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.

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.

We hear from top Republicans ahead of the governor’s budget address. COVID-19 cases are falling in Chicago. Extreme winter weather is coming in. And we discuss upcoming plans to study Lake Michigan’s impact on the city’s shore.

As the so-called Great Resignation continues, companies have had to get creative with recruiting and retaining talented employees. The newest benefit some companies are experimenting with is a four-day workweek.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is about to embark on its first comprehensive study of the city’s lakefront in more than 25 years. 

The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations began growing faster among Chicagoans 18 and older as compared with any other age group, according to city data. 

Big things can come in small packages, and that certainly goes for artwork as well. A local maker of miniatures has a direct connection to the Thorne Rooms – those ever-popular scale-model rooms on view at the Art Institute. We explored some awe-inspiring little worlds on display in a new setting.

The nation’s 19 million children under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the omicron wave sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital.

Gov. J. B. Pritzker will present the new state budget Wednesday. Details will include Illinois' pandemic response, funding for schools, and for violence prevention, and potential tax relief. Among the expected proposals are holding the line on a gasoline tax, and temporarily lifting a 1% tax on food. 

A winter storm warning is in effect for the Chicago region, with the first round of snow expected late Tuesday into most of Wednesday, followed by a second round Thursday.   

A preview look as lawmakers head back to Springfield. A local doctor fights vaccine misinformation, activists react to Jason Van Dyke’s pending prison release, a ward remap stalemate and investing millions in Chicago neighborhoods.

As Gov. J.B. Pritzker heads into a reelection year that could prove trying, on Wednesday he is set to present a budget proposal with nearly $1 billion in one-time tax relief.

The initiative aims to provide up to $14.4 million dollars in support to businesses recovering from the pandemic. Business owners will be able to utilize funds for building renovations, energy efficient supplies and more.

Deerfield-based Walgreens Boots Alliance is taking bids for its international drugstore chain, Boots. Boeing makes a $450 million investment in Wisk, an autonomous air-taxi start up. And Chicago’s Loop Capital announces its acquiring BMO Asset Management. 

The session failed to resolve the central issue at the heart of the debate that will determine the balance of political power between Black, Latino and Asian Chicagoans.