One on one with Mayor Brandon Johnson on the shakeup at Chicago Public Schools. And efforts to improve the area’s public transportation systems.

With the Chicago area’s transit agencies facing a $730 million fiscal cliff, state lawmakers have been working on a plan to preserve and improve public transportation. Perhaps the boldest idea is the pitch to do away with the CTA, Pace, Metra and RTA — and instead create an entirely new Metropolitan Mobility Authority.

Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed Tuesday to transform the Chicago Public Schools “once and for all” and said the district would be better off borrowing money to make a pension payment and cover the cost of a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union rather than making cuts or laying off teachers.

The students behind efforts to name the Calvatia gigantea the state mushroom of Illinois had an opportunity to learn more about the “giant puffball” at the Field Museum on Tuesday. Among the attendees was state Rep. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), the chief sponsor of the bill that designated the...

Illinois surpassed $2 billion in tax revenue last year from all types of gambling and the state lottery – a record bolstered by continued growth in video gambling, sports betting and the opening of several new casinos. But that growth comes at the expense of Illinois’ traditional riverboat casinos...

Empowering young people is an important component in helping to shift narratives about guns and violence prevention, community safety leaders said during a Tuesday panel conversation. The conversation was the final installment of a three-part series, “Ending Gun Violence in Chicago: Connecting Policy, Practice and Community,” hosted by philanthropic group...

Court exhibits including wiretapped recordings of Michael Madigan and Michael McClain will be released to the public during their racketeering trial, a judge ruled Tuesday. Attorneys for the former Illinois House speaker and his longtime confidant met with prosecutors Tuesday afternoon to iron out any final wrinkles before the trial gets into swing. During that hearing, Judge John Blakey ruled that government evidence will be released to the media once that evidence is entered and published to the jury in court.

“There is no known safe level of lead in drinking water,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asserted on Tuesday as it issued a final rule that set a 10-year deadline for the replacement of lead service lines across the country. The rule applies to 99% of the nation’s water...

Each Wednesday, Via Chicago presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more. Daily Chicagoan, the newsletter from WTTW News, sends these picks to your inbox each week along with more essential recommendations from our staff. Sign up here. Wednesday, Oct. 9:. Fontaines D.C., Been...

NEW YORK (AP) — Humanity is hitting the upper limit of life expectancy, according to a new study. Advances in medical technology and genetic research — not to mention larger numbers of people making it to age 100 — are not translating into marked jumps in lifespan overall, according to researchers who found shrinking longevity increases in countries with the longest-living populations.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and top prosecutors from more than a dozen other states filed a lawsuit against social media app TikTok alleging the platform has deceived the public about the dangers it presents to children and teens. Thirteen states in all brought lawsuits against the video app Tuesday...

When Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) calls his first meeting of the City Council’s Zoning Committee as chair to order on Tuesday with a sharp bang of his gavel, the powerful panel will be firmly under the control of one of the strongest supporters of the decades-old tradition of giving Chicago City Council members the final authority over housing developments in their own wards.

In 1833, the year Chicago was founded, Polish immigrants were already making their way to what was then barely a village. Many of these Polish people were refugees from the 1830 November Uprising, a revolt by Poles against Russian rule. No doubt these early Polish Chicagoans brought some of their traditional recipes with them. Polish food has been a part of Chicago culture for a long time, and with more than 700,000 Polish people living in the Chicago area, Polish culture continues to have a powerful presence on many dining room tables.

Florida is racing to get ready for Hurricane Milton, a storm that could be one of the worst to ever hit the state. Milton rapidly intensified over unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to barrel into the Tampa Bay area late Wednesday. William Brangham reports on the preparations and Geoff Bennett discusses the storm with National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan.

A shakeup at Chicago Public Schools. Budget woes. Battles with City Council. Mayor Brandon Johnson joins us in studio to discuss it all.

Turnover of the Chicago Board of Education just a month before voters will elect new board members has sparked talk of a state intervention. “We wanted to ensure a smooth transition, minimize disruptions for students and streamline the process as we do a historic divestment from the city,” said state Rep. Ann Williams, the Chicago Democrat who sponsored the law establishing a hybrid board. “Unfortunately, here we are facing what we were trying to avoid with that methodical, phased-in approach.”

A fiery news conference today as Mayor Brandon Johnson unveils his new Chicago Board of Education appointees. We’ll have reaction.

Https://schedule.wttw.com/episodes/713644/Frontline/The-VP-Choice-Vance-Vs-Walz/. Investigating the lives and views of JD Vance and Tim Walz as they run for vice president. In an historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal the influences and ideas they'd bring to the White House.

The only thing typical about the 2024 fall color season in Chicago is that it is, per usual, unpredictable. Here’s what we know: Over the next few weeks, foliage will turn from green to a kaleidoscope of red, orange and yellow. Here’s what’s up in the air: When, exactly,...

This summer’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend generated an estimated $128.1 million in economic impact for the city — up more than 17% from the inaugural race last year, according to a report released by the city’s tourism agency. The NASCAR race, which transformed the streets of...