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A day after calling Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's call for a Justice Department investigation of the Chicago Police Department's use of force "misguided," Mayor Rahm Emanuel reversed course, saying he is open to a federal probe of systemic issues at CPD.
A group of retired black Chicago police officers has joined the call for a federal civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police Department's practices, saying the Laquan McDonald case illustrates a problem with racism on the police force.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday said he has no plans to resign amid pressure stemming from the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, and said he thinks it would be "misguided" to open a federal civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police Department, with federal prosecutors already looking into the shooting.
Civil rights pioneers were in downstate Illinois on Tuesday, after being honored in Chicago Monday night for their work since they ended racial segregation at an all-white school in Arkansas decades ago.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder warned Thursday that he would veto religious objections legislation unless lawmakers also send him a bill extending anti-discrimination protections to gays.
At 4 feet 11, she was lovingly she was called "the little warrior" and her stories remain larger than life and continue to make an impact today.
Barrow was one of the founders of the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket, which became Operation PUSH. Barrow had been hospitalized for more than a week with a blood clot in her lung.
Willie T. Barrow, 90, helped found Operation PUSH and has made a mark in Chicago.
Cities across the nation will be celebrating the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend but some hold a more historical significance than others.
Steven G. Zamiar, 46, has been indicted for allegedly beating two different people in separate incidents.
One of the most widely used streets on the South Side could be in for a big change.
A veteran of Chicago's civil rights movement said Wednesay's commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington highlights how far African Americans have come in this country, and how far they still have to go.
Chicago's DuSable Museum of African American History hosted a re-enactment of the March onWashington fifty years ago, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.
Willie Louis was considered an unsung hero of the civil rights movement for testifying against the two white men charged with killing Till.
State Street between 49th and 50th outside DuSable High School is now honorarily named Dr. Timuel Black Street.
It is not news when Republicans try to block access to the ballot box for poor, minority and elderly voters. What is unusual is that Republicans are admitting it.
Unfortunately, political poll after political poll reveals that the presidential election of 2012 has much to do – in fact, more to do – with the race of the presidential candidate than most anything else.
Hillary Clinton is a glowing example of the heights women are reaching in the United States in recent times. She contradicts the notion thrust forth by President Obama and his political party that there is an alleged-"War on Women".
Romney is lucky that people grabbed on to the "binders full of women" comment because his comment about giving his female Chief of Staff flex time so she could go home and cook dinner was mostly over looked.
Early vote was once an idea that both parties promoted. But as Democrats grow in their ability to use it to their strategic advantage, Republicans have sought to reduce or eliminate it.
Conveniently-timed for Obama's reelection, the Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers Claims Resolution program began September 24, 2012 – just a month-and-a-half before the election. Apparently the Obama administration did not care about this alleged injustice to females and Hispanics any time in the past three-and-a-half years. It just happened to be thought about and addressed now – just before voters pull the lever.
It has been argued that "granny" might not be able to vote if they make her have a voter ID. But seriously, why all the concern about taking the extra measure of a voter ID to make sure that every vote cast in a United States election is a legally qualified vote, including "granny's"?
Yesterday the Obama administration put in place provisions of the DREAM Act that brought many young people out of the shadows to participate in the American Dream. On the same day a judge in Pennsylvania let stand what may be the most egregious attempt at voter suppression in a generation.
As we celebrate these women's victories we must remember that Title IX created the opportunities for women to succeed in sports. When progressives push for public policy changes, that is what we seek: not guaranteed outcomes but guaranteed access.
There are many Americans who do not have a government issued ID. In our country there is no requirement to carry ID. If you do not have a government ID, that does not make you a criminal. That does not make you unworthy of voting.
Police said the suspect wanted in the 2-year-old disappearance is 44-year-old Dwayne Clemons.
Officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gates of a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, killing dozens of people during Friday prayers.
A federal judge in Chicago is expected to rule on Friday on whether body camera footage will be released, showing border patrol agents shooting a woman five times in Brighton Park.
Illinois had more tornadoes than any other state in the U.S. last year. As the climate warms, Illinois has seen a surge in tornado activity in the last few years.
One week after a Joliet sign-making business burned down, the owner was personally delivering orders to his customers until he can rebuild.
As immigration sweeps expand nationwide, the work of justifying detentions is overwhelming federal prosecutors, who are being forced to sideline a range of other cases in order to keep pace.
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October, plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress later this month, according to her attorney.
As Jesse Jackson Jr. campaigns for his old U.S. House seat at Chicago-area churches, banquet halls and on Black radio shows, he often takes a moment to address the obvious matter hanging over his political comeback.
Illinois early voting for the 2026 primary begins for most counties in early February. Find out what your early voting dates are and where you can go cast a ballot below.
Chicago Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) wants to hear from anyone who has strong feelings about food delivery robots.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
A Near West Side diner known for drawing in Blackhawks fans and players is up for sale.
January may be the coldest time of the year, but Chicago is already looking forward to summer farmers' markets.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
The members of Ratboys were teenagers when they met by chance, and now in their 30s, the Chicago band formed by two college friends almost two decades ago appears to be on the brink of something big.
Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered a string of hits for one of the top rock acts of the late 1960s and early '70s has died. He was 83.
Bad Bunny used his Grammy acceptance speech on Sunday to denounce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and call for the end of the ongoing immigration crackdown.
The 2026 Grammy Awards recognized the best of the best in music from last year, with big wins for Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Here's the full list of winners and nominees.
Complete closure of the performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will start on July 4, Mr. Trump said. It's not yet clear how extensive the changes to the building might be.
A federal judge in Chicago is expected to rule on Friday on whether body camera footage will be released, showing border patrol agents shooting a woman five times in Brighton Park.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon is tracking a snowy commute on Friday.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Illinois had more tornadoes than any other state in the U.S. last year. As the climate warms, Illinois has seen a surge in tornado activity in the last few years.
One week after a Joliet sign-making business burned down, the owner was personally delivering orders to his customers until he can rebuild.
A federal judge in Chicago is expected to rule on Friday on whether body camera footage will be released, showing border patrol agents shooting a woman five times in Brighton Park.
Police said the suspect wanted in the 2-year-old disappearance is 44-year-old Dwayne Clemons.
Illinois had more tornadoes than any other state in the U.S. last year. As the climate warms, Illinois has seen a surge in tornado activity in the last few years.
Officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gates of a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, killing dozens of people during Friday prayers.
One week after a Joliet sign-making business burned down, the owner was personally delivering orders to his customers until he can rebuild.
Cynthia Eason recounted the moment Chicago police officers raided her family's home in 2018.
Water bills could be going up in several Chicago suburbs and other parts of Illinois, as Illinois American Water seeks a rate increase to fund infrastructure improvements.
The case involves a Chicago grandmother, her daughter, and her four grandchildren, who all said that Chicago police officers pointed guns at them during the botched raid.
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel no longer will have to testify about an alleged "code of silence" at the Chicago Police Department, after a federal judge reversed an earlier ruling that would have allowed him to take the stand in a lawsuit over a botched police raid.
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, the busiest trauma center in Illinois, is sounding an alarm, as doctors brace for an influx of patients because of federal funding cuts under the Trump administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act."
Caleb Williams certainly had plenty of big throws to celebrate in 2025, but it wasn't hard to pick his most memorable one after he launched a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore to beat the Packers in overtime in Week 16.
Brandon Ingram scored 33 points, Immanuel Quickley had 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat the new-look Chicago Bulls 123-107.
Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney was named the NFL's top offensive lineman of 2025 on Thursday, winning the inaugural Protector of the Year Award.
The Bulls on Thursday sent Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks, as first reported by ESPN and The Athletic.
Six players made 3s for Illinois, which shot 17 of 38 from behind the arc and had just two turnovers.
A burglary crew smashed into a restaurant in Chicago's southwest suburbs, leaving the owner cleaning up a big and frustrating mess.
Six months after a well-known charter boat captain was found dead at DuSable Harbor in downtown Chicago, a man has been charged with his murder.
Three people were in custody Thursday afternoon after a Chicago police officer fired at a suspect who ran from a stolen car that had hit a squad car.
Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday were investigating a shooting that left one teen dead and another injured, while a third teen suffered a head injury.
Chicago police on Thursday were investigating two attempted burglaries involving ATMs in two city neighborhoods in the early-morning hours.
