Chicago Election Begins Taking Shape As First Candidates File Petitions
The first day of candidate filings for the city elections in February gave some early indications about the various races, but can't tell the whole story.
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The first day of candidate filings for the city elections in February gave some early indications about the various races, but can't tell the whole story.
A Chicago election official has been fired in the aftermath of a contentious election that has resulted in a criminal probe of disruptive robocalls and complaints about "irregularities" in handling ballots in the state treasurer's race. A spokesman declined to say why the person was fired, saying it was a personnel issue.
Regardless of whether Gov. Pat Quinn concedes the race to Bruce Rauner anytime soon, it will be days before an official count confirms who won the race for Illinois governor.
At Welles Park, there were 50 people still in line at 2 a.m., having waited at least seven hours to cast their ballots. At one point, the gym was transformed into a makeshift holding area to accommodate waiting voters.
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chairman Langdon Neal said at least one precinct in all 50 wards had a problem with election judges not showing up, and the city had to enlist the help of 250 standby judges.
Need help locating your polling place or finding a sample ballot? We've got links to the information you need.
"Overall, for us in suburban Cook, 169,000-plus have already voted," Cook County Clerk David Orr said. "That's a 53 percent increase over 2010."
"There is an intent to try to disrupt the orderly administration of the election," Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chairman Langdon Neal said.
With less than two weeks until Illinois' high-stakes elections, an attorney general opinion has some officials rethinking vote-counting procedures in ways that they say could cause big delays in announcing results.
Voter turnout in Chicago was extremely low on Tuesday, with about 4 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot as of noon, according to data from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Election judges would no longer have to find a voter's name in a massive binder on Election Day.
Shortly before the polls closed Tuesday, State Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) filed a challenge to the results in the 21st District Illinois House race, alleging fraud by election judges.
It appears that if you don't have a lot of voters, you don't have a lot of problems.
Chicago election officials say they have 500 different ballots ready to go, and they are hoping that the ballots get used in the primary Tuesday.
With Illinois a player in the Republican primary election for the first time in decades, the number of voters asking for a GOP ballot is up, but election officials still expect low turnout overall.
With voter registrations still on the low side, local elections officials are debating whether it should be easier for people to register.
Even though it's Presidents Day and most government offices are closed, voters can still cast an early ballot in Chicago's mayoral primary.
A hearing is underway at the Chicago Board of Elections, on more than two dozen challenges to Rahm Emanuel's spot on the Chicago mayoral ballot, among other filings.
If candidates in Chicago's municipal elections want to knock the competition off the ballot, 69 West Washington is the place to be for the next several days.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in the aftermath of the extended outage that just because the power is back on does not mean everything is back to normal.
The Adler Planetarium celebrated the launch Sunday of NASA's $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
The Chicago Bears are trading defensive tackle Gervon Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips and a draft pick, reports said Sunday morning.
Police in the south Chicago suburb of Crest Hill were investigating a shooting early Sunday.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in the aftermath of the extended outage that just because the power is back on does not mean everything is back to normal.
Milo Yiannopoulos, who is British, was accused of overstaying his visa after entering the country legally in May 2019.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Milo Yiannopoulos "chose to overstay his welcome."
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing its new requirements for mail voting for the November midterm elections.
The executive order directs the Interior Department to update the Geographic Names Information System, changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Contracted linemen from out of state sat idle in a Griffith church parking lot for hours without work orders from NIPSCO, as residents in Northwest Indiana approach two weeks without power.
A law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against NIPSCO, alleging the utility's failure to manage trees and vegetation has left thousands of Northwest Indiana residents without power for up to two weeks.
Dozens of cases of E. coli and salmonella in multiple states are linked to an alfalfa grower in Minnesota, health officials say.
A new Illinois law signed by Gov. Pritzker offers up to $1,000 to eligible homeowners hit by storm damage, but the money won't be available until next year — and the program only covers certain areas of Chicago.
Patients taking the first-of-a-kind pill, called daraxonrasib, lived for a median of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy recipients, studies showed.
Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, used performed a complex operation to preserve mobility for a 3-year-old boy who had to have part of his leg amputated after suffering a horrific accident with a lawnmower.
Possible measles exposures have been reported at a high school in Maple Park, Illinois, and a pediatric clinic in South Elgin, Kane County health officials said.
Dozens of cases of E. coli and salmonella in multiple states are linked to an alfalfa grower in Minnesota, health officials say.
Moderna and Merck announced study results that reflect a "landmark moment" in treatment for one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
A Wisconsin prosecutor says he will not file election bribery charges against billionaire Elon Musk even though the state's bipartisan elections commission said he likely broke state law.
An expert blames Illinois lawmakers and "internecine political problems" for the failure to seal a deal for a new stadium within the state for the Chicago Bears.
Real estate investment and development firm Concord Capital has acquired nine apartment buildings on Elaine Place, a single-block residential street in Chicago's East Lakeview community.
The Chicago Plan Commission voted Thursday to approve a plan to redevelop Ford City Mall into an industrial complex, despite objections from some neighbors.
People around the world, including Chicago, continued to gather Wednesday to pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton.
Tim Curry was known for his iconic performances in cult classics like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and the original screen adaptation of Stephen King's "It."
Audience members at a stage performance of "9 to 5: The Musical" in the U.K. were heard gasping aloud at the news of Dolly Parton's death Tuesday.
Dolly Parton was a native and lifelong resident of Tennessee, but she made numerous visits and forged numerous ties to Chicago over the years.
Dolly Parton became an icon over her six-decade career as a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, movie and TV star and theme park owner who donated millions to help others.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
The Adler Planetarium celebrated the launch Sunday of NASA's $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
It was a brutal two weeks for Northwest Indiana residents who lost power to a storm. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton joins Chris Tye to talk about the recovery efforts. Then, former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and media and political consultant Delmarie Cobb join us to talk about that and other issues in Chicago news this week.
President Trump says the new oil deal with Venezuela will lead to lower gas prices, but some experts say that is unlikely to happen as the war with Iran hits its six-month mark. Wendy Gillette reports.
For National Beach Day, Suzanne Le Mignot is looking back on a beach photo from when she celebrated her birthday in San Jose del Cabo a couple of years ago. Meanwhile, Shane Hinton shows us a little weatherman bingo game that he just found out about.
A mass shooting in Chicago's Washington Park sent 14 people to area hospitals late Saturday night, and one of those people died.
A man was killed, and two other people were wounded, in a shooting in Chicago's Bronzeville community late Saturday night.
Police in the south Chicago suburb of Crest Hill were investigating a shooting early Sunday.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in the aftermath of the extended outage that just because the power is back on does not mean everything is back to normal.
Why has the family that runs South Chicago Chapel, where 56 decomposing bodies were found this month, never faced criminal charges, despite a history of mishandling human remains?
Red flags about a family behind two funeral homes and crematories shut down by the state for mishandling bodies were missed in part because two different agencies regulate the death industry in Illinois.
Police in west suburban Oak Brook used a new tool aimed at limiting high-speed chases to catch a fleeing van while responding to a burglary call overnight.
The program was launched by the utility company last year, with some saying it makes it easier to address problem poles.
She was counting down the days to the first day of 5th grade until her school district told her she didn't have a spot there. Now, a federal judge has ordered the district to put the 10-year-old girl with autism back in her neighborhood school.
The Chicago Bears are trading defensive tackle Gervon Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips and a draft pick, reports said Sunday morning.
Bagent connected with Zavion Thomas for a 97-yard touchdown on Chicago's first offensive play and the Bears beat the Tennessee Titans 24-15 on Saturday night in a battle of mostly backups.
Andrew Benintendi had all three of his team's hits with his sixth-inning home run being the difference as the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2.
Alex Bregman, Carson Kelly and Seiya Suzuki also went deep for Chicago, which had lost three in a row and six of eight overall.
Natasha Cloud scored 14 points and Sydney Taylor had 13 for Chicago (15-25).
Police in the south Chicago suburb of Crest Hill were investigating a shooting early Sunday.
A man was killed, and two other people were wounded, in a shooting in Chicago's Bronzeville community late Saturday night.
A mass shooting on the eastern side of Chicago's Washington Park sent 14 people to area hospitals late Saturday night, and one of those people died.
A man has been charged with killing his live-in girlfriend's 11-month-old son in west suburban Aurora in 2010.
A man was arrested and charged this week with exposing himself to a woman in the parking lot of a school in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
