An OIG audit says Chicago’s finance department can’t account for at least $8.1 billion in unpaid fines, fees and utility bills.

Southern Belle’s Pancake House purchased the former Dearborn’s building off U.S. Route 34 in Sandwich; the owner says the new breakfast-and-lunch spot could open in June.

ASI Health has filed to rezone a vacant Humboldt Park lot for a five-story health and workforce center that would combine care, memory services and job training. The group says the project could train thousands of caregivers annually.

A 39-year-old man was shot in the mouth while sitting in his car on Chicago's Far South Side. Area Two detectives are investigating.

A new Illinois bill would require at least one‑year expulsions for students who sexually assault peers, citing local lawsuits and survivor testimony. Advocates want supports paired with any mandate.

BEDS Plus has started work converting the former Aloha Motel on Cicero Avenue into the Cicero Avenue Transitional Shelter, a motel‑to‑shelter rehab with private rooms and services. The project expands shelter capacity on Chicago’s southwest side.

Whole Foods plans a new Lakeview store at the Lakeview Connection on Belmont and Halsted, a shift that follows Amazon's move to convert some Fresh locations into Whole Foods. The change reshapes a corner long marketed for a national grocer.

Marquette paid about $43.7M for Forest Pointe in Lake Bluff and plans unit overhauls plus new outdoor amenities at the garden‑style complex.

Chicago nonprofit lender IFF plans to scale up loans and property investments in Detroit to build a regional hub for community capital. The move could unlock financing for housing, early‑childhood centers and nonprofit facilities.

Rising drug and supply bills are shrinking Illinois hospital margins even as revenue grows. Benchmarking shows margins slipping and policy shifts could cut support.

DeKalb hired a consultant to study whether Metra service can be extended from Elburn into the city. The work is funded by a $400K IDOT grant plus a $100K local match.

Two Downers Grove friends won a $518,309 FastPlay Twenty 20s jackpot on the Illinois Lottery iLottery app; one plans to help pay for college while the other enjoys retirement flexibility.

A new Illinois bill would bar fines and criminal penalties for people sleeping or storing belongings on public land, but counties and neighbors warn it could hamstring local enforcement.