Chicago Public Schools officials expressed the urgency of additional funding from the city and state as they prepare for the release of “school-level budgets,” with the assumption that they will have $300 million in extra money from stakeholders to fill a gaping budget gap.

Illinois Head Start officials reacted warily Wednesday to assurances from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the administration of President Donald Trump supports continued funding for the federal early childhood development program, which supports about 28,000 low-income children and families in Illinois alone.

Amid speculation that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to appoint one of his top deputies to lead the Chicago Transit Authority, three CTA board members said they support a national search for a new president Wednesday, echoing calls made by transit advocates and signaling the mayor could face more opposition to his plans for the role.

In a rare acceptance of regulations adopted during the Biden administration, the Trump-led Environmental Protection Agency is backing the first national limits on a pair of toxic forever chemicals contaminating the drinking water of most Americans.

The Trump administration’s refocusing of federal resources on immigration has landed at the Chicago office of the IRS’ criminal investigation bureau, where agents accustomed to working complex financial cases are now being prepared for unprecedented special assignments to help track down unauthorized immigrants, a memo obtained by the Tribune shows.

John Laesch used his first official speech as Aurora’s new mayor to highlight both upcoming challenges and opportunities that he sees in the city’s future.

Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard was absent from the last regularly scheduled board meeting before new leadership is sworn in Monday, while attending trustees exchanged heartfelt goodbyes with community members.

Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin, MWRD Commissioner Yumeka Brown and state Sen. Robert Peters eye 2nd Congressional District race.

Six months after Missouri voters approved an abortion-rights amendment, Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday approved a new referendum that would seek the amendment’s repeal and instead ban most abortions with exceptions for rape an incest.