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WBEZ

publisher · 6.0K followers

‘Heartbreaking and entirely preventable’: Chicago-area man died after deportation, family attorney says

A Chicago area-man who had no criminal record and suffered from multiple chronic health conditions died shortly after a deportation flight to Pakistan, his lawyer said Tuesday. Sixty-one-year-old Ayaz Ahmed of Morton Grove was arrested in June by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faced deportation for having an expired visa,...

Chicago, IL · 2d
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everafterinthewoods.com

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Inside A Retro Illinois Pie Shop, Cream Pies And Savory Slices Never Went Out Of Style

A pie called the Fat Elvis sits on the menu at a cheerful little shop in Illinois. Right next to it, you might spot a lamb and apricot hand pie. That combo alone tells you this place plays by its own rules. The chocolate cream pie is considered a house...

Chicago, IL · 1d
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Secret Chicago

publisher · 7.1K followers

Starting Jan. 1, 2027, Illinois landlords can’t charge more than $50 for a rental application or any fee to renew your lease

We have good news for Chicago renters: Starting Jan. 1, 2027 , Illinois landlords can’t charge more than $50 for a rental application, including a background check. They also can’t charge a fee to renew your lease. House Bill 3564, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed , amends the Illinois Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705/35) and is enacted as Public Act 104-479. The rules apply to residential leases entered into on or after the effective date , including new and renewed leases. They do not cover units in an owner-occupied building with six or fewer units. The $50 cap and the first-page rule Every non-optional fee, one-time or recurring , must appear on the first page of the lease . If it doesn’t, you don’t have to pay it. A landlord can charge more than $50 for screening only if the actual third-party background-check cost is higher. The landlord must pay the provider first, then bill you with the provider’s receipts within 14 days . If the landlord misses that window, you don’t owe the fee. A landlord also can’t use an unpaid background-check fee as grounds for eviction during the first year of a lease. In Cook County,

Illinois · 2d
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Chalkbeat

partner publisher · 18.9K followers
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After Google warns schools about disabling AI feature, Chicago protesters say ‘we don’t want your Gemini’

Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. Pushback on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom is seeing renewed fervor after tensions flared this month between some U.S. school districts and one of the biggest tech giants in the world. Protests popped up Wednesday in Cambridge, Massachusetts and in Chicago, where the city’s school district recently blocked student access to generative AI , which includes ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini. The backlash comes at a critical flashpoint for the future of AI in education. Google sparked an uproar earlier this month when it said that schools that ban AI won’t be able to use search because AI is so embedded in the technology. Chicago Public Schools has yet to plan its response to Google’s announcement, but a CPS spokesperson said in a statement that the district was “actively exploring all options to independently suppress” the AI overview that appears at the top of Google searches. If CPS cannot provide students access to the search engine without its AI feature, the

Chicago, IL · 2d

WGN News

partner publisher · 99.3K followers

Chicago candy factory shutting down

The closure will result in more than 100 layoffs.

Chicago, IL · 2d

WTVC

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84% of Chicago-area students feel pressure to criticize Western civilization, survey says

College campuses are traditionally viewed as places where students can challenge ideas, debate opposing viewpoints and develop independent thinking skills. But a new survey of nearly 2,200 students at five Chicago-area universities is raising questions about whether students feel comfortable expressing opinions that differ from those of their professors. The...

Chicago, IL · 2d

Essentially Sports

partner publisher · 158.1K followers

“Surprised”: Tom Izzo Makes His Opinion Around Jon Scheyer’s Duke Absolutely Clear Following Michigan State’s Win

Duke walked into Chicago on Tuesday night looking like one of the toughest teams in the country. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 2; they had opened the season with two blowout wins, and they came with one of the deepest rosters in college basketball. Michigan State, ranked No. 5, had other plans. They led from start to finish and won 79-73. Afterward, in an interview, Tom Izzo said something that sounded more like praise for Duke than a victory speech. “I am a little surprised, ’cause I think they’re a really, really good team, and I feel bad saying that because then it looks like, ‘oh, John d...

East Lansing, MI · 2d

ESPN

partner publisher · 135.7K followers

Men's college basketball Power Rankings: A whole new list after two weeks of games

After two weeks of play, Florida tops the rankings, while Kansas and UCLA made big jumps with signature wins.

Chicago, IL · 1d

The Center Square

partner publisher · 229.3K followers

Illinois Quick Hits: Taxpayers to spend $4M on former Quaker Oats site

(The Center Square) – Illinois taxpayers will be spending $4 million to support site readiness at the former Quaker Oats factory in Danville that closed in 2024 and put about 500 employees out of work. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the Regional Site Readiness Program award on Tuesday. The grant is part of Pritzker’s $500 million site readiness initiative for fiscal year 2026. Chicago school board candidate declares victory A school board candidate endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union declared victory one week after Election Day. Jason Dónes released a statement on Tuesday saying his margin of victory widened to over 600 votes. “We intend to take the grassroots power we have built and continue organizing until we tax the rich, fully fund our neighborhood schools, and make sure our students, families, educators and staff get the schools our communities deserve,” Dónes said in the statement. CTU-backed candidates fell one seat short of a majority on the 21-seat Chicago Board of Education. Gas prices slide The price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Illinois has dropped more than a quarter in the last week. According to AAA, the average

Illinois · 1d

NBC Chicago

publisher · 127.4K followers

Winter weather advisory issued for parts of Chicago area, with wet, slushy snow ahead

The first winter weather alert of the season for the Chicago area is here, with snow and slushy conditions on the horizon and wind chills making it feel like temperatures are in the 20s after the sun goes down. According to the National Weather Service, a winter weather advisory goes...

Cook County, IL · 23h

WBEZ

publisher · 6.0K followers

From Irish pub to Chicago blues hub: What happened to Biddy Mulligan’s?

In Rogers Park, a block from the lake, weeds are growing in front of a shuttered Irish pub. A sign above the door reads Mulligan’s Cafe, but a marquee above that identifies this closed business by another name: Biddy Mulligan’s. This unassuming storefront was once a hot spot for blues fans on Chicago’s North Side in the 1970s and 1980s.

Chicago, IL · 2d

positivebloom.com

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Spiky Brown Balls Cover Illinois Sidewalks Every Fall And Almost Nobody Knows Which Tree Drops Them

Each spiky ball under your shoe holds dozens of tiny seed chambers, and every chamber has two little hooked beaks. I rolled one in my palm last October and counted more than forty points. No wonder it hurts. The same tree that drops them can keep raining them down from...

Illinois · 2d

oakpark.com

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Oak Park resident shares use of AI in her journey as a caregiver

Anita Charlot answered a phone call from her mother during a snowstorm in 2020. Her mom was in a car, and she did not know how to get home. Charlot’s mother was later diagnosed with dementia, and she became her caregiver. The woman she described as fiercely independent, who always took care of her own business, was no longer in a position to do so and did not completely understand why.

Oak Park, IL · 19h

WGN News

partner publisher · 99.3K followers

‘A non-starter’: 28 City council members urge Mayor Johnson to bring them new budget proposal

Battle lines are being drawn over the Chicago budget and on Tuesday, a majority of city alders signed on to a letter telling Mayor Brandon Johnson they will not back his proposal as written.

Chicago, IL · 2d

WTTW - Chicago PBS

publisher · 12.7K followers

Meet the 21 Members of Chicago’s First-Ever Fully Elected Board of Education

For the first time ever, Chicagoans have fully elected their Board of Education. With several new faces set to join the 21-member board in January following Chicago’s first ever citywide board elections, take a moment to learn more about who will be making critical decisions for Chicago Public Schools, its students and their families.

Chicago, IL · 1d

The Tonic Edit

partner publisher · 4.0K followers

Peoples Gas Customers in Chicago Are Getting $56.18 Back on November Bills, the First of Three Years of Credits From a $125 Million Settlement

Peoples Gas customers in Chicago see a $56.18 credit on November bills, the first of three yearly credits from a $125 million settlement with Illinois.

Chicago, IL · 23h

nrn.com

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Trending this week: Portillo’s to shutter five to nine restaurants outside Chicago

This week on Nation's Restaurant News, the top story was “Portillo’s to shutter five to nine restaurants outside Chicago.” Portillo’s plans to close a "mid- to high-single digit" number of underperforming restaurants outside Chicago, mostly in the fourth quarter, as part of a turnaround plan. The company did not say which restaurants are scheduled to close or where specifically.

Chicago, IL · 2d

southblueprint.com

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Pollutants in Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan, the largest freshwater lake in the world, is known for its urban coastlines and stunning views; yet, the lake has been polluted with 11 million pounds of plastic from industries with plants along the lake. Chicagoland citizens consume large amounts of microplastics as a result of this plastic...

Cook County, IL · 2d

illinoislawyernow.com

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The Two-Year Clock After a Fire

A serious burn changes daily life in an instant, and the legal side of recovery starts with a clock. Illinois sets a firm filing window, and it keeps running while the injured person is still in treatment. Knowing how that window works helps families plan with the deadline in view.

Cicero, IL · 15h

Block Club Chicago

publisher · 7.3K followers

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez Is Up Against 2 Challengers In 33rd Ward Race

ALBANY PARK — Ald. Rossana Rodríguez-Sánchez is facing two challengers as she seeks reelection to her 33rd Ward seat. Rodríguez-Sánchez was first elected to City Council in 2019, beating incumbent Ald. Deb Mell by just 13 votes. Originally from Puerto Rico, Rodríguez-Sánchez was the 33rd Ward’s first Latino alderperson and the fifth Democratic Socialist elected to the City Council. She defeated two challengers during the 2023 election.

Chicago, IL · 1d