The Rundown | Chicago News

We hear from a local food bank that’s dealing with extensive cuts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We'll hear about the practice of “curbstoning” and how the city of Chicago is cracking down on it. Should Illinois fix its public defense system?

Members of the unions representing Chicago teachers and Chicago firefighters joined forces this morning at a rally near a school and a fire station in the West Loop. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is trying to chart a path for national Democrats to counter President Donald Trump. Plus, local arborists are encouraging Illinois residents to keep an eye out for a spreading invasive insect. 

The Chicago-based American Library Association says a recent executive order could make it harder for rural Americans to access the internet. A new library cart at a Lurie Children’s outpatient center features books whose main characters have disabilities. A new study says adopting tougher emission standards for trucks, like the standards in California, would prevent 500 deaths per year in the Chicago region by 2050.

A longtime Education Department staffer told WBEZ that gutting the federal agency will cause irreparable harm, especially for students with disabilities and low-income students. A majority of the Chicago City Council wants state lawmakers to pass legislation to regulate hemp products. The Illinois men’s basketball team takes on Xavier University this evening in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Chicago School Board puts off a controversial budget vote until after the teachers union contract is finalized. Dick Durbin says bipartisanship is needed to save Medicaid. Restaurant owners in Chicago reflect on the COVID pandemic.

Postal service workers across Chicago and around the country rallied to protest a Trump administration proposal to privatize the United States Postal Service. As the Trump administration plans to dismantle the Department of Education, advocates in Illinois say the state needs to step up its commitment to public education. Now a juried film festival, “Asian Pop-Up Cinema” has returned for its 10th year in the Chicago area.

Chicago mayor says he sees no reason that a teachers contract can’t be settled today. But if it is not, the CTU is threatening to schedule a strike vote. Some Chicago alderpersons are decrying the detention of a pro-Palestinian activist in New York City. Illinois State lawmakers are weighing a new proposal to set guardrails around A-I use in schools.

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson is meeting this afternoon with top school officials to try to work out a major budget disagreement. A measure to restrict police use of no knock warrants statewide is making its way through the Illinois capitol. Plus, the Chicago Cubs are leaving Tokyo winless.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker continues his appearances to bolster his national bonafides. Some alums of a south suburban high school say officials there have mishandled allegations of sexual misconduct over the last four years. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is ramping up pressure for CPS to take on a disputed pension payment.

Governor JB Pritzker announced a nearly 9% increase in Illinois community college enrollment. Early voting is underway in Wisconsin and voters are keeping an eye on the state Supreme Court. Plus, the Lollapalooza lineup is out.

Chicago health officials reflect on the start of the COVID pandemic five years ago this month. New research shows a serious shortage of affordable rental homes in Illinois for low-income households. The Trump administration’s federal freeze on climate dollars is impacting a Chicago effort to plant hundreds of trees locally.

Chicago airports are expecting record-breaking air travel this summer. Columbia College Chicago has named a new president. The Cubs open regular season play against the defending World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers tomorrow in Tokyo, Japan.

A state lawsuit over a company’s publication of voters’ birthdates and home addresses is being settled. Illinois lawmakers consider a measure to legalize online gambling – meaning you’d legally be able to play poker on your phone for real money. Steppenwolf ensemble member Carrie Coon is intriguing audiences in this season of HBO’s White Lotus.

A wind advisory will be in effect later this afternoon and tonight for the Chicago area. The Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is closing. Plus, Chicago's chunky beaver has a name.

U.S. Department of Education layoffs put Illinois at risk of losing more than 3 billion in federal funding, Governor JB Pritzker warns. Chicago Board of Education members talk about the possibility of making a controversial pension payment. Cook County could lose more than $100 million dollars a year if the state ends a health insurance program for immigrants.

Governor JB Pritzker is comparing the Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs within the Education Department to dismantling democracy. The first regional branch of the Chicago Public Library to open on the city’s South Side is celebrating 50 years in business. Plus, a total lunar eclipse could be visible from Chicago tonight.

The latest round of layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education may complicate the college financial aid application process, according to laid-off workers. The Chicago Board of Education holds a hearing today on amending the current year budget. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says gun reforms are needed in the wake of two recent shootings.

Farmers in Illinois are concerned about massive cuts targeting the scientists who provide weather forecasts and storm warnings. Some Illinois education leaders say President Donald Trump’s move to cut staffing at the Department of Education by half will have dire consequences. Plus, one of Chicago’s premiere theaters celebrates its 50th birthday next season.

Eligible homeowners can now register for a chance to apply for a city program that would provide them with free roof and porch repairs. After a yearlong fight, one man earns his release from prison. New data from the state shows the Illinois teacher shortage is easing.

Students and faculty are calling on the University of Chicago to protect students from the Trump administration. Chicago’s summer jobs program is seeing yet another year of growth after a big pandemic-induced dip. Plus, Billy Corgan, of the Smashing Pumpkins, will stage a world premiere show at Lyric in November. 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is now allowing the public to see the infamous “gift room.” U.S. Representative Frank Mrvan says he does not support a government shutdown, but is also against deep cuts to Medicaid. A measure to regulate Illinois homeschooling is getting some pushback.

A Chicago City Council committee gave initial approval to a $280,000 settlement stemming from a 2020 protest at the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park. People who live in Illinois owe more than $63 billion in student loans and face multiple levels of uncertainty as the Trump administration strips away debt relief programs. The city of Gary, Indiana is demolishing several old housing structures to make way for new homes.

The women’s rally downtown this weekend offered a platform to hundreds of locals to vent their frustrations towards President Trump. Public health officials are urging residents to stay current on measles vaccinations amid national outbreaks . Researchers have created a machine that can detect bird flu.

Illinois is joining 19 states to sue multiple federal agencies. Property values have fallen in downtown Chicago. Plus, the newest Beluga calf at the Shedd Aquarium now has a name.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Illinois Department of Public Health officials say there was a more than 8% drop in overdose deaths in 2023, exceeding a nationwide decline of 4%. The results of an online contest to pick the new Illinois state flag are in.

After months of planning – city officials have begun connecting people living in Gompers Park with permanent housing. Illinois Department of Public Health officials are reporting an 8 percent drop in overdose deaths in 2023. Plus, Chicago released its first look at the summer festival calendar today.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s stuck to his talking points during a Congressional hearing. Chicago advocates criticize GOP leaders for spreading misinformation about immigrants during a congressional hearing yesterday. Chicago school board members are facing big budget decisions in the next two weeks.

A day after announcing it was selling 443 federal buildings, Trump administration officials apparently have reversed course for now. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city’s sanctuary status helps reduce crime – not exacerbate it – while testifying before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee along with the mayors of Boston, New York, and Denver. As the Trump administration continues to slash the federal workforce, fired employees from the Chicago area are speaking out.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to keep it cool, calm and collected at what’s expected to be an aggressive Congressional hearing on the city’s sanctuary status. A veteran Democratic congressman is strongly criticizing the Trump administration’s plans to sell federal buildings in Chicago. Preservation Chicago has released its annual list of the seven most endangered buildings in the city.

Democrats Jan Schakowsky, Sean Casten, and Mike Quigley say they will not attend President Trump's joint address to Congress tonight. Hundreds of parents and some of their children rallied at the Illinois State Capitol today. Plus, a national theater group sees a silver lining in its latest report on the financial health of the industry.

The mayor of Highland Park says it's a relief Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty yesterday. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the Democratic Party needs to reset its agenda to win back the White House. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says it’s going to take $19 million dollars to fix up the site of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home.

Robert Crimo III is pleading guilty to the mass shooting at the 2022 4th of July parade in Highland Park. A federal judge in Chicago is throwing out four of nine bribery convictions in a case involving a group of former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists. Polish President Andrzej Duda is in Chicago to celebrate Pulaski Day.

Chicago News: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s supporters sent him off to D.C. with words of advice. Opening statements begin today (MON) in the trial of the young man suspected of pulling the trigger in the Highland Park mass shooting in 20-22. Plus, Local medical experts worry that some patients may lose their lives, or livelihoods, if Congress slashes Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Plainfield landlord accused of attacking his Palestinian tenant and killing her six-year-old son has been found guilty on all counts. More than a dozen Democratic elected officials in Illinois are blasting Republicans in Congress for voting to cut Medicaid health insurance by billions of dollars. Plus, Caitlin Clark is coming to the United Center.

Chicago News: Five of seven charter schools slated for closure get another reprieve at an emotional Chicago school board meeting. After a judge rules in favor of federal workers, a Chicago area union leader calls the ruling a big win. Plus, The organizer of the new Social Change Theater Festival talks about the plays of tomorrow.

Dozens of parents, students, and teachers are asking the Chicago Board of Education to save their charter schools. The 2026 campaign for Illinois governor is starting to take off. Plus, an update on where you can get a REAL ID this weekend. 

A charter school says an individual dropping off students yesterday got detained by ICE agents. A new lawsuit claims a vast conspiracy pinned a Chicago police murder on the wrong man. Plus, a Chicago-based nonprofit has filed a new lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders.

The Chicago City Council plans to borrow $830 million dollars for infrastructure projects like street and bridge repairs. Governor JB Pritzker is demanding that the federal government release nearly 2 billion dollars that he says is being withheld. Plus, the Walgreens in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood will shut its doors.

Emotional testimony in the first day of testimony for a south suburban man accused in the stabbing death of a 6-year-old child. Prosecutors allege the man attacked the boy because of his Muslim faith and the Israel-Hamas war. Chicago alderpeople are expected to debate a controversial borrowing plan spearheaded by Mayor Brandon Johnson. Plus, Chicago arts leaders want to see the city respond to changes in arts funding rules at the federal level.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker wants to restrict cell phone use in K-12 classrooms across the state. The mother of a 6-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in suburban Plainfield took the stand today to testify against the 73-year-old man accused of murdering her son. The Goodman Theatre will ring in its 100th anniversary this year by backing 100 free acts of theater — a series that will touch all 50 city wards.

The latest in the trial of the alleged Highland Park mass shooter. The trial of a south suburban Plainfield man is expected to get underway today for the murder of a 6-year-old child and the attempted murder of his mother allegedly because of their Muslim faith. Plus, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker thinks Democrats should have done some things differently during the last presidential cycle.

Jury selection is underway in the trial of Robert Crimo III, the suspect in the Highland Park mass shooting. Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar has pancreatic cancer, according to reporting from Politico. Around 200 people came out Sunday to march in support of the immigrant and LGBTQ communities in Rockford.

Ukrainian-Americans in Chicago observed the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of their home country. Transgender teens and their parents are angry and frustrated after Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago paused gender care surgeries. The Chicago Park District is looking to fill thousands of summer jobs.

Friday marks the 6th anniversary of the infamous, wrongful police raid on Anjanette Young’s home and Chicago City Council still has not passed her namesake reform ordinance. R&B legend and longtime Cook County Commissioner Jerry Butler has died. Chicago Black Restaurant Week wraps up its 10th year this weekend.

Friday marks the 6th anniversary of the infamous, wrongful police raid on Anjanette Young’s home and Chicago City Council still has not passed her namesake reform ordinance. R&B legend and longtime Cook County Commissioner Jerry Butler has died. Chicago Black Restaurant Week wraps up its 10th year this weekend.

A renewed focus on extremism within the ranks in Chicago, don’t freak out if you don’t have an Illinois REAL ID yet, and data suggest more office workers could soon come back to downtown Chicago.

Immigrant rights groups in Illinois say they will fight to prevent Governor J.B Pritzker’s proposed funding cuts to a health care program for noncitizen adults. Victims of the Highland Park mass shooting will be allowed to attend the suspect’s upcoming trial. Plus, more than 400 artists are calling on the Trump administration to reverse changes it made to arts funding. 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker aims to lower prescription drug prices under a new act that would limit the role of pharmaceutical middlemen. The Chicago City Council put the brakes on lowering the city’s speed limit. The Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal are challenging three Trump administration executive orders concerning diversity, equity, inclusion and transgender people.

Governor Pritzker rolls out a state budget proposal while taking shots at President Trump. Plus, updates on the Chicago city council.

Chicago City Council members are being asked to greenlight a $27 million dollar settlement for yet another police chase gone wrong. Plus, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says he doesn’t want to raise taxes, but whether he needs to remains to be seen. A new study from UIC shows how safe people feel when guns are present.