With a $1.12 billion budget shortfall and $3 billion more in federal funds on the chopping block, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday cracked the door open to the prospect of layoffs and service cuts that he has previously ruled out. “We will have to deal with the realities of the billions of dollars that are being threatened by the federal government. That’s a different scenario than we were under before,” Johnson said as he signed an executive order establishing a working group to advise him on ways to confront the...

On the Saturday morning before Easter, fog and light rain didn’t hinder the 20-year tradition of a good old-fashioned family egg hunt in Lake Forest. Hundreds gathered at the newly renovated Deerpath Community Park, at 400 Hastings Road to take part in Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza 2025, an annual event hosted by Lake Forest Parks and Recreation. Lake Forest Park Center, program manager, Aaron Dalzot, said, “The Bunny, with the help of Lake Forest Park District and Recreation staff, laid out over 9,000 treat-filled eggs, for this seasonal celebration which included...

In Chicago, snow seasons are tracked from July through the following June. The area normally can expect 38.4 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Chicago was warmer than average during the 2023-24 season, which meant snow was scarce. Only 22.2 inches of snow fell at O’Hare International Airport, which is the city’s official recording site. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center expects a La Niña weather pattern to affect winter conditions in most of the country. For Chicago and the rest of Illinois, that could may mean a...

Chicago native Malik T. Murray was a longtime executive at Chicago-based Ariel Investments. He served on the board of trustees of DePaul University, where he had played Division I basketball, and he was on the board of directors for St. Ignatius College Prep. Murray oversaw Ariel’s fundraising efforts for its investment strategies as the company’s head of business development. “Everyone just loved Malik. He was extremely generous,” said Ariel’s founder, chairman and co-CEO John W. Rogers Jr. “He always had time for everyone, and was never too busy to talk...

Four municipal workers in Chicago have been disciplined or ticketed for three incidents over the last year in which they accidentally breached active runways at O’Hare Airport with their ground vehicles, newly obtained records show. No injuries or crashes occurred. But in one of the mishaps, a city worker’s mistake in driving onto a runway forced an airplane that was about to land to abort touchdown, according to the records from the Chicago Department of Aviation, the arm of City Hall that runs O’Hare and Midway airports. That incident, which...

Emma Slater and Alan Bersten just ended their tour with a bang! The pros wrapped 2025 on Saturday, April 19. During their final performance together, the pair appeared to confirm their relationship — after months of romance rumors — with an onstage kiss. DWTS fan Callie Justine captured the steamy and unexpected moment at the closing performance in Rosemont, Ill. She dubbed the kiss between Slater, 36, and Bersten, 30, “the greatest hard launch of all time.” In the TikTok clip , the duo can be seen dancing together —...

Three teenagers were shot, with one in critical condition, during an argument Friday night in a home’s front yard in the Austin neighborhood, according to Chicago police. Officers responded to a call for service around 11:30 p.m. in the 5000 block of W. West End Avenue for reports of three victims struck by gunfire, police said. A preliminary investigation indicates that a man pulled out a gun during a verbal altercation and shot the three teens before he fled in a black SUV, police said. An 18-year-old woman was shot...

A Jersey artist is having his first full exhibition on his home island. Max Corbett's collection of street scenes is being exhibited at the Jaro gallery in St Helier as part of its permanent artists' collection. Corbett said his work was a combination of "street photography and traditional oil painting techniques", using bright colours and an "all over the place" style. He said he took inspiration from impressionist painters of the 18th and 19th Centuries who saw the streets as a "window into what life is truly like", adding "the...

Nolan Kuick, 7, gave the Easter Bunny a big hug and then happily posed for a photo. “He’s the best bunny in the whole world,” the South Elgin boy announced during South Elgin Parks and Recreation’s annual Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt, held Thursday night at Jim Hansen Park. Younger brother Luca, however, wasn’t feeling the love. The 3-year-old cried and squirmed in his mom’s arms the minute he laid eyes on the huge costumed character. Fortunately, the bunny was secondary to the big event — a chance to scoop up a...

For Alejandro Garcia, the congregation of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s annual procession isn’t meant to be fun. “It’s all a sad day,” Garcia said of Good Friday, the day Romans crucified Jesus. “But it’s important.” Garcia attended the annual procession with his daughters and mother. He’s been attending the Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross procession, since he was a child. Following a two-hour service at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, participants marched through the streets of East Chicago, following Roman soldiers and Jesus, who was played by...