The Puerto Rican musician’s message of unity likely struck a chord with hundreds of thousands of Chicago residents.

Despite economic and political headwinds facing the global travel industry, Chicago’s hotel room demand rose 2.3% in 2025 compared to the previous year, the tourism agency Choose Chicago said.

“The Bear” is back in town for season five, and fans are already scoping out filming locations across the city. This week, actors Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Matty Matheson were spotted in Ukrainian Village, where several residential streets were blocked off with filming notices.

Forty tickets will be available for every performance for $10 each. The Tony Award-winning production returns to CIBC Theatre March 4-April 26.

What issues do you want candidates to be focusing on as they campaign to convince you they’re the right one for elected office? Say More hosts sat down with WBEZ’s Alex Keefe of the People’s Agenda to find out what voters are saying matters most to them.

A Chicago mother says she was blindsided last week when her 9-year-old son came home from school distressed, saying he’d been made to participate in a reenactment of slavery as part of a Black History Month lesson.

One in four Chicago adults are living with a disability, and the majority reside on the South and West sides, according to a new report released Tuesday by the city.

Bodycam video, text messages and other evidence tied to shooting during Operation Midway Blitz are set for a Wednesday release.

Listeners of "In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons" can call 866-915-WBEZ (866-915-9239) to bring their questions about Chicago and how it's being run directly to the mayor from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Lorde? Sombr? What about indie rock darlings Geese? Here's who we think — based on zero inside intel — seems likely to play at Lollapalooza 2026.

Sueños Music Festival is back in Grant Park on May 23 and 24, with headliners including Kali Uchis and J Balvin joining the previously announced Fuerza Regida.

If you roll your eyes when passing the corner of Clark and Ohio streets in River North, you’re not the only one. Sneering or even clutching your pearls go back more than 30 years on this site, to the early 1990s. Here's why.

In what will likely be a major draw for the museum, the Art Institute of Chicago on Tuesday installed its first-ever Norman Rockwell painting, and it depicts the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Monday approved a newly revised ordinance that would authorize Chicagoans to use their cellphones to provide recorded evidence of bus, bike lane and crosswalk parking violations.

After summer storms hit parts of Illinois hard last year, the state requested federal disaster relief funds to help affected residents. On Saturday, the Trump administration officially denied the request.

Say More talks to a family member of a local Olympian, a reporter covering the games and reviews what you need to know about better-known and lesser-knows sports on display.

Listen: Lori Lightfoot has worked as mayor, a federal prosecutor and a top leader on police accountability. She wants local officials to do more to counter ICE. In the Loop discusses the project with her and learns more.

Tracy Letts’ wife, Carrie Coon, stars in the critically acclaimed revival of “Bug." Of her reprisal of a role she portrayed at Steppenwolf in 2021, Letts says: “She’s fearless.

Giancarlo Guerrero, artistic director and principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival, in what he called a “beautiful surprise,” had nine days notice to join the top-secret musical lineup of the Super Bowl halftime show, which featured powerhouse vocalists Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.

Stigma and a false sense of security have kept families from speaking publicly about immigration enforcement. The daughter of a deported man says "staying silent ... hurts you more than anything."

Economy and housing experts say Chicagoans may not see much benefit from the White House’s recent executive order that aims to block institutional investors from buying single-family homes

Democratic politicians and Chicagoans work to hold ICE accountable. R. Kelly survivor Reshona Landfair speaks out. Early voting starts. And more.

After a huge drop in crime in 2025, Chicago started off 2026 with crime rates falling even further. ‘Say More’ talks about what lessons we can learn from the progress.

The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis is raising questions about the rights and risks of bringing a firearm to a protest or a potential interaction with federal immigration officers.

Marimar Martinez is planning to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union later this month. It’s an apparent act of defiance against an administration that’s labeled her a “domestic terrorist” — and won’t take it back.

Listen: If you love your neighborhood park and have ideas for what can be improved, the Chicago Park District wants to hear from you. Say More checks in with the head of the parks and takes listener calls.

The Chicago Housing Authority reversed course after moving to permanently block the daughter of longtime CHA Board Commissioner Debra Parker from continuing to do business with the agency, records show.

Among the people in Chicago living in SNAP households who are 22 or older, a CPS lunchroom porter is among the 47% who are employed but still need government support to help buy groceries, according to 2024 U.S. Census data analyzed by WBEZ.

The Chicago-based indie rock quartet’s sixth record, “Singin’ to an Empty Chair,” comprises 11 tracks drenched in twangy folk, pop-rock and distortion, and all beating with Midwestern heart.

A new study examining time credit laws allowing incarcerated people to earn time off prison sentences found that Illinois isn't alone. Outdated technology and fragmented recordkeeping systems routinely keep incarcerated people across the country locked up longer than they should be.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited a small Christian high school on Chicago’s West Side on Thursday as part of her national tour to promote civics education and encourage students to connect with America’s founding principles.

Skokie's diversity is partially why Vincent Yang, owner of Monkey King Jianbing, brought his business there. It's one of more than 30 Chicago-area suburbs that have shifted from majority-white communities to majority non-white ones in the last 20 years, according to a WBEZ analysis of census data.

A 96-year-old Collegiate Gothic building on the DePaul University campus is being considered Thursday for preliminary landmark status.

David Byrne took WBEZ reporter Mike Davis on a tour of “Theater of the Mind,” his forthcoming immersive theater installation. When construction is complete, the exhibition will fill 15,000 square feet of ground floor space in the Reid Murdoch building Downtown.

A 40-year-old recording of then-Mayor Harold Washington leading the Refrigerettes in a rousing cheer for the NFC Champion Chicago Bears just weeks from their only Super Bowl victory is one of 800 newly digitized audio clips showcased on a web page unveiled by City Clerk Anna Valencia.

The shift of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Così fan tutte (Thus Do All Women)” to 1930s upper-crust America in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new revival gives the opera a modern zing and just feels comfortable and fun.

Arguing art is its own form of resistance, the Minnesota Opera forged ahead with the world premiere “My Name is Florence” amid widespread immigration enforcement actions in the area.

Principal Regina Latimer-Lake was chosen from a pool of 20 regional winners as the statewide Elementary Principal of the Year by the Illinois Principals Association.

The Illinois general primary is March 17. Here's everything you need to know to be ready to vote throughout the Chicago metro area.

Chalmers Elementary School unveiled a new chicken coop this week named after a pioneering Black female scientist who studied chicken embryos. The celebration kicked off a series of Black History Month events across Chicago Public Schools.

As the Illinois primary election draws near, mail-in voters may need to submit their ballots earlier to ensure they are counted under a new U.S. Postal Service rule.

WATCH: In a wide-ranging interview with our team, Marimar Martinez discusses her shooting, the federal government’s failed attempt to prosecute her and the role she now sees for herself in a fight for accountability. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCO4...

Local music festival Warm Love Cool Dreams returns to the Salt Shed for its second event with more local heavy-hitters including Whitney and Pixel Grip. It’s also the third festival announced for Memorial Day Weekend.

The 52nd Non-Equity Jeff Award nominations were announced Wednesday, with Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre once again topping the list with 20 nominations — the most for any individual theater company.

According to university officials, the student said he is solely interested in the history of the Cross and the Duke of Burgundy — and that he is appalled that his painting was interpreted as a message of anti-trans hate.

Open since April, the Dolton restaurant pays tribute to the Starz TV show ‘Power’ while providing jobs to teens in the neighborhood.

Why is Ashland Avenue called a boulevard in certain spots? Sometimes street sign discrepancies are errors, and other times, they're history.

In the Loop finds out how the international DRUMline Live tour brings the HBCU experience right to the auditorium and discusses why marching bands are a key component of HBCU culture. Listen to the segment here.

Incredible interview by @wbez.org’s @adrianacardmag.bsky.social with Marimar Martinez — who was shot, charged, vindicated in Trump’s deportation blitz in Chicago chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

For more than 10 years, Chicago Black Restaurant Week has promoted a variety of Black-owned eateries throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. From Feb. 8-22, participating restaurants will offer specials that typically include an appetizer, entree and dessert for a fixed price.