PEORIA -- Local health officials said Thursday that seven people who had died earlier this year are now classified as dying due to the COVID-19 illness as they "fit the criteria."However, the news release from the Peoria City/County Health Department didn’t state what those criteria

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is holding a news conference. Watch live here.

Prosecutor says gunman thought victim stole device months agoA Sauk Village man was held without bail Saturday on murder charges after he allegedly shot a man in the head — convinced his victim had stolen his brother's iPhone, Cook County prosecutors said.

Initiative meant to encourage students to stay in schoolGraduates of Chicago Public Schools could have an advantage landing interviews for jobs with the city, whether it be tree trimming or fighting fires.

With suspect charged, suburb plans community meetingDajae Coleman would have loved the fact that hundreds of people lined up for his funeral service Saturday, said loved ones who joined a crowd that filled the First Church of God Christian Life Center in Evanston.

Architecture groups laboring to preserve women's hospital designed by Chicago architect Bertrand GoldbergBoth sides have escalated their public relations warfare in the bitter battle over the fate of the old Prentice Women's Hospital while still awaiting a long-postponed discussion on the matter by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

No consensus yet on CTA, Metra, Pace sharesThe Regional Transportation Authority failed Friday to resolve a contentious funding dispute among the CTA, Metra and Pace when a proposed deal went awry at the last minute, officials said.

Repairs planned through mid-November for viaduct at Oak StreetThe northbound Michigan Avenue on-ramp viaduct to Lake Shore Drive at Oak Street is scheduled to close Monday for major repairs, likely causing traffic tie-ups in the North Michigan Avenue area until the project is completed in mid-November, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

Lake Forest High School teachers have been back at work for more than a week after a five-day walkout, but it could be some time before the district's taxpayers learn what impact the new contract could have on them.

Republican power broker William Cellini doesn't deserve sympathyTo the Honorable U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel

Glendale Heights woman stands up for AIDS awareness with yearly participation in eventDo not suggest a wheelchair.

They could be the first to see symptoms of stress among youths, experts say On the eve of his Niles West High School volleyball team's first game of the season, Drew Roche faced a dilemma that isn't covered in the typical coaching handbook.

Moody's 'negative outlook' cites $1 billion budget gapChicago teachers this week will vote on a contract their union agreed to after a seven-day strike. How the cash-strapped school district will pay for the raises and other financial provisions of that contract has yet to be fully explained, a point driven home when a leading bond-rating agency downgraded Board of Education debt last week.

Rabbi's shout-out to visiting Michele Bachmann riles some For some members of a Conservative Jewish synagogue in Lakeview, this year's overlap of election season with the season of forgiveness presented a challenge.

Costs for Bianchi cases top $800K; new law steers counties to public agencies first rather than private attorneys A court ruling requiring McHenry County to pay six figures to the men who unsuccessfully put the state's attorney on trial — twice — highlights the motivation behind a new law that would limit the use of private special prosecutors.

Sidney Robbins was part of a pioneering group known as "frogmen" during World War II, participating in and later commanding a unit charged with clearing obstacles for amphibious landings during battles in the Pacific.

Air conditioning, viruses, decreased smoking citedIn addition to air pollution, gastrointestinal bacteria and sleep deprivation, a number of other overlooked factors that may affect weight have been identified by researchers:

Researchers focus on air pollution, sleep deprivationAs obesity rates soar worldwide, the antidote may seem obvious: Eat less! Move more! But the common-sense approach hasn't been terribly effective, prompting some scientists to question the simplicity of the formula.

Cook County judges routinely have hidden hundreds of cases from public view since 2000, sealing lawsuits involving a famous chef, millionaire businessmen and even other judgesOn the eighth floor of the Daley Center, behind a locked metal door, is a narrow room known as the vault.

Shuttle will serve Arlington Heights, Rolling MeadowsCall-n-Ride, a mass transit option that combines dial-a-ride with fixed-route bus service, will begin operating Monday in the Arlington Heights-Rolling Meadows area, Pace announced Friday.

Students, alumni plant to wear purple in memory of Ramie Harris for Homecoming run A Wheaton College student who died last year in a plane crash will be memorialized at a 5K run as part of the school's Homecoming celebration this month. Ramie Harris, who would've been a senior at the school this year, was killed in November alongside her father, Ray, sister, Shey, and a friend, Chris Backus, after...

Money and spirits flow in Medinah during golf tournamentThe sidewalk in front of Gaynor's Restaurant and Pub was the perfect place to enjoy the Ryder Cup if golf isn't necessarily your game but golf people watching is.

Shooter charged with first-degree murderEvanston teen Dajae Coleman was fatally gunned down last weekend by a man who mistakenly targeted him while looking for revenge, authorities said Friday.

Due next month, plan will rely on 'reforms, cuts, changes' to close $298M gap Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Friday he will not increase taxes, fines or fees in next year's budget but will rely on unspecified spending cuts and better tax collections from an improved economy to close an estimated $298 million shortfall.

The city will reverse a Cook County judge's ruling that tossed out the mass arrests of Occupy Chicago protesters in Grant Park, Mayor Rahm Emanuel predicted Friday, saying his administration's enforcement of a park curfew is on "firm ground as it relates both to public safety and First Amendment rights."

The family of a Northwestern University student who was discovered drowned in Wilmette Harbor said Friday they wanted answers to explain his still-mysterious death.

— Proud to be known as the heart of the Illinois Bible Belt, the residents of Mattoon fill dozens of Christian churches.

Veteran officer offered to release prisoner from lockup in exchange for sex, prosecutors sayA veteran Chicago police officer appeared in court Friday on charges he had sex with a prisoner he had promised to release from the West Side lockup where the officer was stationed.

Inspector general says firm was told of winning work before agency awarded contractA former Illinois Tollway official and one of its major contractors violated agency rules in awarding a $35 million construction contract on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), according to a watchdog's report Thursday.

Bolingbrook businessman Tim Wallace has been restoring the train car, giving it a fresh coat of red paint and repairing its interiorFor the past four months, Bolingbrook businessman Tim Wallace has been restoring a 1930 Santa Fe caboose train car, giving it a fresh coat of red paint and repairing its interior.