Clare Spaulding

Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency office after issuing a disaster proclamation and activating 130 members of the National Guard to assist with emergency operations in central Illinois ahead of a winter storm on Feb. 1, 2022, in Springfield.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker set to unveil exit plan for COVID mask mandate, but rules expected to remain for schools

February 9, 2022 at 11:56 a.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is set to unveil his planned off-ramp from pandemic restrictions in Illinois on Wednesday as the omicron-driven COVID-19 surge continues to subside, but the requirements are expected...

Lil' Scholars Learning Center owner Steven Coles dances with preschoolers at Lil' Scholars on June 18, 2021.

Chicago Public Schools’ universal pre-K ‘strangling’ private day care centers, owners say

June 28, 2021 at 2:38 p.m.

Child care centers across Chicago relied on state and federal funding to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic as enrollment plunged. Now, with restrictions lifted and parents returning to work,...

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform a practice run for the 2019 Chicago Air and Water Show along the Chicago lakefront on Aug. 16, 2019.

Chicago Air and Water Show replaced with Blue Angels-only event this year, city announces

June 18, 2021 at 5:56 p.m.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will return to Chicago for this summer's scaled-back replacement for the Air and Water Show, appearing without their usual skydiving and jumping associates. On Aug....

People and their dogs enjoy Montrose Dog Beach on Monday, June 14, 2021.

Few Chicago storms likely this hot, humid Friday, but those that form will ‘pack a punch,’ forecaster says

June 18, 2021 at 11:08 a.m.

Few thunderstorms are expected to form during a hot and humid Friday afternoon in the Chicago area, but those that do have the potential to bring damaging winds and hail,...

Alison Ruble, regional president USO Midwest Region, and Christopher Schmidt, executive director USO of Illinois, talk about the renovated USO Great Lakes Center on June 17, 2021.

USO Great Lakes Center gets makeover, complete with a gaming room, music mixing station

June 17, 2021 at 3:58 p.m.

This spring, hundreds of Navy personnel and their families entered the second floor of a more than 100-year-old USO center at Naval Station Great Lakes to see how it had...

Bicyclist caught in crossfire in Jackson Park Highlands shooting

June 17, 2021 at 11:21 a.m.

A man riding his bike early Thursday was caught in the crossfire and shot multiple times in the Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago police said. The...

Deck fire atop historic Near North apartment building produces lots of smoke but ‘no real structural damage’ or injuries, fire official says

June 16, 2021 at 2:43 p.m.

A "very smoky" deck fire atop a historic Near North apartment building drew lots of attention Wednesday morning but caused no injuries and "no real structural damage," according to the...

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