Stories by

Pharmacist Kenni Clark prepares a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at City of Lawrence’s “The Center,” which serves seniors, families and the community, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Lawrence, Mass. (AP Photo / Charles Krupa, File)

FDA Shortens Timing of Moderna Booster to 5 Months

U.S. regulators on Friday shortened the time that people who received Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine have to wait for a booster — to five months rather than six.

(WTTW News)

Baby It’s Cold Outside! Chiberia Notches First Sub-Zero Temp in Nearly a Year

Chicagoans woke up Friday to sub-zero temperatures, the first time in nearly a year the mercury has dipped into the negatives. In anticipation of the cold snap, officials issued reminders and tips.

Chicago public schools are closed for a second day as city school officials and the teachers union remain at odds over whether it’s safe to return to the classroom, and pictured, a sign is displayed at the entrance of the headquarters for Chicago Public Schools on Jan. 5, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Chicago Principals Say They Were Blindsided by Announcement Some Schools Might Offer In-Person Learning Friday

The Chicago Principals and Administrators Association said it was “blindsided” by the announcement. “Principals don’t determine the resources and conditions that leave some schools ready to open and others unable to,” it said. 

In this file photo, members of Congress and others shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

‘We Were Trapped’: Trauma of Jan. 6 Insurrection Lingers for Lawmakers

Interviewed before this week’s anniversary of the attack, 10 of the House members who were in the gallery talked of being deeply shaken by their experience, recalling viscerally the sights and sounds amid the chaos.

(WTTW News)

January 6, 2022 - Full Show

One-on-one with Mayor Lightfoot as classes are canceled for a second day. Will there be school tomorrow? Local members of congress and observers reflect on one year since the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

A sign supporting the Chicago Teachers Union during its car caravan rally on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (WTTW News)

No CPS Classes Friday as City, Teachers Union Still Without Safety Agreement

While a few school buildings may be open to students, Chicago Public Schools has once again canceled classes as negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union continue. 

The Clearing community on the Southwest side of Chicago is home to many city employees and families and the southern portion of Midway airport.  (WTTW News)

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Clearing

The Clearing community on the Southwest Side of Chicago is home to many city employees and families and the southern portion of Midway Airport. We spent the day talking to people about how the neighborhood is adapting to all the changes throughout the pandemic.

(WTTW News graphic)

Bears Face Vikings in What Many Expect to Be Nagy’s Last Game In Charge

The Chicago Bears aim to end a disappointing season on a high note by beating the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in what could be Matt Nagy’s last game as the team’s head coach.

 A study from the Chicago Project on Security and Threats shows 21 million Americans — some 8% of adults in the country — support the idea that the 2020 election was stolen and the Biden presidency is illegitimate.  (WTTW News)

How Far Right Extremism Has Shifted Since Last Year

The ideas that contributed to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol one year ago are still alive and well, according to experts and recent polling. A year after the violent riot, some reports show that many of these ideas have become more mainstream and the far right has gained supporters.

This undated photo shows special education teacher Jennifer Graves, at Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School, in New Haven, Conn. When her classroom aide didn't show up for work and no substitutes were available for the day because staffing levels have been decimated by the surge in COVID-19 infections, she borrowed paraprofessionals from other classrooms for short stretches to get through. (Courtesy Jennifer Graves via AP)

Schools Sticking With In-Person Learning Scramble for Subs

Staff absences and the omicron variant-driven surge have led some big districts including Atlanta, Detroit and Milwaukee to switch temporarily to virtual learning. Where schools are holding the line on in-person learning, getting through the day has required an all-hands-on-deck approach.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Perry, Ga., on Sept. 25, 2021. (AP Photo / Ben Gray, File)

Trump Maintains Grip on GOP Despite Violent Insurrection

One year after the violent insurrection, Donald Trump is hardly a leader in exile. Instead, he is the undisputed leader of the Republican Party and a leading contender for the 2024 presidential nomination.

President Joe Biden takes off his face mask as he speaks from Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol to mark the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by supporters loyal to then-President Donald Trump, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington. (Greg Nash / Pool via AP)

Biden and Congress Mark a Year Since Violent Insurrection

“For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol,” President Joe Biden said. “But they failed.”

Knowing that most teachers wouldn’t show, even with the warning that they would therefore not be paid, CPS canceled class for Wednesday, and now Thursday too. (WTTW News)

COVID-19, Political Standoff Disrupt School

Knowing that most teachers wouldn’t show, even with the warning that they would therefore not be paid, CPS canceled class for Wednesday, and now Thursday too.

(WTTW News)

Rush Hospital CEO on Criteria for Delaying Surgeries Amid Bed Shortage

Illinois is setting record highs for the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalization rates with more than 6,800 now in hospitals due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, hospitals across the state are working to maintain the ability to take patients, and are delaying certain procedures amid a bed shortage.

(WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Omicron Variant Pits CTU Against Mayor, Schools CEO

What’s the political fallout of the standoff between the teachers union and the city? The race for the 1st Congressional District heats up after Bobby Rush announces he's stepping down. And U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger decides his future on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot anniversary.

(WTTW News)

How the Omicron Variant is Affecting Young People

COVID-19 hospitalizations for children have reached a record high in Chicago. The city is currently seeing a daily average of about seven hospitalizations. Despite these numbers, some data suggest the omicron variant is causing a milder illness in kids.

(WTTW News)

CPS Cancels Classes Thursday as Negotiations With Teachers Continue

Chicago Public Schools students will stay at home for a second consecutive day Thursday, as the district has once again canceled classes after the Chicago Teachers Union voted to begin working remotely.

Once they were satisfied with the filling’s flavor and folding process, Iltaco added the pizza puff to its lineup in 1976 and it took off from there. (WTTW News)

Fourth-Generation Family Business Fries Up a Chicago Classic for More than 40 Years

From saganaki to the jibarito, Chicago’s blend of cultures has resulted in a long and delicious list of culinary innovations. One particular Chicago food favorite started with an Assyrian family who folded together Italian and Mexican ingredients to create a hot dog stand staple.

A doctor loads a dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe in a Dec. 2, 2021, file photo at a mobile vaccination clinic in Worcester, Mass. (AP Photo / Steven Senne, File)

US Advisers Endorse Pfizer COVID Boosters for Younger Teens

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisers voted that a booster was safe for younger teens and should be offered to them once enough time — five months — has passed since their last shot.

(Courtesy Gallagher Way Chicago)

10 Things to Do This Weekend: Jan. 6-9

Ice bumper cars, fitness classes, bald eagles and snowshoes usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Surge is ‘Merciless’ Top Doc Says, Urging Chicagoans to Avoid Unnecessary Travel

“COVID is very real, it’s merciless, and unless you are fully vaccinated, your defenses against it are pretty low,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. 

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

COVID-19 Surge Delays Sentencing for Former Ald. Ricardo Muñoz

The former Little Village alderperson's sentencing on charges of wire fraud and money laundering will be delayed by more than a month due to the latest surge of COVID-19.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the NIAID, and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arrive to participate in the White House COVID-19 Response Team’s regular call with the National Governors Association in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster, File)

CDC Urges ‘Up to Date’ Shots; No ‘Fully Vaccinated’ Change

The decision to keep the initial definition, established more than a year ago when the vaccines first rolled out, means that federal vaccination mandates for travel or employment won’t require a booster dose.

(WTTW News)

January 5, 2022 - Full Show

The latest on the teachers union’s decision to be out of  the classroom. The CEO of one of the city’s largest hospitals on record COVID-19 hospitalization rates. And behind a local fast-food favorite.

(WTTW News)

No CPS Classes Wednesday After Chicago Teachers Vote to Work Remotely

The Chicago Teachers Union announced late Tuesday that its rank-and-file members voted in favor of a measure to halt in-person work and transition to remote work Wednesday as it continues negotiating a deal with the city and school district over additional health and safety measures.

(WTTW News)

City’s Top Doc Says Schools Remain Safe Despite COVID Surge

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said it’s rare for children to contract COVID-19 and hospitalizations are similar to that of the flu. “We don’t upend school, we don’t stop for influenza,” she said.