Ikea will open a roughly 66,000-square-foot store at Gurnee Mills in 2026, bringing thousands of ready‑to‑take‑home items and the chain’s food counter to the north suburbs. The move follows a village-backed redevelopment of the former Sears Grand anchor.

A medical emergency on Blue Line tracks near Washington suspended service through the Loop, blocked Dearborn at Madison and forced shuttle buses into service during the morning commute.

A tower crane at the Thompson Center was dismantled this weekend, a visible milestone as Google’s Loop renovation shifts from exterior work to interior fit‑outs.

A 16-year-old was shot while fleeing an attempted robbery in West Pullman Monday night; he was taken to Roseland Community Hospital and police reported no arrests.

Bronzeville Winery and Park Manor 75 are centering Black winemakers and neighborhood education to shift how Chicago drinks and talks about wine.

A coalition-led effort won the Pritzker Traubert Foundation’s $10M Chicago Prize to buy 17 acres in Chicago Lawn and seed roughly 125 affordable homes, with proceeds to fund more builds across the South and West sides.

Chicago’s Near West 12th District says officers recovered several firearms and arrested three people after a stolen-vehicle investigation. Officials released few immediate details.

A shooting near the Washington/Wabash CTA stop sent at least one person to the hospital and drew a heavy police response in the Loop. Details remain limited as police investigate.

A Chicago teen wounded inside a music school during a 2019 police chase signed a $1.9M settlement with the city of Des Plaines after years of surgeries. The case highlights questions about tactics and bystander safety.

Registrations surged before federal credits expired and then plunged, leaving dealers and Rivian's Normal plant to recalibrate while a small state rebate tries to pick up the slack.

A modest $850K federal appropriation moves planning forward for the Weber Spur Trail, but land deals, engineering and a roughly $70M price tag mean construction is still years off.

Aurora's Choose Aurora package pairs a $20,000 zero‑percent deferred loan with closing‑cost and repair grants to lower upfront homebuying costs. Income thresholds and application timing vary by program materials.

Showers and a chance of thunderstorms arrive late Tuesday night, followed by gusty southwest winds Wednesday with gusts near 40 mph. Secure boats and loose outdoor items.