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(Courtesy of Brigitte Calls Me Baby)

Homecoming for Chicago Band Brigitte Calls Me Baby — Lead Singer Talks Elvis, Pen Pals and a Promising Future

The spotlight shines brightly these days on Chicago band Brigitte Calls Me Baby. The group just had its national TV debut on “CBS Saturday Morning,” and the influential public radio station WXPN called the band “future rock royalty.”

A non-native subspecies of common reed is an invasive bully (l), crowding out its native counterpart in wetlands. (Credits: Caleb Slemmons, National Ecological Observatory Network, Bugwood.org (l); Rob Rutledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org)

Invasive Dupes, Part 5: The Common Reed’s Identity Crisis is a Doozy

For the last in our series on invasive species that can be mistaken for natives, here’s one of the trickiest: phragmites, also known as common reed.

Week in Review: Trump Ruled Ineligible for Illinois Primary Ballot; Multiple Warnings Over Migrant Shelter Conditions

Trump is ruled ineligible in Illinois but will stay on the ballot. And all signs point to the Bears drafting a superstar prospect with the first overall pick.

FILE - Comirnaty, a new Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination booster for COVID-19, is displayed at a pharmacy in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Older Adults Should Get Another COVID-19 Shot, Health Officials Recommend

There are still more than 20,000 hospitalizations and more than 2,000 deaths each week due to the coronavirus, according to the CDC. And people 65 and older have the highest hospitalization and death rates.

February 2024 was the warmest on record in Chicago. The lakefront seen from the Museum Campus, Feb. 27, 2024. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

What the Heck Happened to February in Chicago? It Was the Warmest on Record, But It Could Have Been Weirder

It’s official, Chicago: February 2024 was the warmest in 153 years of recording keeping.

FILE - McKenna Shuster works on a linocut art print which she does as a hobby in her home on the last night of a two-week self-isolation while recovering from symptoms of COVID-19 in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2020. (David Goldman / AP Photo, File)

US Health Officials Drop 5-Day Isolation Time for COVID-19

Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus from past vaccinations or from infections. And many people are not following the five-day isolation guidance anyway, some experts say.

FILE - Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. (Allen G. Breed / AP Photo, File)

CVS and Walgreens Plan to Start Dispensing Abortion Pill Mifepristone Soon

Walgreens will begin dispensing the medication within a week at some locations in several states, including Illinois.

Urban studies students at the University of Illinois Chicago are conducting a survey as part of a capstone project about improving CTA stations. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)

Students Seek Feedback From Transit Riders on How CTA Can Bring ‘Joy’ to Its Stations: ‘It’s a Pipe Dream, But It Gives Us Hope’

Students at the University of Illinois Chicago are conducting the survey as part of a capstone project, which focuses on getting rider feedback on the UIC Halsted Blue Line station, Roosevelt Red Line station and the Clark/Division Red Line station.

(WTTW News)

Illinois Signed $640K Contract to Review Controversial ‘Invest In Kids’ Tax Credit Program, But Results Are Deemed ‘Inconclusive’

Illinois signed a contract for $640,000 for a report that could help legislators determine the value of the state’s recently defunct private school scholarship program, but a lack of data makes its findings “inconclusive.”

Author Erika Sánchez appears on “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” on Feb. 29, 2024. (WTTW News)

Book-to-Film Adaptation Puts Chicago Author on Path to Hollywood With ‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’

In 2017, poet and author Erika L. Sánchez published her first novel, “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.” Now, Hollywood is calling, with a book-to-film adaptation with award-winning actress America Ferrera on board to make her big-screen directing debut.

(WTTW News)

What Goes Into Setting Car Insurance Rates and How Illinois May Change It

Illinois’ insurance code prohibits discrimination, but state Rep. Will Guzzardi said there’s a difference between impact and intent. Even if insurance agents aren’t doing it maliciously, Guzzardi said, algorithms end up perpetuating inequities and punishing people of color and low-income drivers.

(terimakasih0 / Pixabay)

‘Do You Want to be Informed or You Want to be Influenced?’: Navigating Social Media Misinformation

Nearly half of surveyed Latinos rely on social media sites like TikTok and WhatsApp for their news and information. This has allowed for the spread of misinformation and disinformation, where fact checking in Spanish is less available.

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Feb. 29, 2024 - Full Show

Do auto insurance rates discriminate? Advice for navigating the spread of misinformation. And a local author is taking her book to the big screen.

La Tiendita in Pilsen provides free necessities to people in need. (WTTW News)

Pilsen’s La Tiendita Connects Families in Need to Free Clothing, Necessities

The free shop is located inside a Chicago Public Schools Parent University, which offers classes and workshops on topics like financial literacy, career development and more.

Native lilliput mussels (l) and invasive zebra mussels (r). (Credits: Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Flickr Creative Commons)

Invasive Dupes, Part 4: Two Tiny Mussels, One Big Difference

In honor of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, we’re posting daily “dupes” — invasives that can easily be confused with native species. Today we’re featuring two tiny freshwater mussels that couldn’t have less in common.

(Credit: Flyover by Pursuit)

Navy Pier’s New Flyover Experience Offers an Exhilarating View of Chicago’s Beauty

Utilizing footage captured by a drone, flight members swoop through iconic landmarks in seats engineered to feel every dip and dive of the ride, just as if you were on a rollercoaster.

Former President Donald Trump has appealed an Illinois judge’s decision that disqualified him from the state’s upcoming Republican primary ballot. He is shown here in Washington DC on January 6th, 2021. (Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Donald Trump Appeals Judge’s Decision That Disqualified Him From Illinois Ballots

The ruling from Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter, an elected Democrat, concluded that Trump is barred from office under the 14th Amendment because he engaged in the January 6, 2021, insurrection.

Former Ald. Carrie Austin (34th Ward) leaves the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (WTTW News)

Judge Won’t Dismiss Indictment of Ex-Ald. Carrie Austin, As Her Lawyer Says She Remains Very Ill

U.S. District Court Judge John Kness has yet to set a trial date for Austin, who pleaded not guilty after her June 2021 indictment. The hearing, which lasted less than 15 minutes, was the first time Austin has appeared in a federal courtroom since her indictment.

Screenshots from a video show leaky pipes, piles of trash and generally filthy conditions in what a source identified as the embalming room of the Moran Queen-Boggs Funeral Home in Centralia. The source who provided the video requested anonymity due to safety concerns. The funeral home’s director, Hugh Moran, would not confirm its authenticity. (Photos provided)

‘This Place is Horrific’: Complaint Details ‘Filthy’ Conditions at Downstate Funeral Home

Eight photographs and one video taken late last year purported to show the conditions of the funeral home depict piles of dirty sheets, a dead rodent rotting in a stairway and water running from pipes in the embalming room.

This combo image shows President Joe Biden, left, Jan. 5, 2024, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, right, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo, File)

What is Super Tuesday? Why It Matters and What to Watch

The elections are a crucial moment for President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who are the overwhelming front-runners for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, respectively. 

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

‘ComEd Four’ Sentencing Dates Delayed Until Later This Year as U.S. Supreme Court Weighs Separate Bribery Case

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber on Thursday ruled that the “ComEd Four” will not be sentenced until after the high court issues its ruling in a separate case involving James Snyder, a former Indiana mayor who was found guilty of accepting a bribe.

(Credit: “Fight for Black Lives”)

New Documentary Aims to Shine Light on Health Care Disparities Faced by Black Mothers

The new documentary “The Fight for Black Lives” chronicles the stories of Black mothers who faced racial inequities in the health care system. The film comes as Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proposing $4 million dollars in his new budget proposal aimed at addressing the issue. 

Protesters and police officers wearing riot gear have a standoff near Daley Plaza on Saturday, May 30, 2020. (Evan Garcia / WTTW News)

Chicago Taxpayers Pay $99K to Ex-CPD Officer Who Said Boss Ordered Her to Protect His Bridgeport Block During 2020 Unrest

Former Chicago Police Sgt. Cassandra Williams, who worked for the Chicago Police Department for 32 years, said she faced severe harassment and retaliation for filing a complaint against her commanding officer, Lt. Jason Brown, who remains on the force. “I crossed the blue line,” Williams said.

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Feb. 28, 2024 - Full Show

A new documentary explores racial disparities in childbirth. How evictions disproportionately impact Black women. And fresh off his third Grammy win, we talk with Chicago poet J. Ivy.

J. Ivy appears on “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” on Feb. 28, 2024. (WTTW News)

Chicago Poet J. Ivy on His Influences, His Gift and Winning a 3rd Grammy

J. Ivy is one of the most high-profile poets on the planet. He has worked with A-list artists including Jay-Z and Beyoncé. He even gave John Legend his “Legend” name. Ivy’s spoken word album “The Light Inside” just earned him a third Grammy.

Former President Donald Trump attends a campaign event ahead of the Republican presidential primary election in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 14, 2024. (Sam Wolfe / Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Illinois Judge Removes Trump From Ballot Because of ‘Insurrectionist Ban’

Illinois is now the third state where former President Donald Trump was booted from the ballot, after Colorado and Maine. But those decisions were paused pending the appeal of the Colorado case to the U.S. Supreme Court.