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An instructor trains members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. Dozens of civilians have been joining Ukraine’s army reserves in recent weeks amid fears about Russian invasion. (AP Photo / Efrem Lukatsky)

US Puts 8,500 Troops on Heightened Alert Amid Russia Tension

At President Biden’s direction, the Pentagon is putting about 8,500 U.S.-based troops on heightened alert for potential deployment to Europe amid rising fears of a possible Russian military move on Ukraine.

(WTTW News)

8-Year-Old Girl Among 6 People Killed in Chicago Over The Weekend: Police

Melissa Ortega, a third-grade student at Emiliano Zapata Academy in Little Village, died Saturday after she was shot in the head by a suspect who Chicago police say was aiming at a 26-year-old man.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

US Pharmacies, Health Centers Begin Rollout of Free N95 Masks

The first free N95 masks have started to arrive at U.S. pharmacies, with more on the way in the coming days, as the Biden administration seeks to ramp up access to high-quality masks amid the spread of the highly-transmissible omicron variant.

An American flag waves in front of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 2, 2020. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, File)

Justices To Hear Challenge To Race in College Admissions

The conservative-dominated Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to the consideration of race in college admissions, adding affirmative action to major cases on abortion, guns, religion and COVID-19 already on the agenda.

Ice formations in Lake Michigan in Chicago taken by Sharan Banagiri. He told CNN these photos were taken at Loyola Beach at Rogers Park, which is about 10 miles north of downtown Chicago. (Credit: Sharan Banagiri)

Mysterious Ice Formations Showed Up in Chicago This Week

You’ve heard of blizzards and maybe even the polar vortex, but have you heard of ice pancakes? What about ice bites or ice jams? These unique names sound fascinating but require specific weather conditions.

A view looking north from the Field Museum in Chicago captured at 8:25 a.m. Jan. 23, 2022, by a National Weather Service camera. (Courtesy of National Weather Service.)

After Weekend Snowfall, Forecast Calls for Another 2 to 3 Inches During Monday Morning Commute

As of 6 a.m. Sunday, snowfall totals measured 3.6 inches at Midway Airport, 3.5 inches at O’Hare Airport and 2.8 inches in Romeoville, according to the National Weather Service. Another round of snow is expected Monday morning. 

(inspiri / Pixabay)

FDA Considers Limiting Authorization of Certain Monoclonal Antibody Treatments for COVID-19

The US Food and Drug Administration could decide in the coming days to take steps to curb the use of antibody treatments produced by Eli Lilly and Regeneron, the source said, pointing to the growing body of evidence that shows their monoclonal therapies don't effectively neutralize the virus’ omicron variant.

United States’ Hilary Knight looks on before a women’s hockey game against the Canada, Oct. 22, 2021, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Photo / Chris Szagola, File)

US Women’s Olympic Hockey Team Once Again Led by Hilary Knight, Who Grew Up in Lake Forest

Hilary Knight, who grew up in north suburban Lake Forest, is making her U.S. women’s hockey record-matching fourth Olympic appearance in which she’s won a gold and two silvers.

Nurse manager Edgar Ramirez checks on IV fluids while talking to a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dec. 13, 2021. (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, File)

New Conservative Target: Race as Factor in COVID Treatment

The wave of infections brought on by the omicron variant and a shortage of treatments have focused attention on the policies. Medical experts say the opposition is misleading. Health officials have long said there is a strong case for considering race as one of many risk factors in treatment decisions. And there is no evidence that race alone is being used to decide who gets medicine.

WBEZ’s Michael Puente guest hosts the 64th episode of “Latino Voices.” (WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, January 22, 2022 - Full Show

A look back, and ahead, as we enter year three of COVID-19. Renewed calls for action over the Little Village smokestack implosion. Helping seniors access resources. And La DePaulia turns two.

Brandis Friedman hosts the 64th episode of “Black Voices.” (WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, January 22, 2022 - Full Show

Reparations on the way for the first 16 Evanston residents selected in its program. Unresolved murder cases from the Civil Rights era get a fresh look. And a new brew for the beer industry.

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

Mayor Lori Lightfoot Rejects Calls from Little Village Leaders to Release Full Probe of Botched Smokestack Implosion

Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not respond to a question from WTTW News about whether she thought it was appropriate for her appointees to reject the inspector general’s recommendation to fire an employee of the Chicago Department of Public Health and punish two other employees of the Department of Buildings responsible for approving and overseeing the implosion of the smokestack.

(WTTW News)

What Lies Ahead for COVID-19 After Omicron Peak?

We’re about to enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with news that the omicron wave has passed its peak in Chicago, a light begins to appear at the end of the tunnel. But public health advocates are warning the city’s residents not to let their guards down just yet.

(WTTW News)

Creating Policy that Improves Lives of Older Adults

For Latino seniors, issues of language access, health inequities, lower incomes and documentation status can make the daily business of living even more complicated. "Latino Voices" met with an organization aiming to develop a strategic action plan for aging in Illinois. 

 We spoke to editor-in-chief and co-founder María Marta Guzmán and managing editor Erika Perez about the young news outlet's first two years and their hopes for the future. (WTTW News)

La DePaulia Celebrates Two Years Covering Chicago’s Latino Community

In January 2020, student journalists at DePaul University launched a Spanish-language platform reporting on Chicago’s Latino community, La DePaulia. We spoke to editor-in-chief and co-founder María Marta Guzmán and managing editor Erika Perez about the young news outlet’s first two years and their hopes for the future.

(WTTW News)

Evanston Selects First Residents to Receive Housing Benefits in Reparations Plan

A historic moment in Evanston as the city determines who will be the first to receive reparations. We speak with two people behind the push to make it happen.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Author Creates Urban Fantasy Series for Black Children: ‘I Still Remember How it Felt to be Excluded’

We speak with author and Chicagoan Zetta Elliott, who created the urban fantasy book series “Dragons in a Bag” to allow Black children to see themselves in the pages of fantasy books.

Jay Westbrook is one of three scholarship winners. (WTTW News)

New Scholarship Initiative Aims to Boost Diversity in Brewing

Beer is intended to be for everyone, of drinking age of course, but it’s not always made by everyone. The craft beer industry has historically been dominated by white men. That lack of diversity is the inspiration behind a new scholarship initiative in Illinois.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., speaks before President Joe Biden signs the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Nov. 15, 2021. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci, File)

Arizona Democrats Censure Sinema for Blocking Voting Bill

The moves offer a preview of the persistent opposition Sinema will likely face within her own party in the two years before she next appears on a ballot. 

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Top Doc Says Chicago Past Omicron Peak

Mayor Lightfoot backs embattled top cop. Omicron wave may have peaked as local COVID-19 testing company faces fraud investigations. A shakeup in the Republican primary for governor. And a major merger in local journalism.

(WTTW News)

Lightfoot’s Revised Plan to Go After Gangs’ Profits Gets Skeptical Response During Initial Hearing

Deputy Mayor John O’Malley told members of the Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee that Lightfoot’s plan had been narrowed in response to criticism from members of the Chicago City Council, civil rights groups and police reform advocates. 

Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform a program featuring Tchaikovsky’s Suite from “Swan Lake” on Jan. 20, 2022. (Credit: Todd Rosenberg Photography)

CSO Boldly Explores Tchaikovsky Scores Inextricably Linked to Ballet

What this glorious, superbly performed concert did prove was that listening to these works without the element of dance that ordinarily is a crucial partner of the music, you begin to hear them in a wonderfully fresh and exciting way. 

Andrea Kersten, interim chief of Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability appears on “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom, July 21, 2021. (WTTW News)

Lightfoot’s Pick to Lead COPA Fails to Advance Amid Controversy After Report Recommends Suspension for Officer Slain Months Later

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pick to lead the agency charged with probing misconduct by members of the Chicago Police Department failed to advance Friday, even as she apologized again for releasing a report that recommended that Officer Ella French, slain in August, be disciplined for conduct during the botched raid of Anjanette Young’s home in February 2019.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown addresses the city’s violent holiday weekend July 6, 2021. (WTTW News)

Top Cop David Brown Dismisses Criticism of His Leadership: ‘We Got a Job to Do’

“There are likely people here who liked it the way things were and who will push back and use media, become sources to create a lot of dysfunction,” Superintendent David Brown said. “We’re gonna push back, we’re gonna be the adults in the room.”

A dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at Lurie Children's hospital, Nov. 5, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh, File)

Booster Shots Needed Against Omicron, CDC Studies Show

The papers echo previous research — including studies in Germany, South Africa and the U.K. — indicating available vaccines are less effective against omicron than earlier versions of the coronavirus, but also that boosters significantly improve protection.

Bob Goalby gets the traditional green jacket as champion of the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., April 14, 1968, from the previous year's winner, Gay Brewer. (AP Photo, File)

Bob Goalby, Who Won Masters After Scorecard Flub, Dies at 92

Bob Goalby, who won the 1968 Masters without having to go to a playoff when Roberto De Vicenzo infamously signed for the wrong score, has died. He was 92.