Smoky skies and an Air Quality Alert meet scattered storms and heat across Chicago on Friday, July 17. Expect reduced visibility, highs near 90F, and afternoon storm chances.

Danielle Carter‑Walters, co‑founder of Chicago Flips Red, has launched a mayoral bid centered on public safety, sanctuary‑policy rollbacks and forensic audits. Her insurgent run pits a conservative grassroots group against unions and county officials in a crowded field.

A 13-year-old in Jefferson Park was approached on a front porch by a man posing as a delivery driver; police describe a suspect and are asking for tips.

An Irvine preservation fund bought Carroll Tower, a 108‑unit senior affordable community in St. Charles, and pledged capital repairs plus a 20‑year affordability extension.

Wicker Park’s Meet Me On Milwaukee is coming back this fall, closing Milwaukee Avenue on the last Sundays of August, September and October for pop-ups, music and extra shopping hours. Organizers point to big foot-traffic gains from last year’s pilot.

Inspectors found water leaks, rotted rafters and nine code violations at 50 Yard Line on East 75th Street, and the Department of Buildings has ordered the bar closed until repairs are completed.

A 34-year-old man was shot early Thursday in Roseland and taken to the University of Chicago Hospital; some CTA buses were briefly rerouted on Forest Avenue.

Video shows a car striking a BP station on Stony Island Avenue in Chicago, leaving visible damage to pumps and the canopy. Officials have released few details so far.

A court‑watching report says judges at Leighton ordered detention in the majority of petitions — including many defendants the county’s risk tool labeled low risk.

A man was found unresponsive Thursday on the CTA Blue Line near O’Hare and died while being taken to a hospital. Chicago police say the death is under investigation.

After decades as an unnamed victim, the DNA Doe Project has identified the 1976 Benton County 'Jane Doe' as Jane Hart, last known to have lived in Chicago.

A new cocktail lounge from the team behind The Lewis will open next Friday in Oswego's former firehouse with a 4 p.m. ribbon-cutting and walk-in service.

East Aurora approved a one-year EverDriven trial to transport McKinney-Vento students as officials seek steadier service after staffing gaps and taxi backups.