Stories by Brandis Friedman

Soda fans will find out Friday whether or not they'll start paying more for their sweetened beverages in Cook County this weekend.

In an address to the American Library Association’s annual conference, the former Democratic presidential nominee addressed the importance of literacy and libraries. 

A Chicago businessman pleads not guilty in federal court to charges he stole $7 million from elderly homeowners in a reverse mortgage scheme.

Residents of North Lawndale and the Cook County Board are mourning the loss of one of their own. Second District Commissioner Robert Steele died Monday from complications of diabetes.  

The 225,000-square-foot Sears and Roebuck printing facility was once described as its own city within the city of Chicago, but it’s been closed for decades—until now.

Is the cab industry in Chicago collapsing? Cab drivers say their industry is being decimated by ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft flooding the market.

Often when criminal court defendants are placed on probation, they’re sent back to jail if caught using drugs. But in one Cook County courtroom, they’re given a second chance – and sometimes a third or fourth. 

After almost 40 shootings this weekend, and another potentially violent summer approaching, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is calling on the federal government to lend Chicago a hand.

Chicago Public Schools says it will recommend a merger of two Near North Side elementary schools after an 18-month review process fueled largely by community members.

A look at the Chicago Police Department's technological crime-fighting strategy.

A Cook County Judge has dealt a financial setback to Chicago Public Schools – stating that the school district’s complaint is “not the vehicle to address [the state’s] inequity” in education funding.