Wrigley Field is known for its iconic marquee sign, its ivy and its hand-operated scoreboard, but when the Friendly Confines opened in 1914, the stadium had none of that. Here's more on the history of Wrigley Field and how the ballpark became what it is today: https://tinyurl.com/22xyy4fu 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city leaders have launched their Summer Safety Strategy. Here's how officials plan to keep you safe and what you can do to help: https://tinyurl.com/38uda2wx 

Aurora officials are investigating after the city lost nearly $1.1 million from city payroll accounts to a phone scam. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/ypzhj2bm 

Ahead of its July return to Grant Park, the food and music lineup for the 2026 Taste of Chicago was released Thursday.

Recognition continues for Joe Sass, the heroic Chicago Public Schools crossing guard caught on video carrying a child across a flooded street this past January, which went viral for the heartwarming moment.

A federal grand jury has indicted a Chicago man accused of using his SUV to assault a federal immigration agent on the city’s Southwest Side during Operation Midway Blitz late last year.

The four people impacted include: former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, Andre Martin, who served on Abughazaleh’s campaign staff, Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw, and 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt.

Chicago police released surveillance footage early Thursday of a man wanting for killing a 52-year-old man on the East Side in a triple shooting.

Felony charges have been filed against two people accused of battering CPD officers who were responding to a call on the city’s Southwest Side on Tuesday evening.

In 2014, Thomas Wortham IV was shot and killed by men trying to steal his motorcycle outside his parents home.

A judge has denied a petition to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged crimes by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz.

The Chicago Bears stadium saga keeps churning out new storylines, the latest coming from a new report saying some state lawmakers are still holding out hope the team will stay in Chicago.

Federal inflation data confirms what you may have been feeling already: Groceries are getting more expensive. Unfortunately, things may be about to get a whole lot worse, economists are warning.

Generations ago, these birds filled Illinois grasslands with a sound unlike anything else. Now, one Jasper County biologist fears that sound may be gone forever.

In 2023, Early Walker, CEO of I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot, introduced the Parents of Chicago text and email communication lines for parents as teen takeovers were getting more popular downtown.

The deadly blaze erupted around 2 a.m. Wednesday at a home located in the 6200 block of South Paulina Street in West Englewood.

Thanks to advances in medicine, transplants are common. But when a patient needs four new organs at the same time, the miracle of technology, skill, and generosity on behalf of a donor, is awe-inspiring.

A group of journalists, podcasters and voice actors in Illinois are suing several major technology companies, alleging the corporations used their voices without consent to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

A child was flown to a hospital after being badly injured in a fall at a suburban elementary school Wednesday afternoon. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/ydm62d4u 

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson held a town hall on Wednesday night after concerns from residents about data centers. The mayor defended the data centers while hearing from residents who oppose them. Read more on both arguments: https://tinyurl.com/bde67wk7 

BREAKING UPDATE: An early-morning house fire on the city's Southwest Side left two children and two adults dead, and authorities believe the fire was started intentionally. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/5e3azn6a 

Gas is over $4 a gallon in every state for the first time since the war in Iran began, just as millions of Americans prepare to hit the road for Memorial Day weekend, and Illinois ranks among the top 10 states where gas prices are highest. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3akedf74 

A longtime Chicago contractor is suing the city, saying his company that used to transport bodies for Chicago police was pushed out improperly. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mtx8pc36 

The Obama Foundation announced that an official watch party will be held for the grand opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center.

A DuPage County corrections officer was charged Wednesday with disseminating child sexual abuse material and subsequently fired, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and DuPage County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

Tiffany Henyard is calling her political comeback “Project Phoenix;” but unlike the mythical bird that dies in the flames and is reborn from its own ashes, there are signs she’s not catching fire in Georgia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now starting to screen certain international travelers for Ebola at multiple major U.S. airports, including Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2uhebtmw

In south suburban Chicago Ridge, residents say they’ve never seen it this bad.

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has reportedly been fined $5,000 by Major League Baseball for the profane comments he made to a fan during Sunday’s game against the White Sox at Rate Field, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Edes, who cited “industry sources.”

According to police, the alleged shooting unfolded just before 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 8600 block of South Marquett Avenue.

As a member of the speech team, mock trial and model UN at York Community High School, Ricardo Morales is used to speaking in public, but his graduation speech on Sunday didn’t go quite as planned.

Former Chicago Alderman Dick Simpson offers a unique perspective on Chicago politics, having served on the City Council and spending years keeping a close eye on the body as a political analyst.

Roughly 5 million people could lose coverage from the Affordable Care Act Marketplace this year after the enhanced premium tax credits expired in 2025, according to the latest analysis from KFF.

The fight for control of the Chicago School Board is well underway as the CTU aims to frame the Board campaign six months before the election.

Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: https://wgntv.com/sports/ap-aaron-rodgers-says-the-2026-nfl-season-will-be-his-last-this-is-it/ 

If you are one of the millions of Americans hitting the road during the Memorial Day weekend, you may want to plan carefully to avoid being trapped in holiday weekend gridlock.

On the agenda: the subminimum wage, Chicago's parking meters, a tax break for the 1901 Project,

Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, a popular summer destination for Chicagoland residents, will open for the 2026 season this Saturday, May 23, for the start of Memorial Day weekend.

The blaze erupted around 2 a.m. at a home located in the 6200 block of South Paulina Street in West Englewood.

The disturbing allegations made by the four victims, all boys under the age of 12, include being fed only crumbs until they passed out from hunger and watching as he snapped the necks of their pets in front of their eyes.

‘I’ve spoken to the governor’: Gov. JB Pritzker has become increasingly visible in recent weeks as the Bears trudge closer to putting a pin in the years-long back-and-forth over where to build the team a new stadium. Full story: https://tinyurl.com/5e62zy2c 

As a member of the speech team, mock trial and model UN at York Community High School, Ricardo Morales is used to speaking in public, but his graduation speech on Sunday didn’t go quite as planned. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/r8z62nr8 

Community members in Tinley Park are rallying to save Tinley Park Apothecary, an independent pharmacy, from closing due to a village decision that denied the business a small business tax break renewal. Full story: https://tinyurl.com/wn2afsan 

The family of a teenage girl has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation, arguing the concert promoter should be responsible after she was sexually assaulted at its Tinley Park venue last summer. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2s3fp8y4 

A 13-year-old boy was charged after another 13-year-old boy was shot Monday afternoon in Joliet.

A 24-year-old man was injured in a shooting at a South Side barber shop this afternoon. The investigation is still ongoing. Full story: https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/man-injured-in-shooting-at-south-side-barber-shop/ 

The race to replace retiring Congressman Jesus “Chuy” García is getting more competitive this week.

One of the biggest challenges for detectives working child pornography and exploitation cases is finding hidden evidence that can be as small as a thumb drive.

A question asked of Gov. JB Pritzker on the Chicago Bears’ stadium search and where it stands turned into a jab at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Members of the Chi-town Crime Chasers told WGN News that there were close to 300 teens on the lakefront.