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Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd), a member of the council's Progressive Caucus, wants a closer look at the numbers, and he and six members of the caucus have asked Ald. James Balcer (11th), who chairs the Public Safety Committee, to hold hearings into the city's crime statistics.
Aldermen and advocates have introduced an ordinance to ensure that uniforms for City of Chicago Employees are not produced in sweatshops, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Although the state already makes it a felony to use a video device to shoot "upskirt" images of women, the City Council on Wednesday also made the already illegal practice subject to a $500 fine.
Sponsors said large corporations would get two years to phase in the higher wage. Small and mid-sized businesses would have five years.
The City Council is going to take another look at how the Administration divides up the money that the Aldermen control for street projects in their wards.
The City Council voted 36-10 to ban large chain stores from providing plastic bags to customers, starting next summer.
Earlier this year, the City Council voted to add e-cigarettes to the city's indoor smoking ban, which prohibits smoking in bars, restaurants, and inside most other public buildings. Effective Tuesday, use of e-cigarettes has been added to that ban.
First Deputy Corporation Counsel Leslie Darling told the Finance Committee that 24-year-old Edwin Hill was severely injured while waiting for a bus on the South Side in November 2008.
The Chicago City Council's Health and Environment Committee has given preliminary approval to a partial ban on retailers using those flimsy and ubiquitous plastic bags.
The amended ordinance would exempt all restaurants from the ban, as well as small independent retailers – stores which have a size of less than 10,000 square feet, and which are not part of a chain of three or more stores.
Many aldermen still want to ban the ubiquitous plastic grocery bags they feel are clogging landfills, but some want to exempt small, independent retailers from the ordinance.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he's working hard to get state lawmakers to approve the pension deal that seems to have stalled in Springfield last week.
A Wheeling company's plan to build a heliport along the Chicago River in Bridgeport has cleared a major hurdle, and likely will be approved by the City Council on Wednesday, over the objections of some people who live nearby.
Ridesharing companies – and their drivers and customers – have urged aldermen to allow the services to continue in Chicago, without severe restrictions sought by the taxi industry.
Aldermen agree something must be done to limit the number of plastic retail store bags clogging landfills, but they still haven't decided what, exactly, to do about the problem.
Chicago Helicopter Express wants the city's OK for what would begin as a private heliport that would launch 20 takeoffs per day.
The City Council's Inspector General has sparked controversy, after a top aide recently worked on a state lawmaker's re-election campaign while taking time off the job.
A trade newspaper for the city's taxi industry has threatened to out five aldermen who it claims are "secretly gay," unless the City Council bans ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, and SideCar.
An ordinance sponsored by Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) would have outlawed unauthorized strip clubs in residential neighborhoods, but allowed some nudity in clubs that serve booze.
A proposed ordinance backed by most of the City Council would require employers in the city to provide paid sick leave for most of their workers.
The City Council gave final approval Wednesday to an ordinance banning pet shops from buying their animals from so-called "puppy mills" and similar places.
A group of Chicago aldermen on Wednesday urged airlines and air cargo lines operating out of O'Hare International Airport to halt all flights to Russia, until it withdraws its troops from Ukraine.
The Chicago City Council's Licensing Committee has approved of a measure aimed at keeping pet stores from selling animals raised in inhumane conditions.
The festivities at Taste of Chicago could get a bit more expensive this summer.
Horse carriage companies in Chicago face possible extinction if an influential alderman has his way, but drivers have banded together and are trying to enlist public support to save their industry.
CTA Red Line service was suspended on Chicago's South Side late Wednesday morning after the brakes caught fire on a train.
A group of faith leaders from the Chicago area spent their morning on Christmas Eve outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview, after being denied access once again.
Four women have been charged with leading police on a high-speed chase after stealing from a retail store in the west Chicago suburb of Villa Park.
Travis Konecny scored and added his 300th career assist, leading the Philadelphia Flyers past the Blackhawks 3-1 and handing depleted Chicago its sixth straight loss.
Pope Leo XIV has revealed he privately urged Gov. JB Pritzker not to sign a bill legalizing medical assistance in dying in Illinois.
Pope Leo XIV has revealed he privately urged Gov. JB Pritzker not to sign a bill legalizing medical assistance in dying in Illinois.
President Trump invoked a law called Title 10 to bring members of the Illinois National Guard under federal service over the objections of state and local leaders.
A host of new laws in Illinois will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. From gun safety to rogue towers, protection from squatters, medical assistance in dying, protections for immigrants and more, here are some of the most notable changes in the new year.
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday declined to veto a $16.6 billion spending plan passed by his rivals on the City Council, allowing it to go into effect without his signature.
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul over a state law restricting immigration arrests.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
It's the holiday season, which means it's the most common time of year for norovirus to spread. Here's what you need to know about this winter stomach bug.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for a new stadium to Northwest Indiana, even though they already own land in Arlington Heights and have also proposed a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
The singer said an MRI showed a cancerous spot on one of his lungs after he recovered from a lengthy bout of bronchitis.
James Ransone, the actor who played Ziggy Sobotka in the HBO series "The Wire" and appeared in many other TV shows and movies, has died.
Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre is hosting "The Phantom of the Opera," and staff offered a firsthand look at the iconic chandelier inside the theater this week.
The special features interviews with Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O'Connell and Mandy Patinkin.
The Oscars ceremony is moving to YouTube starting in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.
Congressional Democrats said they're planning legal action if the Justic Department does not release the remaining Jeffrey Epstein files in the coming days.
In the San Fernando Valley, a dad came to the rescue of his daughter when her car was trapped in floodwaters.
Hundreds of people might get their Christmas presents late after the crash in suburban Los Angeles.
Supermarket surveillance footage captured the moment the earthquake hit.
A group of faith leaders from the Chicago area spent their morning on Christmas Eve outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview, after being denied access once again.
A mass shooting in the parking lot of a liquor store in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood left a man dead and three others injured.
CTA Red Line service was suspended on Chicago's South Side late Wednesday morning after the brakes caught fire on a train.
Pope Leo XIV has revealed he privately urged Gov. JB Pritzker not to sign a bill legalizing medical assistance in dying in Illinois.
A host of new laws in Illinois will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. From gun safety to rogue towers, protection from squatters, medical assistance in dying, protections for immigrants and more, here are some of the most notable changes in the new year.
A group of faith leaders from the Chicago area spent their morning on Christmas Eve outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview, after being denied access once again.
Cameras not working, video evidence missed by police and a psychic that leads a hit and run victim's son to a clue that changes the case
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
Advocates and legislators are seeking solutions and and accountability for a pattern of Chicago police arresting Black gun owners on firearms charges despite valid FOID and CCL licenses.
Travis Konecny scored and added his 300th career assist, leading the Philadelphia Flyers past the Blackhawks 3-1 and handing depleted Chicago its sixth straight loss.
The Bulls trailed 117-107 but closed the game on a 19-6 run.
Three Chicago Bears players have been named to the 2026 NFC Pro Bowl roster: safety Kevin Byard III, center Drew Dalman, and left guard Joe Thuney.
Murakami, or "Mune" as he likes to be called, was introduced on Monday on the South Side after signing a two-year, $34-million contract.
Each of the kids had $250 to spend during their holiday shopping spree at JD Sports on State Street.
Four women have been charged with leading police on a high-speed chase after stealing from a retail store in the west Chicago suburb of Villa Park.
Three teens have been charged with sexually assaulting a classmate this past summer at a graduation party for St. Viator High School students.
Chicago police asked for help from the public Tuesday finding three young women who robbed a woman at knifepoint on a CTA Red Line train the day before.
The driver of a Brinks armored truck was shot in Chicago on the Southwest Side Tuesday morning, officials said, during a robbery of the armored vehicle.
A third teen stood charged Tuesday morning in the brutal beating of a 62-year-old man on a CTA bus on Chicago's West Side last week.
