WBEZ News

The works by contemporary Chinese artists use unusual materials such as human hair and cigarettes to create monumental-sized works spread over two museums.

A 30 year agreement between the City of Chicago and Commonwealth Edison to provide electricity to city residents expires at the end of the year. A growing number of activists and aldermen wants to take ComEd out of the picture.

Delphine Cherry has lost not one but two of her children to gun violence. She spoke to her daughter, Tamika Howard, at the Chicago StoryCorps booth about living with pain.

Richard Miller, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine​ says last month's executive order is a good start, but more will be needed to deal with Illinois' opioid crisis.

Chicago Police Board members did not review key evidence about Sgt. Khalil Muhammad’s off-duty shooting of an unarmed teenager with autism before they decided in December to keep him on the force, a WBEZ investigation has found.

Erosion is becoming a bigger problem for those living along an ever-rising Lake Michigan. Residents and officials in Northwest Indiana say the situation is being made worse by their state’s inaction.

Tony Sarabia moved to Iowa last year after retiring as a host at WBEZ, and he give us the highs and lows of Monday night’s Caucus.

Four-year college isn't right for all students, and a group in north suburban Waukegan says that's OK.

Sunshine couldn't draw out the usual parade crowds. But officials stress that the risk of contracting the virus in Illinois remains low.

The Chicago police pension board had approved a pension for former Officer William Pruente but reversed itself Thursday.

A significant collection of 87 paintings and sculpture created by African American artists are up for auction Thursday in New York City. The collection is another asset being sold off by Chicago-based Johnson Publishing.

The Chinatown Chamber of Commerce says the coronavirus is not a danger in the Chicago neighborhood. Chinatown is getting ready for this weekend’s New Year celebration and parade.

A former executive for Planned Parenthood of Illinois was arrested earlier this month and charged this week with stealing more than $100,000 from the organization.

The U.S. Census Bureau has not yet reached its goal to hire 30,000 workers in Illinois for the decennial headcount to be conducted this spring. Officials said a number of challenges are getting in the way.

Some migrant parents send their children across the border without them to escape harsh living conditions. They ask: "What would you do?"

A report out Monday finds that Chicago police are focusing their prostitution enforcement efforts almost exclusively on people selling sex, rather than sex buyers or traffickers.

Mark Medrano wanted to get the attention of people who were bullying him at his Chicago high school when he was a freshman, so he posted threatening messages on Facebook.

Last fall, Michael Ferro sold his shares of Tribune Publishing to Alden Global Capital. Rick Edmonds from the The Poynter Institute for Media Studies has been tracking the controversial hedge fund.

The Iowa caucuses are less than two weeks away and the state is filled with volunteers campaigning for their favorite candidates. Over the weekend, more than 100 teenagers from the Chicago area joined them.

Andy Cutting, a firefighter with the Skokie, Illinois Fire Department, grew up outside of Melbourne, Australia. He fought the devastating Ash Wednesday fires in 1983.

A retired ornithologist has 40 years of evidence that scientists say indicates a link between warming climate and smaller birds.

The Chicago Police Department has more than tripled its number of field training officers. It’s part of the department’s effort to improve the long neglected training program that helps new officers transition from the police academy to the streets

Chicago is hosting a Women’s March this Saturday for the fourth time but organizers say they're doing things a little differently this year.

DePaul University’s student newspaper has launched a new Spanish language section. It’s called "La DePaulia," and it aims to provide better coverage of Latinx communities.

A member of Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s cabinet has resigned amid fallout from an email WBEZ published last week. John Sullivan led the state’s Department of Agriculture.

As 25th Ward Ald. Daniel Solis was tangled in a federal corruption probe last year, his outgoing chief of staff was building a new career as a security guard and lobbyist.

Chicago Public Schools committed in the teachers' contract to a nurse in every school. Finding the right kind of nurse will be a challenge.

WBEZ reporters tracked down former lobbyist Michael McClain looking for an explanation over his reference to "the rape in Champaign” in a 2012 email to the governor’s office.

WBEZ has identified a handful of "Opportunity Zone" projects in Chicago. They stem from President Donald Trump’s major tax cuts law from 2017. Natalie Moore takes a deeper look at their impact.

In an address Wednesday, President Trump said the U.S. will impose further sanctions on Iran. Illinois Congressmen shared their reactions.

A new study out Wednesday looking at national trends in police oversight shows more than 60 percent of big cities have some sort of civilian oversight of police. Sharon Fairley is the former head of the Chicago agency that investigates police shootings.

A new fashion co-op is trying to change the way our clothes are made. Blue Tin Production is owned and run by refugee and immigrant women. Their goal is to create ethical and sustainable garments.

After more than 1,000 performances in Chicago, Sunday was the final performance of the musical “Hamilton.” The Chicago run of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster, multi-award winning work premiered in 2016.

Millions of borrowers who are well beyond college age are still paying off federal loans. A high school class is teaching kids about personal finance in hopes of bringing down the debt.

Recreational marijuana is now legal in Illinois. In Chicago and some suburbs, pot fans Wednesday lined up for hours at dispensaries. The state already allowed medical marijuana, and is now the 11th state to legalize recreational pot.

Vocalo's Jill Hopkins breaks down this year’s musical trends, and highlights a few tracks that deserve another listen.

Three preschool centers on the Southwest Side closed their doors to hundreds of children right before the Thanksgiving holiday. Their parents are now desperately trying to find a new center, but their options are limited.