WBEZ News

Remembering ‘Da Coach’ Mike Ditka and the mark he left on Chicago

Former Bears Coach Mike Ditka has died at age 86. He became a symbol for the city of Chicago after leading the ‘85 Bears to the Super Bowl. WBEZ’s Noah Jennings has

The Chicago Stars are looking to shine again.

The Chicago Stars have had a rocky few years. The Windy City NWSL team has faced a slew of injuries and staffing changes that have them in last place this season.

Judges Speak

Since President Donald Trump got reelected, more than 100 veteran immigration judges across the country have lost their jobs or resigned amid a sweeping overhaul of immig

A new Chicago exhibit is bringing presidential history to life

This fall, the Chicago History Museum will display some rare presidential artifacts. Among them is an item from Mary Todd Lincoln’s wardrobe that really brings the pas

Flock refused to remove this Illinois community college’s cameras

Some Illinois students are calling on colleges to cancel their contracts with Flock, a maker of automatic license plate readers powered by artificial intelligence. Fe

How a boy from Chicago rose to become Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff

Before Pope Leo the 14th became the first American to head the Catholic Church, he was known as Robert Francis Prevost. A boy from Dolton, a suburb just south of Chica

El Nino slowing down shipments of Magic The Gathering to Chicago game shops

The El Niño climate pattern is off to a record-breaking start, already spiking temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean. That excess heat is setting off extreme wea

J. Dennis Hastert was once second in line to be president

U.S. House speakers ever to come from Illinois and the longest-serving Republican speaker in congressional history

How the White Sox went from 121 losses to the playoffs

Unbelievably, the Chicago White Sox are in the playoffs. It’s a stark comeback from being the worst team in M-L-B history — just two years ago. WBEZ’s Somer Van Ben

Are Illinois and the Chicago Bears finally making progress on a stadium deal?

Are Illinois and the Chicago Bears finally making progress on a deal for a new football stadium? It’s a timely question after Governor J-B Pritzker, NFL Commissioner R

Where CPS Board president candidates stand on raising property taxes

As everyone paying their property tax bills in Chicago knows, as much as half of it goes to Chicago Public Schools. The soon-to-be-elected school board president will

How one house kept its lights on when Northwest Indiana lost power

August storms knocked out power for nearly 375 thousand residents in Northwest Indiana… leaving people in the dark for days. But one house kept its lights on the whol

The sounds of Chicago neighborhoods are being pumped through speakers Downtown

What do Chicago neighborhoods sound like - and could those sounds be art. An immersive noise installation recently took tourists by surprise on one of Chicago’s busies

Chicago-based Mariachi Herencia de Mexico is having a moment

Chicago Bears third-string quarterback Case Keenum (KEY-num) isn’t the only one basking in the glow of victory on Monday night. So is a Chicago-based mariachi group.

Chicago teens want more jobs and businesses in their neighborhoods, survey shows

Disinvestment in Chicago’s South and West sides has long impacted opportunities for residents. And new data show young people are also feeling the effects. My Bloc

Looming Medicaid cutoff threatens coverage for thousands of refugees in Chicago

Starting Thursday, refugees will no longer be eligible to receive Medicaid. It’s part of the H-R-1 budget reconciliation, often called the One Big Beautiful Bill, sign

City Council signs off on $2.5B parking meter sale

The Chicago City Council just signed off on the sale of the city’s much-detested parking meter contract from one private entity to another. And aldermen were able to

Young collectors are finding a lot to like in Chicago galleries

A number of new art galleries and collections have hit the scene in Chicago for the fall. And with their arrival, comes a renewed push to bring more young people into

President Trump was in Illinois for the Presidents Cup this weekend

Protests took place this weekend outside of the Presidents Cup golf tournament in Bloomingdale. Several groups gathered at Medinah Country Club in objection to Presid

What a meeting of “Scream Club Chicago” sounds like

At Scream Club, about 50 strangers meet on Sunday evenings at the North Avenue Beach Pier and collectively scream into Lake Michigan. We hear what that sounds like, how i