Local News
Former IEA President Reginald “Reg” Weaver, trailblazer for collective bargaining rights in Illinois, passes away at 86
Reginald “Reg” Weaver died Tuesday at age 86. Weaver was a lifelong educator and organizer who served as president of the Illinois Education Association from 1981 to 1987 and led the battle to ensure collective bargaining rights for Illinois educators.
Child Celebrity’s Kicks 2 Grow Foundation Helps Kids Step Forward With Confidence
Around the world, many children attend school without proper shoes or clothing, leaving families to choose between everyday necessities. For 10-year-old entertainer and recording artist King Moore, that reality sparked an idea: help kids step forward with confidence.
Final Illinois cannabis licensing case heads to court April 1; redacted identities could be revealed
The final remaining legal challenge to Illinois’ cannabis dispensary licensing process will be argued in open court April 1, in a hearing that could reveal identities and relationships that have been withheld from view.
FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE TO HEAD THE ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE TO LEAD A SMALL DELEGATION OF ILLINOIS MAYORS TO MEET THE POPE
Sheila Chalmers-Currin- President of the Illinois Municipal League and Mayor of Matteson, Il- will lead a delegation of Illinois Mayors to the Vatican in an exclusive meeting with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. The delegation will depart Chicago on March 28th, 2026, returning on April 2, 2026.
WRONGFULLY INCARCERATED MAN TRANSFORMS HIS DIRE EXPERIENCE INTO SUCCESSFUL NARRATIVE
Troshawn McCoy’s life has been everything but simple and balanced. For 22 years he was forced to only view life through wandered dreams and through the bars of a six by eight-foot floor space with a steel sliding door.
Camelback Ventures Releases First-Ever Camelback Fellowship Insights Report, Spotlighting How Proximate Leaders Are Redefining Innovation
Camelback Ventures announces the release of its first-ever Camelback Fellowship Insights Report. This is a data-driven analysis of 892 applications from early-stage social impact entrepreneurs across 44 states, who applied in the fall of 2025 for our latest Cohort 16, which started this month. The report offers a rare, in-depth look at how founders with lived experience are building scalable, sustainable ventures that address some of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Black Women Founded Startup Byio Challenges Big Tech with the First Community Controlled Social Media Platform Where Users Decide Who Gets In
The rules of social media have been set by algorithms and tech corporations for nearly two decades. Those systems determine who gets seen, who gets paid, and whose voices are amplified.
Chicago Department of Public Health Receives Continued Accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is proud to announce that the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) continued its accreditation of the department following the February 12, 2026 decision by the PHAB Accreditation Committee. This continued accreditation reaffirms CDPH’s commitment to excellence, accountability, and national public health standards.
Giannoulias Announces 2026 Summer Job Program
Approximately 120 paid positions are available for college, trade school and graduate students, as well as graduating high school seniors who will be enrolled in college or trade school in the fall. A limited program is also available for 25 high school students ages 16 and older. Positions are offered across the Secretary of State’s 25 departments and at DMV facilities throughout the state.
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON ANNOUNCES 2ND ANNUAL CHICAGO RIVER SWIM SEPT. 20 FOLLOWING HISTORIC FIRST YEAR, ESTABLISHING NEW CIVIC TRADITION
The Chicago River Swim presented by the City of Chicago and Mayor Brandon Johnson will return for its second annual event on Sunday, September 20, 2026, bringing swimmers back to the heart of downtown Chicago for another landmark civic moment.
The Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine Celebrates Students’ Major Step Closer to Vet Med Degrees
The Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM) celebrated students transitioning from the preclinical phase of veterinary curriculum into the clinical phase of their training at its annual White Coat Ceremony -- honoring 59 students, who will graduate in 2027, as they mark this pivotal step closer to veterinary medicine degrees.
A Conversation with Author Eve L. Ewing: Education, Equity and Justice from Original Sins to Superheroes
Dominican University’s School of Education presents an evening with writer, scholar and Chicago cultural organizer Dr. Eve L. Ewing on Thursday, April 16.
Gov. Pritzker Launches Down Payment Assistance Program for First-Time Homebuyers
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) launched IHDAccess Home (Access Home), a new program offering up to $15,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance for eligible first-time homebuyers statewide. The initiative expands IHDA’s popular Access mortgage suite and is designed to help more working families achieve homeownership amid rising housing costs.
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, DFSS ANNOUNCE REBRANDED “CHICAGO YOUTH WORKS” YOUTH EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE, CELEBRATE KICKOFF OF SUMMER APPLICATION PERIOD
Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) announced the launch of Chicago Youth Works, the City’s rebranded youth employment initiative, as well as the kickoff of the 2026 application period for summer employment and career exploration opportunities for youth ages 14 to 24. The online application portal is now live and can be accessed by visiting ChicagoYouthWorks.org. The deadline to apply is May 29.