The future of Chicago’s parking meters is being met with continued controversy. At the start of 2026, the current owners of Chicago Parking Meters — a consortium including Morgan Stanley, Allianz ...

The city's new social media tax, implemented in January, is the main funding earmarked to build out a citywide Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement program in 2027 — but a lawsuit could derail ...

A version of this story was first published in the June 24, 2026 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your ...

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It wasn't until Michelle Kennedy left Bronzeville for City Planning graduate school in the 1990s that she learned her Chicago neighborhood’s name. After observing a classmate's presentation on the ...

Marion Turner moved to Wicker Park in the 1950s when vacant buildings and crime were common and the city’s disinvestment in the neighborhood was painfully apparent. In the 70s, Turner started looking ...

Men dressed solely in underwear pepper an uncrowded, low-lit gay club in Chicago’s Boystown on a chilly weekend night. Pop music thumps loud enough to drown out intimate conversation. Bartenders mix ...

This fall I curated a series of Public Newsrooms that we called, “Community Care in the 2020 Election: We Gon Be Alright,” which began by talking about building safe space. On Nov. 21 at Experimental ...

A Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract between a community and a developer that includes commitments the developer will make to the neighborhood, in exchange for the ...

Chicago Documenters notes from Layla Brown-Clark, Katie Busch, Madeleine Davison, Katrina Herring and Brandi Scarber were used to help report this story. Find more public meeting coverage at ...

Editor’s note: This story contains mentions of mental health struggles and suicidal ideation. If you are struggling, contact the free and confidential National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine or ...