Choose your location
WBEZ
New initiative to expand gender-affirming care across Illinois
A new initiative aims to help organizations serving LGBTQ+ communities by expanding gender-affirming care across Illinois. The Illinois Department of Human Services announced Monday that the new Transgender and Gender Diverse Wellness and Equity Program will provide organizations with comprehensive and medical care for transgender, gender-diverse and LGBTQ+ people. “Transgender,...
Illinois Planned Parenthood clinics see uptick in Southerners seeking abortions since Dobbs
Planned Parenthood clinics in Illinois are treating a record number of patients as the anniversary approaches for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. More patients are also traveling greater distances to get abortions in Illinois, Planned Parenthood of Illinois reported Monday. Following the ruling in June...
CPS teacher residency program growing, helping fill classrooms
A first grade classroom at Nixon Elementary was filled with the voices of students reading Spanish books in unison — and shouts of excitement when they got the words right. At one table, kids read a picture book about the folklore mouse “Ratón Pérez.” At another, the focus was on a different character, the roach “La Cucaracha Martina.”
Obama visits presidential center as signature tower reaches full height
Former President Barack Obama on Monday visited the sweeping construction site of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park to thank workers at a topping out ceremony. The construction of the presidential center and museum is “about 56%" complete, according to workers at the site, and Obama briefly spoke and shook hands with dozens to celebrate the latest milestone: the tower hitting its full height of 225 feet.
Lula Cafe is the lone Chicago winner at the 2024 James Beard Awards
A who’s who of the nation’s culinary world gathered at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House Monday night as the James Beard Awards for outstanding restaurants and chefs from across the country were presented in a gala ceremony. The awards, affectionately called “the Oscars of the culinary world,” are considered the among highest accolades in the industry.
Ed Burke deserves 10 years in prison for corruption, feds say: 'He abused and exploited his office'
Federal prosecutors say ex-Ald. Edward M. Burke should be sentenced this month to 10 years in prison for illegally wielding his considerable clout to strong-arm developers and threaten one of Chicago’s cultural icons for his own benefit. That would amount to one of the harshest public corruption sentences handed...
What the WNBA rhetoric reveals about attitudes toward Black women athletes
The discourse has been – in a word – messy. Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s body check against WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark sparked nationwide conversations about what’s considered to be “too aggressive” during games. But conduct like that in a professional league is far...
Inside Illinois’ biggest budget ever: What’s funded, and where the money is coming from
Illinois’ new state budget levies money from sportsbooks, retailers, and corporations, and invests it in education, pensions, and the migrant crisis. Illinois just passed its biggest budget ever, surpassing $50 billion in state spending for the next fiscal year. Governor JB Pritzker touts the budget’s advantages for families, with funding in areas like education, the child services department, and the state’s first ever child tax credit.
‘Nobody really wanted the Electoral College’: America’s peculiar voting system
Constitutional law scholar Wilfred Codrington III talks with Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about slavery’s influence on the creation of the electoral college – America’s state-elector-based system for electing presidents – and how that system affects democracy today. This conversation is a part of the Democracy...
Northwestern is so busy it’s cutting back on scheduling patients for induced labors
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, where doctors and midwives deliver the most babies in the entire state, is so busy the medical center near downtown Chicago is cutting back on letting patients schedule when to be induced for labor, WBEZ has learned. That’s even though Northwestern led a national...
CPS decision not to renew Urban Prep charter OK, appellate judge rules
An appellate judge ruled Thursday that the Chicago Board of Education was within its rights to not renew Urban Prep Academies’ charter contract and that charter schools are not protected by the state’s school closing moratorium, which ends next year. Chicago Public Schools says the ruling won’t have...
WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap, June 7, 2024: Alder proposes 8pm teen curfew, Chicago police tighten DNC security plans and more
Mayor Johnson appears ready to let protesters get closer to the United Center during the Democratic National Convention. Two new lawsuits allege abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers. Reset dives into these and other top local stories in the Weekly News Recap. GUESTS: Mitchell Armentrout, Chicago Sun-Times reporter. Melody Mercado,...
We taste desserts from James Beard-nominated chef Anna Posey on your behalf
Pastry chef Anna Posey will find out June 10 if she’ll win the 2024 James Beard Award for “Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.” Among the five nominees in her category, she’s the only one in the Midwest. “I mean it’s scary to be truthful. You’re so...
Chicago’s homeless population increased threefold, a city snapshot shows, owing largely to migrants
More than 18,800 Chicagoans experienced homelessness on a single night in January — a threefold increase over last year that was largely driven by 13,900 asylum-seekers who had no permanent place to stay. The estimates released Friday come from the city’s annual snapshot of the number of people experiencing...
Calumet Fisheries to reopen Saturday — rebuilt after devastating fire last fall
Calumet Fisheries, the beloved seafood restaurant on the Southeast Side is reopening Saturday with fresh renovations — but with the same menu that Chicagoans have loved for generations. Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago, la sección bilingüe del Sun-Times. The restaurant, 3259...
Pilsen's St. Adalbert Church moves closer to protected landmark status
Pilsen‘s historic St. Adalbert Church is one step closer to becoming a protected landmark. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the designation for the 110-year-old vacant building, setting it on the path to be shielded from demolition and superficial changes. The vote was held during...
City Hall trying to cut deal with protesters, avoid legal battle as Democratic convention nears
City attorneys are trying to strike a deal with groups suing to protest near the United Center during the Democratic National Convention, with a little more than two months to go before Chicago becomes the center of the political universe for a few days in August. City Hall previously tried...
Hundreds march to demand more help finding Black girls and women who are missing
Brittany Lindsey remembers when she was 4 years old walking the streets of Bronzeville with family members, calling out the names of her mother’s childhood friends in a desperate effort to find the girls who had gone missing more than a decade earlier. Now 12 years old, Brittany marched...
In one year, Brandon Johnson's campaign has spent $30K on hair, makeup
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s latest campaign finance report lists a $4,000 payment from his political fund to a Palatine beauty salon, a March 27 expenditure that it shows was for “event expenses.”. Hearing that came as a surprise to Anthony Jones, who owns Anthony Jones Salon in the northwest...
Chicago alderpeople advance ethics measure that penalizes lobbyists who contribute to mayor campaigns
Despite claims that the mayor opposes it, a Chicago City Council committee advanced an ordinance Thursday that would allow fines and temporary suspensions for lobbyists who improperly donate to a mayor’s campaign, bringing the Board of Ethics one step closer to being able to enforce a decade-old ethics rule.
WBEZ
7K+
Posts
10M+
Views
As a public media institution we are deeply invested in the civic life and health of the community we serve.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.