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What you need to know about bird flu
The U.S. government and local health departments around the country are working to mitigate the spread of avian influenza, or bird flu. In early 2022, the H5N1 virus was found in commercial poultry, backyard chickens and aquatic birds. Now, it’s also spread to cattle nationwide and to 9 people who worked closely with infected animals.
Mayor Johnson nixes plan to remove George Washington statue outside his City Hall office
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday night reversed course on a decision to remove a statue of George Washington from the hallway outside the mayor’s office on the fifth floor of City Hall. The Sun-Times reported the plans Tuesday morning. Ronnie Reese, Johnson’s communications director, said at the time that...
Brookfield Zoo announces massive redevelopment
Brookfield Zoo guests will soon have a much different experience — instead of observing one animal at a time, species that live together in the wild will do the same at the zoo. Grouping animals according to how they live in the wild is part of a 15-year, $500...
Chicago’s top watchdog pushed to probe police oversight agency's investigations, allegations of retaliation
A civilian oversight panel voted unanimously Monday to push Chicago’s independent watchdog to probe “the quality and integrity” of investigations led by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers. Anthony Driver, president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, said...
Chicago, northern Illinois under severe weather watch; 2 to 3 inches of rain, high winds expected
Much of northern Illinois is under a severe thunderstorm watch until early Monday morning, as the area faces a threat of “torrential rain,” according to the National Weather Service. Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago, la sección bilingüe del Sun-Times. Storms...
Illinois Republicans ready to ‘rock this’ RNC as Trump assassination attempt unites GOP
MILWAUKEE — A day after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, authorities doubled down on their security plan for the Republican National Convention as supporters fortified their commitment to their presumptive presidential nominee. Illinois Republicans arrived in Milwaukee Sunday with a rejuvenated sense of excitement behind Trump, whose defiant...
From regular doctor visits to injured protesters, here’s how Chicago’s hospitals are preparing for the DNC
Tens of thousands of people are expected to pack the United Center and surrounding streets during the Democratic National Convention next month. Three of the busiest hospitals in the city are about a 20-minute walk from the arena on the Near West Side — Rush University Medical Center, Cook County’s John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital and UI Health. They have spent months preparing for the what ifs, from an explosion or a chemical attack to a mass shooting or dozens of people getting pepper-sprayed.
Trump safe; shooter, bystander dead after suspected assassination attempt
BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt Saturday at a Pennsylvania rally, days before he was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. A barrage of gunfire set off panic, and a bloodied Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was surrounded by Secret Service and hurried to his SUV as he pumped his fist in a show of defiance.
Kim Foxx’s staff tracked down driver who allegedly threw drink at her and were involved in the investigation
When a driver allegedly tried to hit Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx with his pickup truck and drenched her with soda after she had given him the finger, her chief investigator and security detail sprung into action and tracked the suspect to a library in Flossmoor, the Sun-Times has learned.
The faces in the fountain: Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain still watching over Chicago after 20 years
Millennium Park turns 20 on Tuesday. But the 24.5-acre expanse became the king of Chicago city parks almost as soon as it opened in 2004 — four years late and with a price tag of $490 million, more than triple the original estimated cost. About $220 million of that came from private donations.
Johnson rejected by Board of Education on CPS loan, pension payment
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointed Board of Education has refused to take on a pension payment that the mayor had insisted be paid by the school district. And the board and Chicago Public Schools leaders are strongly opposing a City Hall request that they take out a loan to cover the payment and a new Chicago Teachers Union contract, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.
Mayor Johnson rejects cuts in CPS’ proposed budget meant to fill a $500 million deficit
The day after Chicago Public Schools officials released a budget proposal that filled a half-billion dollar deficit in part by some cutbacks in staff and other areas, Mayor Brandon Johnson made the surprising declaration that he would not accept cuts by the district. “That is not what the people of...
Ahead of DNC, city officials to close, cordon off one of Chicago's largest, most visible homeless camps
As Chicago rolls out the red carpet for the Democratic National Convention next month, one of the city’s largest and most visible encampments for people without permanent homes is about to be shut down and fenced off for good. The “tent city” sandwiched for years between the Dan Ryan...
Downtown motorists get reprieve from automated parking enforcement, but it won't last
Downtown motorists have gotten an extended reprieve from the dramatic expansion of video surveillance and automated ticketing authorized by the City Council more than a year ago to make downtown streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. But it won’t last. Nor will the two-year test be shortened, simply because the...
CPS proposes cutting administrative costs and restructuring debt to fill a half-billion dollar deficit
Chicago Public Schools’ budget deficit for the upcoming school year ballooned to a half-billion dollars, officials said Wednesday, and has largely been filled by cutting administrative costs, laying off central office staff, restructuring debt and leaving vacancies unfilled. The balanced budget proposal released Wednesday is only a first step...
Chicago police rebuff watchdog’s request to reopen probe into cops’ ties to Oath Keepers
City Hall’s independent watchdog urged the Chicago Police Department to reopen its investigation that absolved eight officers with ties to the anti-government, extremist Oath Keepers, but CPD “declined to do so,” Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Tuesday. The inspector general’s office said it reviewed the CPD’s Bureau...
Michael Madigan's attorneys are still aiming for an October trial despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling
Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case of indicted ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan told a judge Monday they hope to keep his trial on track for October, despite a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court last month that could shake up the case. They also told U.S. District...
Chicago’s most marginalized students have almost no shot of getting into CPS’ elite schools
Charese Munoz loves that her youngest son goes to a Chicago public high school where he’s pushed academically, dives into interests and learns new things. His school has a 73-page course guide and some classes that he’s taken include yoga, robotics, visual art and physics. Antonio goes to...
The Chicago Teachers Union criticizes CPS leadership over state of contract negotiations
The Chicago Teachers Union is blasting Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez as a “Lightfoot leftover,” referring to former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and criticizing his approach to contract negotiations, marking a rapid deterioration of the relationship between the powerful union and the head of the city’s schools.
What to know about NASCAR's 2024 Chicago Street Race
Entering the 2024 Chicago Street Race, 2023 champion Shane van Gisbergen is entering with a spotlight focused on him. He can’t sneak up on opposing drivers. He’s now the hunted — the champion. After his victory last season, van Gisbergen’s competitors contacted him for advice. He estimated...
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