Robert McCoppin

A couple pushes a stroller through Chicago’s Douglass Park on June 13, 2024. Riot Fest is relocating to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview after nearly a decade in Douglass Park. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Riot Fest departure from Douglass Park sparks more debate over costs and gains for the community

June 14, 2024 at 6:54 a.m.

The rock, punk and hip-hop festival has long been a source of controversy for the West Side park, which is surrounded by North Lawndale, a predominantly Black neighborhood, and the...

Carlos Acosta is taken into custody on June 6, 2024, at his sentencing hearing. Acosta is a former Illinois Department of Children & Family Services employee who was found guilty of mishandling the case of AJ Freund.(Gregory Shaver/Northwest Herald)

AJ Freund caseworker gets 6 months in jail for child endangerment

June 6, 2024 at 6:21 p.m.

A former child abuse investigator was sentenced to six months in jail Thursday for failing to protect AJ Freund, a 5-year-old boy killed in 2019 by his mother in Crystal...

The former Arlington International Racecourse on March 12, 2024, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Lawmakers’ lack of action on new Bears lakefront stadium raises hopes in Arlington Heights

October 1, 2026 at 4:34 p.m.

With no action taken during the recent legislative session on a new Chicago Bears stadium, the suburb stays hopeful it could be the site.

People walk through the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on April 11, 2024. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Illinois lawmakers fail again to pass hemp regulations and medical cannabis expansion

May 29, 2024 at 6:33 p.m.

Illinois lawmakers again failed to take action to keep dangerous hemp products out of the hands of children, prompting a call from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to regulate the industry. The...

Jake Buishas tests THC levels from a Juniper Terps seltzer production line on May 22, 2024, at Marz Community Brewing Co. in Chicago. (Vincent Alban/baiduhai)

Hemp beverage brewers fear Illinois hemp ban will end fledgling industry

May 23, 2024 at 6:33 p.m.

Just after popping the lid off a new market, hemp beverage makers fear that a proposal to ban intoxicating hemp products in Illinois would end their business.

Jockey Alexis Centeno on Hunters Ghost is seen against the backdrop of the partially demolished grandstands after winning the first race of the day on April 6, 2024, at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney. (Vincent Alban/baiduhai)

Contractors say Hawthorne Race Course owes millions of dollars for work, while it holds veto over competition for a racino

May 24, 2024 at 2:31 p.m.

The owners of Hawthorne Race Course, who have not been able to get loans to build a casino, also have failed to pay major construction bills, records show.

All Stories

Riot Fest departure from Douglass Park sparks more debate over costs and gains for the community

AJ Freund caseworker gets 6 months in jail for child endangerment

Lawmakers’ lack of action on new Bears lakefront stadium raises hopes in Arlington Heights

Illinois lawmakers fail again to pass hemp regulations and medical cannabis expansion

Hemp beverage brewers fear Illinois hemp ban will end fledgling industry

Contractors say Hawthorne Race Course owes millions of dollars for work, while it holds veto over competition for a racino

Suburban Cook County biggest area population loser in recent years, census estimates show

Prosecutor opposes bill to help moms whose babies are born with drugs in system

Illinois hemp businesses owners call for regulation and taxation, not prohibition

Chicago Bears’ lakefront stadium proposal: What’s been said, what we know — and what we need to know