to the media Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. (WTTW News via BlueRoomStream)

Student Loan Company Reaches $1.85B Settlement With Illinois, Other States

Navient, the second largest student loan servicer in the U.S., agreed Thursday to cancel $1.7 billion in debt owed by more than 66,000 borrowers across the country as part of a multistate lawsuit that accused the company of abusive lending practices.

"Guien" on its upward trajectory, photographed Dec. 26, 2021. The stalk is growing 3 to 4 inches a day. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

What’s Up? Garfield Park’s Agave. Its Stalk Is Blowing Past All Expectations

The agave’s stalk — which it shoots up before the plant’s once-in-a-lifetime bloom — has already blown away predictions of its top height, and it's still growing. Where it will stop, nobody knows.

Sasha Hutchings, Sean Grandillo and the company of the national tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “OKLAHOMA!” (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

National Touring Production of ‘Oklahoma!’ Wreaks Havoc on a Musical Theater Classic

The production is a sad introduction for new audiences and a spirit-crushing experience for those who’ve seen “Oklahoma!” many times throughout the years.

A cyclist wearing a mask rides along the 606 trail in Chicago. (WTTW News)

E-Scooters Set to Return to Chicago’s Streets, But They’ll Be Banned from 606 Trail

When the scooters return to Chicago's streets in the spring, they'll be banned from the Lakefront Trail, the 606 Trail, the Riverwalk and O'Hare Airport, city officials said.

This artist sketch depicts lawyer Scott Keller standing to argue on behalf of more than two dozen business groups seeking an immediate order from the Supreme Court to halt a Biden administration order to impose a vaccine-or-testing requirement on the nation's large employers during the COVID-19 pandemic, at the Supreme Court in Washington, Jan. 7, 2022. (Dana Verkouteren via AP, File)

Supreme Court Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Rule for US Businesses

The court's conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's vaccine-or-test rule on U.S. businesses with at least 100 employees.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., heads to a Democratic Caucus meeting as the Senate continues to grapple with end-of-year tasks at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

Biden Prods Senate, But Sinema Blunts Voting Bill's Chances

Since taking control of Congress and the White House last year, Democrats have vowed to counteract a wave of new state laws, inspired by former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election, that have made it harder to vote. But their efforts have stalled in the narrowly divided Senate.

Vivek Shandas, a professor of climate adaptation at Portland State University, takes a temperature reading of almost 106 degrees in downtown Portland, Ore., on Aug. 12, 2021. (Nathan Howard / AP Photo, File)

The Heat Stays On: Earth Hits 6th Warmest Year on Record

Earth simmered to the sixth hottest year on record in 2021, according to several newly released temperature measurements.