The Latest Breaking News from Rebecca Pallmeyer

The clock is loudly ticking toward an Oct. 1 deadline. If the shutdown happens, the impact will reverberate across the city and Illinois.

Longtime U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel, the former leader of the Illinois State Police who went on to preside over the corruption trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the landmark Family Secrets mob trial, and many other of the area’s biggest cases, died Saturday night after a long illness,…

CHICAGO — Former Teamsters union boss John Coli Sr. once basked in a reputation as a tough-nosed, nationally known organized labor figure, rubbing elbows with the state’s political and business elite, running up $15,000 tabs at Chicago steakhouses, and cruising around the Mediterranean on other people’s yachts.

“This is the first step in achieving most of the goals I’ve set for myself,” said Sharon Celestine, 20, who came to Chicago from Nigeria.

Let’s hope so. It would be a better fate than the federal government’s plan to demolish the structures for a security plaza.

The members act after getting a petition from more than 22,000 people who voiced support for saving the early 20th century structures, setting up a potential show down with the federal government over security concerns for the nearby Dirksen Federal Courthouse.

CHICAGO — A federal judge recently agreed to dissolve a 42-year-old court mandate on minority hiring within the Chicago Fire Department, finding that minority representation had increased substantially since its implementation in early 1980.

A legal battle over cannabis business licensing in Illinois could overturn the state’s residency requirement, throwing a wrench into the already dysfunctional process and attempts to diversify the industry.

"My family in Ukraine is really concerned with what is happening," said Yuriy Kolodiychuk. "And they beg the whole world to help people, ordinary people in Ukraine, who are under this severe attack of crazy person Mr. Putin."