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(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Loop Protestors Arrested, Want Federal Charges for Ex-Cop

Community reaction to Jason Van Dyke’s release from prison. Laquan McDonald’s neighborhood of North Lawndale is our In Your Neighborhood stop. Plus, the city’s top cop and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., listen as the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol meets on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 19, 2021.  (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)

GOP Censures Cheney, Kinzinger as It Assails Jan. 6 Probe

GOP officials took a voice vote to approve censuring Cheney and Kinzinger at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Salt Lake City. On Thursday, members of an RNC subcommittee decided to advance the censure resolution against the pair instead of calling for their expulsion from the party.

A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)

Security Guard Charged in Fatal Shooting of 55-Year-Old Grandmother

Victor Brown, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon following the fatal Tuesday afternoon shooting of Bobbye Johnson on the South Side.

Kristin Travis, a community outreach doula, holds a home COVID-19 test kit Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, while picking up supplies at Open Arms Perinatal Services before going out to visit some of her clients in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

COVID Falling in 49 of 50 States as Deaths Near 900,000

New cases per day have tanked by almost a half-million nationwide since mid-January, the curve trending downward in every state but Maine. And the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 has fallen 15% over that period to about 124,000.

The sun rises over Tulsa, Okla., Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. (Mike Simons / Tulsa World via AP)

Storm That Slugged South, Midwest Brings Misery to Northeast

More than a foot of snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England on Friday but it was freezing rain and ice, accompanied by plummeting temperatures, that threatened to cause the biggest problems for travel and electric service before the storm blows out to sea late Friday and Saturday.

Former Ald. Ricardo Muñoz, right, listens as his attorney Richard Kling addresses the news media on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)

‘Send Powerful Message,’ Hit Muñoz with 1-Year Prison Sentence, Feds Tell Judge

Strike a blow against the deep-rooted culture of corruption in Chicago and Illinois by sending former Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22nd Ward) to prison, prosecutors urged a federal judge.

(Chicago Botanic Garden Photos)

Chicago Botanic Garden’s New Admission Fee Now in Effect

Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden is no longer free. Ticket prices will range between $9.95 and $25.95 per adult, depending on anticipated demand.

Marriott human resources recruiter Mariela Cuevas, left, talks to Lisbet Oliveros, during a job fair at Hard Rock Stadium, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

US Employers Shrug Off Omicron, Add 467,000 Jobs in January

The government's report Friday also drastically revised up its estimate of job gains for November and December by a combined 709,000. It also said the unemployment rate ticked up last month from 3.9% to a still-low 4%.

(WTTW News)

‘Chicago Tonight’ In Your Neighborhood: Leading Community in North Lawndale

In the fall, UCAN announced Christa Hamilton would be the first female and first Black person to lead the organization. More recently, lifetime resident pastor James Brooks became the CEO of the Lawndale Christian Health Center.

(WTTW News)

February 3, 2022 - Full Show

Community reaction to Jason Van Dyke's release from prison. Laquan McDonald’s neighborhood of North Lawndale is our In Your Neighborhood stop. Plus, the city’s top cop and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

This snowy owl’s bloody feet is a sign of rat poisoning. (Willowbrook Wildlife Center / Facebook)

A Snowy Owl, Now Recovering at Area Wildlife Center, Is Latest Victim of Rat Poison

The snowy owl is being treated at Willowbrook Wildlife Center, where a bald eagle is recuperating from the same issue. Anticoagulants in rodenticides can be deadly to the birds of prey that eat poisoned rats, mice and other rodents.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth joins “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom. Feb. 3, 2022. (WTTW News)

Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Jason Van Dyke, Russia-Ukraine, and SCOTUS Vacancy

Two U.S. senators are pressing the Justice Department on a federal civil rights investigation into former Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth say the facts of the case are “shocking and upsetting” and are asking the Attorney General for an update into the probe.

Chicago police superintendent David Brown joins “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom. Feb. 3, 2022. (WTTW News)

Chicago’s Top Cop Touts Reform Progress on Day Van Dyke Released from Prison

Chicago police superintendent David Brown is approaching nearly two years in command. And it's been a rough ride. His tenure has been racked with a soaring homicide rate and weeks of civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd's murder — all while attempting to reform a police department during a global pandemic.

(WTTW News)

Laquan McDonald’s Family Responds to Release of Jason Van Dyke

We spent the day in North Lawndale — the neighborhood Laquan McDonald grew up in — and spoke with family members and the community about Jason Van Dyke’s release as part of our community reporting series.

Former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke and his attorney Daniel Herbert, left, attend Van Dyke’s sentencing hearing on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune / Pool)

Jason Van Dyke Released From Prison Thursday

Ex-officer was convicted of killing Black teen Laquan McDonald

“I understand why this continues to feel like a miscarriage of justice, especially when many Black and brown men get sentenced to so much more prison time for having committed far lesser crimes,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

(WTTW News)

Less Than Half of Chicago Public Schools Students Attended Class Wednesday During Snowstorm

According to Chicago Public Schools data, 49.9% of Pre-K through12th grade students in district-operated schools were accounted for on Wednesday.

Ice builds on Lake Michigan along the shore at Newport State Park in Wisconsin, Feb. 15, 2021. (AP Photo /  Roger Schneider)

Scientists Race to Gather Winter Data on Warming Great Lakes

Lake scientists have long considered winter a season when aquatic activity slows. But researchers now think more is going on in the bitter depths than previously believed — including activity influenced by climate change. 

The Chicago Air and Water Show is set to return after a two-year hiatus on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21. (Courtesy Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)

Summer Fests, Air and Water Show to Return to Chicago After Pandemic Hiatus, Lightfoot Announces

A “bite-sized version” of Taste of Chicago will return to Grant Park in July, with pop-ups returning to Chicago’s neighborhoods, officials said. 

Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz speaks during a news conference in 2018 in Chicago. (AP Photo / Kamil Krzaczynski, File)

Blackhawks Owner Rocky Wirtz Apologizes for Response to Kyle Beach Talk

It was the first time the franchise’s top leaders had faced questions in public since the team published a report by an outside law firm that found the organization badly mishandled Kyle Beach’s allegations that he was assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup title.

Time to dig out from the Groundhog Day snowstorm, Feb. 2, 2022. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

After a Wild Wednesday, the Snow Show Is Over. Time To Dig Out

Chicago is digging out from a wild Wednesday that saw continuous snowfall throughout the day, dumping anywhere from 5.6 inches at O'Hare to 11 inches at Midway. That looks to be the end of active weather, for now. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his budget address to a mostly virtual audience from Springfield on Feb. 2, 2022. (WTTW News)

Gov. J.B. Pritzker Details Temporary Tax Relief Plan in Budget Address Kicking Off Reelection Year

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Wednesday afternoon address from the Old State Capitol was delivered to a mostly virtual audience after a snowstorm thwarted plans for an in-person session of the General Assembly.

(WTTW News)

February 2, 2022 - Full Show

A live report from Springfield after the governor’s state of the state and budget address. Reaction from lawmakers. This week’s snowy forecast. And a change at the top of the Chicago Teachers Union.

(WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Property Tax Rebate, Suspends Food Sales Tax & IL Gas Tax

Gov. J.B. Pritzker presents an election-year budget filled with tax relief and more spending on programs.  And Rod Blagojevich weighs in on a congressional race. . Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

(WTTW News)

Advocates Call for City Support to Shelter Homeless Amid Winter Storm, Pandemic

As snowfall pelts the region, outreach workers in Chicago are working to provide supplies and shelter to the homeless community. Advocates are calling on the city for support as shelters deal with limited bed capacity in the pandemic.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey outlines his union’s contract demands in a press conference inside City Hall on Jan. 15, 2019. (WTTW News)

Jesse Sharkey, President of Chicago Teachers Union, Not Running For Reelection

After more than three years as head of the CTU, Jesse Sharkey will be stepping down at the conclusion of his current term on June 30, he announced Wednesday.

Chicago is digging out from the first round of a winter storm. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Winter Storm Dumps 11 Inches of Snow at Midway With Additional Lake Effect Accumulation Possible

People in the Chicago region woke up Wednesday morning to heavy snowfall hitting just in time to snarl the morning commute. And there's more to come.