Lawmaker Seeks 'Wholesale Change' At Metra After Latest Scandal
A state lawmaker thinks the Metra chairman's violation of a ban on outside government pay should be the last straw for the entire Metra board.
Watch CBS News
A state lawmaker thinks the Metra chairman's violation of a ban on outside government pay should be the last straw for the entire Metra board.
Democratic candidate for governor Bill Daley said the Regional Transportation Authority – which oversees the finances of CTA, Pace and Metra – has reached the end of the line, and should be eliminated.
Metra has asked former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins to conduct an independent investigation of former CEO Alex Clifford's patronage hiring allegations.
Former Metra CEO Alex Clifford said Wednesday he does not believe House Speaker Michael Madigan broke any laws by requesting a pay raise for a political supporter, but believes it was "an ethical and moral character flaw."
Ex-Metra CEO Alex Clifford will testify to the Regional Transportation Authority about how House Speaker Michael Madigan asked him to raise the pay of a Madigan campaign worker and to hire another friend of the powerful Southwest Side Democrat.
Metra Chairman Brad O'Halloran defended an expensive severance settlement with former CEO Alex Clifford, explaining the deal was cheaper than a potential lawsuit if Clifford were fired without a parting deal.
The Regional Transportation Authority board has called Metra's chairman to appear at a special meeting July 10 to discuss the decision by the commuter rail agency's board to approval a controversial severance agreement with CEO Alex Clifford.
A government watchdog group wants the Regional Transportation Authority to look into why former Metra executive director got a severance package worth up to $750,000 when he stepped down, even though he apparently wasn't legally entitled to any severance pay.
Be a rider, not a driver. That's the message today from the Regional Transportation Authority on the annual "Dump the Pump Day, reports WBBM's Terry Keshner.
If you have ever become lost trying to transfer between Metra, CTA and Pace, the RTA has heard your complaint, and is trying to do something about it.
The RTA's Travel Information Center gets more than 5.3 million calls a year, but it may trim the center's hours.
The state's mass transit agencies say they are willing to go to the mat with the National Rifle Association over concealed guns aboard trains and buses.
The Regional Transportation Authority is taking United Airlines to court.
More Pace buses will be riding the shoulders of I-55 by next summer -- and could possibly be taking riders between the Loop and southwest suburbs middays, and on specials to White Sox and Bears games.
The chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority has made a public apology for using the term "limousine service" to describe the agency's paratransit service for the disabled.
The chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority is expected to issue an apology Wednesday for calling its paratransit vans a "limousine" service.
Metra, the CTA and Pace have never had a fully compatible ticketing system, but technology may make it possible in time to meet a 2015 legislative mandate.
When Regional Transportation Authority Chairman John Gates wrote last week urging the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace to work more closely together, he wasn't anticipating the collaboration that resulted.
The chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority is floating a proposal he says could save taxpayers as much as $150 million a year.
A House-Senate conference committee begins meetings next week on Capitol Hill to try to craft a new federal highway and mass transit program. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin came to Union Station in Chicago to collect ammunition for the Senate package.
Road and mass transit construction projects nationwide could begin grinding to a halt next week unless a deadlock over funding is broken in Congress, and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is getting impatient.
Metra doesn't have enough money to fix what's breaking, But that's not stopping the commuter rail agency from studying a possible extension in the far southwest suburbs.
The Regional Transportation Authority's new senior half-fare cards have only been in use since Labor Day, but it is already replacing hundreds each week.
Metra ended September with a $7 million shortfall, and it has some members of the Regional Transportation Authority board concerned.
The head of the Regional Transportation Authority said Thursday that he backs the CTA's decision to demand major changes to work rules -- and impose fare hikes and service cuts if talks fail.
Thought you knew everything about Chicago? So did we, but wait until you see what new things we learned thanks to the help of the Chicago History Museum.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn one of the two men who were arrested was also accused of later shooting two Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
Clerical workers at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) have ratified a new contract agreement with the company, and will return to work next week, ending a monthlong lockout.
Elmwood Park, Center Cass, Oak Lawn Hometown, and Atwood Heights are among the Illinois districts being investigated by the Justice Department over classroom instruction on gender and sexuality.
Negotiations over a $500 million dollar government aid package for Spirit stalled after bondholders balked at the terms.
The longest shutdown of a federal department in U.S. history came to an end on Thursday when President Trump signed a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security following a breakthrough on Capitol Hill.
The Coast Guard will run out of funding to pay personnel on May 1, with the first missed paychecks expected May 15.
Illinois lawmakers are not planning to pursue a constitutional amendment on redistricting after a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 80% of deaths related to pregnancy are preventable, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Thought you knew everything about Chicago? So did we, but wait until you see what new things we learned thanks to the help of the Chicago History Museum.
A sharp uptick in gas prices has pushed the cost of an average gallon of regular in Chicago to more than $5. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn the man who was arrested was also accused of later shooting to Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn the man who was arrested was also accused of later shooting to Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Thought you knew everything about Chicago? So did we, but wait until you see what new things we learned thanks to the help of the Chicago History Museum.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
Clerical workers at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) have ratified a new contract agreement with the company, and will return to work next week, ending a monthlong lockout.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Violent retail crime is on the rise in Illinois, according to a new report from the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association.
A top administrator in the Libertyville school district has been placed on leave after a fiery school board meeting focused on how the district handled allegations of grooming leveled against a former teacher.
Potholes along one stretch of road in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood are so bad, people say they damage their cars just getting to work.
Michael Busch had two hits and two RBIs, helping Colin Rea and the Chicago Cubs top the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5.
The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown.
Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins has only been with the Sky for about three weeks, but it's clear she's already one of the leaders of the team.
The Cubs have won 12 of their last 15 games.
Reese is all smiles as she returns to Chicago to face her former team, the Sky, in preseason action on Wednesday night.
Chief Geoff Guttschow, who has an autistic child who drives, says the Blue Envelope Program gives officers a tool to recognize when a driver may need additional communication support.
A woman has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old boy outside an indoor track facility near Gately Park in Chicago in 2024, after getting into a fight with another woman during a back-to-school event in the Pullman neighborhood.
Sexual abuse charges were filed this week against a Park City, Illinois, police officer.
Attorneys for the man convicted of the murders of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, have filed a new brief with the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his case.
Attorneys for a woman convicted of killing her 69-year-old landlord in Chicago's Arcadia Terrace community have filed an appeal.
