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Monday, January 12, 2026 Jan 12, 2026

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The state of Illinois has extended the open enrollment deadline for people who buy health insurance through the state-run marketplace to January 31st. Independent bookstore owners in Chicago are sounding the alarm as chain bookseller Barnes & Noble brings its nationwide expansion to the city. Some owners say it’s taking business away from smaller bookstores. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore nearly $12 million in funding to the Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics. Plus, Soldier Field was in a frenzy Saturday night after the Chicago Bears’ comeback NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers. Before the game, we caught up with a Bears superfan who’s known as Bear Man.

Friday, January 9, 2026 Jan 09, 2026

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Illinois could lose $1 billion in federal funding for childcare and other social services, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul is in court with four other Democratic-led states trying to fight the latest funding freeze. Last November, the Trump administration released pending guidance for the Clean Water Act, and the EPA’s impact analysis found that more than 80% of the country’s wetlands would no longer be protected. The Chicago Bears will kick off their NFL post season on Saturday against the Green Bay Packers. Plus, Wednesday's shooting of an unarmed Minneapolis woman by an immigration enforcement agent is reverberating across the country. The shooting resembles two shootings during the Chicago area’s deportation campaign this past fall.

Thursday, January 8, 2026 Jan 08, 2026

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Illinois U.S. Representative Robin Kelly has announced she intends to file articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a woman Wednesday in Minneapolis. Kelly alleges Noem has turned ICE into a rogue force that violates the constitution and tears families apart. A Cook County father is suing Roblox, accusing the popular gaming platform of failing to protect his 9-year-old son from sexual exploitation. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love says he’s ready to face the Chicago Bears this Saturday after three weeks away to recover from a concussion. Plus, the Carl Sandburg poem “Chicago” has been a beloved local anthem for more than a century, but the poem is making the rounds again after a federal judge read it aloud in a court ruling amid the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in the city.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Jan 07, 2026

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Mayor Brandon Johnson touted figures that show in 2025, fatal shootings were at the lowest level since 1965. Shooting incidents actually dropped by 34 percent from the previous year. For the second year in a row, Chicago Public Schools’ watchdog found a high-profile basketball team fielded players that were fraudulently enrolled in the school. Retiring U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky is endorsing a candidate in the wide-open primary campaign to nominate a potential successor. Plus, a large mural hung above the main bar for decades at the now-shuttered Berlin nightclub in the Lakeview neighborhood on Chicago's North Side. The artist reflects on the story of how the mural came to be.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 Jan 06, 2026

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Workers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood are demanding safer practices in providing emergency care. SEIU Healthcare Illinois says workers are unhappy that the hospital understaffs its emergency rooms, resulting in high wait times for patients with urgent needs. The Chicago Bears look to snatch their first playoff win in 15 years when they face the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. The Grant Park Music Festival announced its season lineup, which has a strong focus on American composers. Plus, New Year's resolutions are in full swing, and many people have committed to Dry January or year-round sobriety. A 2024 Gallup survey shows alcohol consumption is at its lowest point in almost 90 years in the U.S., and it’s leading to a boom in the non-alcoholic drink industry.

Monday, January 5, 2026 Jan 05, 2026

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Some Illinois lawmakers are calling for accountability after the Trump administration's arrest of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. A new Northwestern Medicine study found the highest rates of gestational diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native groups. Chicago Bears Quarterback Williams got a franchise passing record, but he says his focus is on the upcoming playoffs. Plus, a family fled Ukraine to settle in Illinois, but are now being caught up in the Trump administration’s deportation blitz.

Friday, January 2, 2026 Jan 02, 2026

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Homicides and opioid deaths dropped in Cook County in 2025, and the news comes as Chicago had its lowest number of homicides in 60 years. One new Illinois law that went into effect at the start of the new year will regulate how employers use artificial intelligence when hiring new workers. Melissa Nunez and Elizabeth Branske were chosen in a raffle out of nearly a thousand couples to receive Cook County’s first marriage license of 2026. Plus, in the U.S., Black men who start college are up against a huge deficit of resources when it comes to finishing and getting their degree. In the majority-Black Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, just one in four who make it to campus graduate within six years. Three generations of Black men with ties to Austin who have helped each other overcome this disparity.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 Dec 31, 2025

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We’re looking back at a story from earlier this month about the best Chicago albums of 2025. Our colleagues at our sister station Vocalo nominated their annual picks for the best in new Chicago music. Chicago has always been an eclectic music town where artists borrow from the city’s traditions of blues, jazz and soul. Some of this year’s best local albums blend the genres and even transcend them.

Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Dec 30, 2025

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We’re revisiting a story from the WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times arts and culture desk, in which our bookish colleagues share some of their favorite new books of 2025. Their recommendations range from a wide breadth of genres, including a novel that explores the complexities of friendship and family as well as a memoir detailing New York City nightlife in the '90s.

Monday, December 29, 2025 Dec 29, 2025

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In a town full of foodies, Chicago pizzamaker Jonathan Goldsmith’s pies rise to the top at his restaurant, Spacca Napoli, located in Ravenswood on Chicago’s North Side. The eatery spent several years on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list and an Italian-based website ranked it among the best pizza in the world in 2023. At the beginning of 2025, the restaurant was named the best pizza in town at the local Banchet Awards. Days later, Goldsmith underwent surgery for stomach cancer. As the year wraps up, we checked back in with Goldsmith to see how his recovery is going and took a look back at the restaurant’s journey.

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