Cultivate Cannabis Festival happening this weekend
The three-day event focuses on cannabis and the culture surrounding it.
Watch CBS News
The three-day event focuses on cannabis and the culture surrounding it.
You must purchase a judging kit, including samples and a scorecard to participate.
You must purchase a judging kit, including samples and a scorecard, to participate. The kits cost between $75 and $300.
City leaders say Lollapalooza brings in $300 million in tourism money each year – but CBS 2's Lauren Victory found the four-day festival doesn't do every business good.
Struggling cannabis license holders of color are making an appeal to Illinois state lawmakers. They said without urgent help, they won't make the July deadline to open and could lose their investment.
The legal cannabis transporters say they will be forced out of business if the state does not enforce its own standards.
More than a dozen licensed cannabis transporters accuse the state of failing to regulate how marijuana is being moved – despite strict and expensive regulations in place.
Issues at the state level are still affecting those still working to break into our state’s billion-dollar industry – more than three years after recreational marijuana became legal. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports.
Social equity cannabis license holders in Illinois have been up against years of state delays, COVID delays, lawsuits, and red tape.
When marijuana was legalized more than three years ago in Illinois, state leaders sold it as a chance to repair the harm done to communities of color hit hardest by the War on Drugs. On Friday, a cannabis company became the first social equity manufacturer in the city to open its doors, but they acknowledge more work still needs to be done to level the playing field. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar had the story.
Chicago's first independent, Black-owned marijuana dispensary, The Grasshopper Club, is making 4/20 Day a community event. Digital journalist Jamaica Ponder sat down with co-owner Matthew Brewer to learn more about their effort to destigmatize the culture around cannabis.
Her plane landed in San Antonio, Texas. Griner was freed from Russia in exchange for notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Hip Hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs enters a tentative agreement to purchase the largest U.S. wholesaler of branded cannabis, Cresco Labs.
The activists said they want to see more loans and grants distributed and more leniency for people who need more time to open their businesses.
Despite promises of equity, legal red tape has crushed some Illinois marijuana businesses before they've even started. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
Despite promises of equity, legal red tape has crushed some businesses before they've even started.
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra talked with festival organizer Abigail Watkins.
The marijuana-friendly Waldos Forever Festival is set for Saturday – marking the first time it has been held since marijuana has been legal in Illinois for recreational use. CBS 2's Marie Saavedra talked with organizer Abigail Watkins.
April 20 may be just another day for some, but for others, it's 4/20 – an homage to marijuana.
The State of Illinois made $131 million last month alone in legal weed sales – but none of that marijuana was grown or produced by new state license winners trying to break into the industry.
CBS 2's Tara Molina talked to two cannabis license winners who have been held up waiting to open their own businesses.
This St. Patrick's Day, the State of Illinois released an update on another kind of green – the billions of dollars in legalized weed sold in Illinois without one new license winner cleared to open in more than two years.
This St. Patrick's Day, the State of Illinois released an update on another kind of green – the billions of dollars in legalized weed sold in Illinois without one new license winner cleared to open in more than two years. CBS 2's Tara Molina talked to two entrepreneurs who remain in limbo.
Nearly $2.5 billion has poured into Illinois since recreational marijuana became legal in 2020, and with every sale, part of the tax goes to help fund community organizations.
This story is about a lottery winner – but it doesn't involve little white balls or scratch-off tickets.
Two men were killed and a woman was critically injured after a shooting in Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood.
Thursday night's tornado outbreak in the Chicago area continues a concerning trend of increasing tornado frequency in the Upper Midwest.
Long before rainbow crosswalks, pride parades, and openly LGBTQ+ elected leaders, the faces of the community lived in the shadows.
They approach you, claim they need money for a loved one's funeral, and then disappear with thousands of your dollars. Now, new video is giving Chicago police and Chicagoans a closer look at the tap to pay scam.
Northwest Indiana was hit by at least three tornadoes on Thursday evening as powerful storms swept through the Chicago area, with Merrillville among the hardest-hit areas.
Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would not harm U.S. consumers or weaken competition, DOJ antitrust enforcers said.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Friday that restricts the sale of intoxicating hemp products to the same ages as recreational marijuana.
The Pentagon on Friday released a new group of documents and videos related to UFOs, or UAPs, with 72 more documents, images and recordings.
Multiple floors of the Pentagon were locked down for several hours Thursday morning and hazmat crews were deployed for what authorities had described as a "hazardous materials incident."
The House on Thursday defeated a last-ditch effort to extend a key spy authority until early July.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
June is World Infertility Awareness Month, and Northwestern Medicine on Monday shared the story of a woman who is celebrating the birth of her second child after a tumor disrupted her fertility.
The Centennial Park Aquatic Center in the southwest Chicago suburb of Orland Park has been closed to the public after two recent cases of E. coli infection.
Menopause can feel like a major turning point for millions of women, with symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog can make women feel like their bodies aren't their own.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Forty years ago last weekend, crowds turned out for the Chicago Blues Festival — an event studded with a roster of stars for a spectacle that's still talked about today.
Visitors will soon be able to check out the set from CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in Chicago, at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
"Schmigadoon!" — which was tied for the most nominations, with 12 — won Best Musical, and "Liberation" took home the honor of Best Play at the 2026 Tony Awards.
Anthony Head played librarian and mentor Rupert Giles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and recently appeared in "Ted Lasso."
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is on the cover of Madden NFL 27, the first Bear ever to grace the primary cover of the massively popular video game.
Two men were killed and a woman was critically injured after a shooting in Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood.
Meteorologist Carl Lam is tracking storms tonight.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
The history of LGBTQ+ activists and organizers is deeply connected to the evolution of Chicago. Long before rainbow crosswalks, pride parades, and openly LGBTQ+ elected leaders, the faces of the community lived in the shadows.
They approach you, claim they need money for a loved one's funeral, and then disappear with thousands of your dollars. Now, new video is giving Chicago police and Chicagoans a closer look at the tap to pay scam.
Two men were killed and a woman was critically injured after a shooting in Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood.
The National Weather Service confirmed multiple tornado touchdowns on June 11 across Illinois and Indiana.
Thursday night's tornado outbreak in the Chicago area continues a concerning trend of increasing tornado frequency in the Upper Midwest.
Long before rainbow crosswalks, pride parades, and openly LGBTQ+ elected leaders, the faces of the community lived in the shadows.
They approach you, claim they need money for a loved one's funeral, and then disappear with thousands of your dollars. Now, new video is giving Chicago police and Chicagoans a closer look at the tap to pay scam.
The Crisis Alternative Response Evanston, or CARE, team responds to calls that, before July 2024, would have been lumped into police calls.
The system will provide all heating, cooling, and ventilation for the high school's new physical education facilities and contribute to the school system, saving the district nearly $400,000 a year.
The forecast for a summer reopening of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is growing cloudy, as negotiations continue between the owners and landlord, after the safety net hospital abruptly shuttered its doors in March.
The Obama Presidential Center has been built with sustainability literally in its foundation. But its infrastructure for clean energy, environmentalism and climate change resiliency will also help the communities around it on Chicago's South Side.
A driver in Carol Stream says a band of hungry squirrels caused nearly $30,000 in damage to three different luxury vehicles because of plant-based parts they view as a tasty snack.
Chase Meidroth had three hits and two RBIs, and the Chicago White Sox beat the depleted Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 in a matchup of division leaders.
Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears had one final minicamp practice on Thursday before they split from Halas Hall to enjoy their last taste of freedom ahead of next month's real training camp.
Seiya Suzuki hit his third career grand slam, Alex Bregman added a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs snapped a three-game skid with a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony festivities got underway a little over an hour before the first kickoff in Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.
The Cubs have lost 22 of their past 29 games after starting the season 27-12.
It's the second time this year that authorities detained a stowaway holding a huge stash of drugs in the same harbor.
Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.
A fourth man has been charged in connection with a string of burglaries targeting video gambling terminals in Chicago's west and southwest suburbs since late last year.
A man has been charged with multiple acts of mail theft and burglary in the Chicago area dating back up to three years.
Chicago police on Wednesday released a surveillance image of someone they said was spotted fleeing the scene as a cross burned in Grant Park.
