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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.
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.
Why are Chicago police officers arresting and charging Black gun owners with valid FOID cards and CCLs? An inside source spoke exclusively to CBS News Chicago to offer insights into their possible motivation.
An investigation by CBS News Chicago uncovered several times where police stopped legal gun owners for minor traffic violations and then charged them with felonies despite having valid firearm licenses.
Sources tell CNN the Justice Department is looking for ways to restrict gun ownership for transgender people in the wake of the Minneapolis school shooting.
Pritzker acknowledged there is no one reason Chicago's homicide rate is down 3% from last year, shootings down 40%, and carjackings down 50%.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign a bill into law Monday that will make it easier for the state’s lowest-level gun offenders to obtain a firearm ID card.
Officials in Austria say a school shooting has left at least 10 people dead in the European nation's second-largest city, Graz. The shooter is also dead.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared skeptical of a challenge to the Biden administration's efforts to regulate unserialized firearms called ghost guns, as they weighed whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Tobacco went too far when it took unilateral action to curb gun violence.
Car break-ins were the source of a whopping 40% of gun thefts last year.
State Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Chicago) is sponsoring a bill that would tighten the requirements for gun holders to report when their gun is lost or stolen. Megan Hickey reports.
The city accused the gun maker, local dealers of endangering residents by selling and marketing Glock handguns that can be easily turned into fully automatic weapons.
The ammo vending machines have been placed in grocery stores in three states as the U.S. battles what the surgeon general calls a public health crisis of gun violence.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away a challenge to an Illinois law banning certain semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity magazines, leaving the measure intact.
With the guilty verdict in the federal gun trial, Hunter Biden became the first child of a president to be convicted.
The National Rifle Association's longtime leader will step down on the eve of a legal showdown with New York's attorney general over allegations of corruption.
As of last week, 15,000 people completed the disclosures, according to Illinois State Police. There are nearly 2.5 million FOID card holders in the state.
Even though Illinois lawmakers passed a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in the state, Monday was the deadline for those who already owned assault weapons before the ban to register them.
The case before the Supreme Court, United States v. Rahimi, puts a 30-year-old federal gun law designed to protect survivors of domestic violence in the spotlight.
The case, U.S. v. Rahimi, involves a 30-year-old law that prohibits people under domestic violence restraining orders from having guns.
The Protect Illinois Communities Act bans the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Gun owners Friday said they only have had some of their questions answered - and pending legal challenges could change everything.
Just Thursday, we learned Robert Card, 40, was taken by police for an evaluation after acting "erratically" at the United States Military Academy West Point over the summer.
Just Thursday, we learned Robert Card, 40, was taken by police for an evaluation after acting “erratically” at the United States Military Academy West Point over the summer. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey spoke Thursday with national and local gun experts about what should have happened following that incident.
The sprawling 20-acre campus in Jackson Park, just blocks from the lake, includes buildings, gardens, playgrounds, and a 225-foot museum tower.
Pope Leo addressed the crowd standing in the cold and rain at Saint Peter's Square ahead of celebrating the first Christmas mass of his papacy.
From his hospital room at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Gilkey talked about his recovery and his fear of getting back on the CTA again.
Police said they believe he might have been experiencing a medical issue at the time of the crash.
Police said an unknown man pushed a woman into her vehicle and attempted to pull her pants down.
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.
They have 621 trees, filling their entire house, even the bathroom.
Areas of fog, with cloudy skies overnight and temperatures settling into the upper 30s to low 40s.
The world-renowned institution is expected to attract nearly 800,000 visitors a year.
Authorities are especially concerned about neighborhoods burned by wildfires last January and urged residents onTuesday to evacuate.
Chicago Catholics attending Christmas mass at Holy Name Cathedral downtown said they are filled with pride seeing Pope Leo XIV leading the church.
From his hospital room at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Gilkey talked about his recovery and his fear of getting back on the CTA again.
The sprawling 20-acre campus in Jackson Park, just blocks from the lake, includes buildings, gardens, playgrounds, and a 225-foot museum tower.
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, tracks Santa's Christmas Eve flight around the world each year. Follow a live map of the tracker here.
Pope Leo addressed the crowd standing in the cold and rain at Saint Peter's Square ahead of celebrating the first Christmas mass of his papacy.
Police said they believe he might have been experiencing a medical issue at the time of the crash.
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.
As the 11-4 Chicago Bears prepare for their Sunday night matchup with the 11-4 San Francisco 49ers, one player earned an extra Christmas present from the league thanks to his impressive performance against the Green Bay Packers.
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.
A woman was released on electronic monitoring Wednesday after authorities said she drove drunk and caused a crash that injured a family of four in Lombard, Illinois.
Multiple cars were broken into this week in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
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.
A woman has been charged with attacking four people at a CTA bus stop in the Lawndale neighborhood, including a woman she allegedly slashed with a broken beer bottle after threatening that woman's mother.
Three teens have been charged with sexually assaulting a classmate this past summer at a graduation party for St. Viator High School students.
