Jenny Whidden –

Gus "Jett" Hawkins, 4, asked his mother, Ida Nelson, to braid his hair in March and went to school excited to show off his new hairstyle. Nelson got a call the next day from Providence St. Mel informing her the braids were against the school dress code.

Illinois House approves bill that would bar school from prohibiting hairstyles such as braids and dreadlocks

May 27, 2021 at 6:34 p.m.

The Illinois House on Thursday approved a bill that would prohibit schools from issuing policies on hairstyles traditionally associated with race and ethnicity, including braids, dreadlocks and cornrows. The bill...

State Rep. La Shawn Ford speaks at a news conference in Chicago on March 16, 2021.

Bill that would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday passes House, heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker

May 27, 2021 at 6:55 p.m.

A bill that would make Juneteenth National Freedom Day the 13th official state holiday was approved without opposition by the Illinois House on Thursday. The bill would make June 19...

Michael Pacheco, 14, of Chicago, receives the first of two Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses from registered nurse Carissa Blumenshine at an Advocate Aurora Health vaccine center in Des Plaines on May 13, 2021.

State to offer vaccination clinics at Union Station, TravelCenters of America over Memorial Day Weekend

May 26, 2021 at 1:47 p.m.

Clinics aimed at providing Memorial Day travelers with COVID-19 vaccinations will be available at Union Station and five other locations this weekend through a state partnership with organizations including Amtrak...

State Sen. Robert Peters at Chicago State University on Feb. 22, 2021. Peters is sponsoring a bill that eliminates the possibility of criminal penalties for transmitting HIV.

Illinois legislators approve bill that would decriminalize HIV transmission

May 25, 2021 at 7:33 p.m.

The Illinois Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would repeal a law that left HIV-positive people open to felony charges for failing to disclose their health status to partners...

Four-year-old Gus "Jett" Hawkins plays May 21, 2021.

Legislation would bar school rules on hairstyles such as braids, cornrows that one mom says are rooted in ‘respectability politics’

May 21, 2021 at 7:37 p.m.

When state Sen. Mike Simmons learned about Gus "Jett" Hawkins, a 4-year-old Chicago boy who was told to take out his braids due to his West Side school's dress code,...

Visitors walk along reopened Navy Pier on May 2, 2021, in Chicago.

Following CDC guidelines, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says those who are fully vaccinated can drop masks in most situations, but Chicago maintaining status quo for now

May 18, 2021 at 1:55 p.m.

The state is no longer requiring fully vaccinated people to wear face masks in most situations under rules Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued Monday, putting Illinois in line with new federal...

Jenny Whidden

All Stories

Illinois House approves bill that would bar school from prohibiting hairstyles such as braids and dreadlocks

Bill that would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday passes House, heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker

State to offer vaccination clinics at Union Station, TravelCenters of America over Memorial Day Weekend

Illinois legislators approve bill that would decriminalize HIV transmission

Legislation would bar school rules on hairstyles such as braids, cornrows that one mom says are rooted in ‘respectability politics’

Following CDC guidelines, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says those who are fully vaccinated can drop masks in most situations, but Chicago maintaining status quo for now

New coronavirus cases, deaths in Illinois dip to lowest levels in many weeks

Crowd limits eased, mask mandates likely next as Illinois enters next-to-last phase of COVID-19 reopening plan Friday

Illinois taxpayers who received unemployment benefits and filed before March 15 could be eligible for refund

Illinois launches $6 million summer tourism push as full reopening looms