State Rep. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, speaks at an event announcing the planned opening of a birth center on the South Side of Chicago Monday. (Credit: Illinois.gov)

The nonprofit Chicago South Side Birth Center will mark the city’s second active midwife-led birth center, but the first for the South Side. Advocates say the Black-led center offers safe birthing alternatives in a medically underserved area of the city. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a bill-signing event on March 13, 2023. (WTTW News)
,

Come next year, a new law will mandate nearly all Illinois employers give their workers a minimum of five paid days off, for any reason.

J. B. Pritzker. (WTTW News)

A major part of a $1.2 billion multi-pronged state tax relief program will be disbursed to 6 million Illinois households starting Monday through the next six to eight weeks. The amount you’ll get back depends on factors such as income, family size and home value.

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Monday, June 22, 2020. (WTTW News)
,

Illinois is on track to move into phase four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan on Friday, but the state faces a huge challenge in reviving its pandemic-stricken economy and putting people back to work.

(Kay Schlumpf / Flickr)

On the heels of the Iowa caucuses debacle, Illinois leaders are trying to rally support for the state to hold the first presidential primary in 2024. But is that a good idea?

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton appears on “Chicago Tonight.”

The just-completed spring legislative session produced a slew of initiatives championed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration. What Illinoisans can expect from those initiatives, the new state budget and more.

Juliana Stratton

“We need to lift up your voices, we need to bring people together to move our state forward,” says Juliana Stratton. Learn more about this candidate.

A new bill would turn Cook County Jail into a temporary polling site and require that jails across the state provide detainees with voter registration applications.

Gov. Bruce Rauner is coming up empty in his bid to influence several General Assembly primary races, despite he and allies spending millions of dollars. If tonight’s races are indicative of a wider proxy war with House Speaker Mike Madigan, Madigan appears to be the runaway winner. 

The Greater Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church at 59th Street and Wabash Avenue is the polling place for the 12th Precinct of the 20th Ward. It's in the Washington Park neighborhood, a largely low-income, African-American community. It's also within Democratic State Rep. Ken Dunkin's 5th Legislative District.

A final look at the stakes in Tuesday’s primary election in Illinois. Chicago Public Schools sues its former CEO and SUPES Academy for $65 million. And former Bears head coach Lovie Smith is back in Illinois to coach football. Joel Weisman and his guests discuss these stories and more in this week’s show.

It's a simple state legislative primary, but observers view it as ground zero in the standoff between Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan. Paris Schutz has more on a race that has the money and mud flying.