East Aurora School District 131’s school board has approved a balanced budget for the school year.

A house fire response by the Aurora police and fire departments recently ended in the rescue of a 4-year-old dog, who appears to have guided a police investigator to his leash during the incident, body camera footage shows.

Federal immigration enforcement agents made arrests in Chicago and the suburb of West Chicago on Monday, while others were spotted in west suburban Aurora, officials and two state lawmakers said.

In the latest attempt to solve a looming budget shortfall, the Kane County Board has OK’d a recommendation that county offices and departments reduce their expenses by roughly 8% from last year’s budget.

The city of Aurora is looking at pulling back on proposed financial support for the Aurora Civic Center Authority, which owns and operates the Paramount Theatre, leading some City Council members to express concerns.

Aurora residents will likely see a slightly higher number on their water bill starting in July, after the City Council voted to raise water rates by 6% for each of the next two years to account for operating and capital needs for the Aurora water and sewer system.

On Sunday afternoon, members of the LGBTQ+ community, their families and allies gathered in downtown Aurora for the city’s sixth annual Pride Parade.

Over 18,000 people gathered over a 30-mile stretch across DuPage and Cook counties from Aurora to Chicago on Sunday to protest Trump administration policies.

Chicago posted the seventh biggest population gain of any city in the country last year, leading a wave of growth that also lifted many suburbs, particularly those on the fringes of the metro area.

Update: Batavia joins other local govs in adopting a 1% grocery tax to replace the state one ending in January.

Robert Prevost’s Catholic roots were planted in Chicago’s south suburbs, where he lived in Dolton with his parents and two brothers. He grew up in St. Mary of the Assumption parish on the far South Side, attending school there with his siblings.

The political hot potato about grocery taxes promises to create a patchwork of taxes and has already led to finger-pointing between local and state officials.

@addisonwright.bsky.social is doing great reporting tracing how groups receiving Head Start money are navigating federal funding uncertainty. The latest here:

Last month, President Donald Trump ordered the gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For Illinois, cuts could threaten a statewide service that makes interlibrary loans possible — and have already translated into a loss of local grant money. ✍️ with @mollymorrow.bsky.social:

Nearly two years after the officer-involved shooting that left James Moriarty of Aurora dead, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced Friday that no Kane County deputies will be charged in connection with the incident.

Latest on Kane County and the SAFE-T Act:

The Kane County Cougars were officially sold last week to REV Entertainment. They will continue to play in Geneva.

Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers have proposed banning cellphones in public schools. We talked with teachers, administrators and students about what cell phone use is like in schools, and how some schools have restricted it. Great working with @addisonwright.bsky.social on this story!

This proposal revives a decades-old debate on cellphones in schools. While some worry about security, others see phones as a major source of distraction. @addisonwright.bsky.social and @mollymorrow.bsky.social have the story: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/17/g...

The loss of federal funding for a refugee resettlement program in January has left nearly 400 refugees in the Chicago area in limbo, says the Chicago area office of global Christian humanitarian organization World Relief.

Food truck owner Gustavo Salmeron says he suspects fear in Aurora’s immigrant community – like immigrant communities nationwide – over Trump administration policies is the reason business is so quiet.

Since the Trump administration promised to crack down on immigration, touting Chicago as ground zero, fear and uncertainty has permeated immigrant communities in and near the city. I spoke to a few immigrant business owners in Aurora to see what it’s been like. My latest:

Illinois may soon join a growing number of states permitting community colleges to offer four-year degrees, and Aurora-area colleges are enthusiastic about the possibility.

Six years later, the families of the victims and the witnesses of the 2019 Henry Pratt mass shooting in Aurora are still pursuing legal action against the state — and trying to heal.

“It’s no secret that the new administration wants to target Chicago. They want to intimidate a city that would stand up for justice and protection for everyone.” Here’s what to know about the ICE raids in Chicago — and how residents, politicians and more are responding.

After the Trump administration announced on Tuesday that officers enforcing federal immigration laws could make arrests at sensitive locations, Aurora area schools have begun to make plans in case ICE tries to make arrests at their facilities.

Hello Bluesky! After the Trump administration announced schools and churches were not off limits for immigration arrests, Aurora school districts say they’re preparing for if federal agencies come to their schools, encouraging parents to update their emergency contact info, etc. Details here:

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