The Latest Breaking News from Chicago

Rare sight of giant reptile basking by waterside offers hope that notoriously polluted waterway is getting cleaner

Too often, we treat access to art as a privilege, something that is “nice to have,” not a baked-in necessity of human life, writes Lesle Honore, the CEO of Urban Gateways. But arts generate social capital and economic growth, and are essential to Chicago’s future.

The woman, 26, was found just before 5 a.m. Friday in the 8500 block of South Commercial Avenue.

The Packers will open on the road (in Chicago Week 1) for the fifth straight season under coach Matt LaFleur.

The Chicago Park District is again looking for fishing instructors, particularly for the summer.

Erika Villegas, who lives in Garfield Ridge, is among Chicagoans who have taken it upon themselves to visit police stations to help newly arrived immigrants. They want “the city to step up” more.

Jeffrey Bertucci testified in 2010 to illegally paying out winnings from video gaming machines installed in his Cicero diner and splitting his take with the mob’s so-called video poker king. In 2019, gambling regulators gave him a license to legally operate video gaming devices.

The city kept 126 beds but isn’t using them. The state has 1,125 more beds from the makeshift hospital but says the city hasn’t asked for them. And the city is missing out on $30 million from Springfield to support migrants.

Reformers were aiming to root out corruption with the advent of the 50-ward system in 1923, but illegal backroom deals have remained all too common for a legislative body that has otherwise seen massive change.