Heather Cherone

For Chicago Candidates, Simply Getting on the Ballot Can Be a Battle | FIRSTHAND: Democracy While legal experts say the process has evolved in favor of greater ballot access, there are still plenty of hurdles hopeful candidates must jump over -- and plenty of areas where reformers hope to see change.

While legal experts say the process has evolved in favor of greater ballot access, there are still plenty of hurdles hopeful candidates must jump over — and plenty of areas where reformers hope to see change. to.wttw.com/47qG0z1 #FirsthandWTTW

Police Oversight Board Taps COPA’s Interim Head to Lead Police Misconduct Agency Permanently The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability voted unanimously to select LaKenya White, a 26-year veteran of Chicago’s police accountability system, to lead the agency known as COPA.

The City Council's Police & Fire Committee unanimously endorsed the Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability selection of interim Civilian Office of Police Accountability LaKenya White to lead the agency permanently
Background, for @wttw.bsky.social:

Lenny Briscoe endorses this message

He was

Tech Group Sues Chicago Over First in the Nation Social Media Tax NetChoice, a trade association representing the tech industry, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court to block the Social Media Amusement Tax included in the city’s 2026 spending plan.

BREAKING: A tech industry trade association sued the city of Chicago Friday in an effort to block a first-of-its-kind tax on social media companies, records show. @wttw.bsky.social news.wttw.com/2026/03/13/t...

Approved, without a single no vote.

Final vote set for Wednesday.

John Hendricks, managing deputy corporation counsel, litigation, for the Chicago Department of Law, tells the Finance Committee has prevailed just once at trial in a lawsuit alleging someone was injured in a police pursuit.

Kimberlyn Myers, who was seriously injured in the 2017 crash that killed her mother, just collapsed in loud sobs and screams as she attempted to address the City Council's Finance Committee, which is about consider paying to $27M to resolve her family's lawsuit.

Officers Attempted to Cover Up Pursuit That Killed Mother of 6, Lawyers for Her Family Say Lawyers for the Harrell family all but dared the Chicago City Council to reject their lawyers’ recommendation to pay $27 million to resolve the lawsuit blaming the Chicago Police Department for the de...

FULL STORY: Lawyers for the family of a woman who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police in 2017 said Thursday that officers attempted to cover up the pursuit, citing newly discovered video footage. @wttw.bsky.social

Anjanette Young, 5 Others Nominated to Fill 3 Vacant Seats on CPD Oversight Board Anjanette Young has worked for more than six years to force CPD to change the way it uses search warrants after a botched raid of her apartment.

BREAKING: Anjanette Young, a social worker who was handcuffed while naked during a botched 2019 Chicago Police Department raid, is among six nominees to fill three vacant seats on the city’s police oversight board, officials announced Thursday. @wttw.bsky.social

Key City Panel Rejects Bid to Ban Video Gambling in 6 Chicago Wards, Defying Local Alderpeople The ordinances rejected by the committee would have banned video slots and poker machines in the 26th Ward, the 27th Ward, the 28th Ward, the 33rd Ward, the 35th Ward and the 49th Ward.

NEW: A key Chicago City Council panel voted Thursday to reject efforts to ban video gambling from bars and restaurants in six wards, defying the decades-old tradition that gives alderpeople the final authority over licensing in their own wards. @wttw.bsky.social

Pay Family of Woman Struck and Killed by Driver Being Chased by Police $27M, City Lawyers Recommend The City Council’s Finance Committee on Friday is set to consider the proposed settlement, which calls for taxpayers to pay $20 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $7 million. A final vote...

Chicago should pay $27 million to the family of a man who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, city lawyers recommended, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit.

https://to.wttw.com/4s4mnFj

CTA Leaders Tout New Security Plan as Some Operators and Mechanics Protest Outside CTA leaders on Wednesday touted the agency’s new safety plan, with Acting President Nora Leerhsen hailing “significantly increased law enforcement resources.”

Chicago Transit Authority leaders on Wednesday touted the agency’s new safety plan, with Acting President Nora Leerhsen hailing “significantly increased law enforcement resources” and “notably increased targets for crime reduction on CTA.”

https://to.wttw.com/4ddCvzF

Pritzker, 18 Other Democratic Governors Call on Congress to Block New Trump Tariffs “We respectfully urge you to cast aside any efforts to codify the invalidated levies struck down by the Supreme Court and instead enact meaningful statutory constraints on presidential tariff power th...

NEW: Congress should immediately block President Trump from imposing new tariffs on imported goods after the Supreme Court struck down the levies — and impose new restrictions on presidential power, @govpritzker.illinois.gov & 18 other Democratic governors urged. @wttw.bsky.social

In May 2023, a jury found the city liable for the death of the mother of six & awarded the family $10.2M.

Lawyers for the city appealed, and won a new trial.

Now, the city should settle the case for $27M, because "new factual allegations have come to light," lawyers said. @wttw.bsky.social

Pay Family of Woman Struck and Killed by Driver Being Chased by Police $27M, City Lawyers Recommend The City Council’s Finance Committee on Friday is set to consider the proposed settlement, which calls for taxpayers to pay $20 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $7 million. A final vote...

NEW: Chicago should pay $27 million to the family of a man who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, city lawyers recommended, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit. @wttw.bsky.social

Pentagon bars press photographers over ‘unflattering’ Hegseth photos Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff took issue with photos taken in a rare briefing last week and decided to shut out press photographers from two subsequent news conferences.

Scoop: The Pentagon barred press photographers from briefings on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran after they published photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that his staff deemed "unflattering."

CPD Failed to Document 267K Traffic Stops in 2025, 27% More Than Previous Year: Data Officers made an average of 732 traffic stops every day for an entire year that were not documented as required by CPD policy and state law, according to data from the city’s Office of Emergency Manag...

CPD’s traffic stop policy, last revised seven years ago, requires officers to document every time they stop a driver regardless of the reason by not only notifying dispatchers but also filling out a form that is better known as a “blue card.”

Kelly, Stratton Vow to Block Additional Funding for Iran War During WTTW News’ Senate Debate While U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton flatly ruled out supporting any additional funding for the war effort, U.S. Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi did not.

NEW: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly vowed Monday to vote against any additional funding for the war launched by President Trump against Iran in the last debate in the intense Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, hosted by @wttw.bsky.social.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi did not.

TONIGHT: Three Democratic candidates running for U.S. Senate join us in their last televised forum. We'll hear from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi on issues like war powers, immigration and the cost of living. https://to.wttw.com/4k7Mvv6

Officers made an average of 732 traffic stops every day in 2025 that were not documented as required by CPD policy, according to data from the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

different Richard Mell, fwiw

Geoffrey Baer has taken viewers on unforgettable journeys through the history, architecture, and hidden stories of Chicago on WTTW. Now it’s time to decide: which Geoffrey special is your favorite? Vote in round one of our Baer Bracket: https://www.wttw.com/baerbracket #BaerBracketWTTW

This is Sgt. Benjamin Pennington. The Pentagon identified him this morning as the latest U.S. military fatality in the war against Iran.

Pennington, 26, died yesterday of injuries suffered March 1 in the initial wave of Iranian counterattacks. He was at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.