Weather

Friday to start off frosty before clouds roll in

7-day forecast: Frost likely overnight, highs in the 40s Friday

Your weather photos

7-day forecast: Rainy Sunday with highs in the mid-60s

7-day forecast: Rainy weekend in store

7-day forecast: Stormy weekend, spiking temperatures could hit 80 Monday

7-day forecast: Stormy weekend possible

7-day forecast: Showers Sunday, big temperature swings to come

7-day forecast: Cool weather on the way; frost advisories overnight

Thunderstorms hit Chicago

Blast of cold air in Chicago

Your photos: Let it snow

Otherworldly winter 2015

Chicago's winter arrives

From the archives: Chicago winter classics

Harrowing tales of survival from town ravaged by storm

Residents of Mexico Beach that stayed during the storm are emerging from the debris with harrowing tales. Others, who evacuated, are coming to grips with the fact that much of their community was destroyed by Hurricane Michael . Hit head-on by the storm, numerous homes in this Gulf Coast resort...

Hurricane Michael slams into Florida, charges into Southeast

The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus Thursday with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews struggling to enter stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind. At least three deaths were blamed on Michael,...

Images trickle out of Michael's vast devastation

The urgency of hurricane coverage with its colorful satellite maps and reporters standing in the wind is a television staple, but devastation in Hurricane Michael 's wake was so severe that it made images of some of the hardest-hit areas in Florida trickle out Thursday as slowly as if from a distant,...

Georgia girl, 11, dies as Michael hurls debris through roof

By all accounts, Sarah Radney was safe inside her grandparents' home when Hurricane Michael roared into southwest Georgia. If the family feared anything, it was probably falling trees — not a carport next to the house. In what could only be described as a freak accident, authorities say Michael's...

After Michael's rampage on Florida Panhandle: 'Nothing Left'

Linda Marquardt rode out Hurricane Michael with her husband at their home in Mexico Beach. When their house filled with surging ocean water, they fled upstairs. Now their home is full of mud and everywhere they look there's utter devastation in their Florida Panhandle community: fishing boats tossed...

AP Photos: Hurricane leaves Florida's Mexico Beach in shreds

Hurricane Michael all but erased the tiny community of Mexico Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast, reducing some homes to mere concrete slabs and leaving others in shreds. Rescuers and residents struggled Thursday to get into town to assess the damage and search for the missing after it was slammed by...

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Devastation in Florida, flooding elsewhere

Tropical Storm Michael has sped off toward the Atlantic Ocean, but there will be nothing quick about Florida's recovery from the hurricane, where rows upon rows of homes have been smashed to pieces . The storm also has brought flash flooding to hurricane-weary parts of the Carolinas and Virginia...

Georgia girl dies when storm sends carport leg through roof

By all accounts, Sarah Radney was safe inside her grandparents' home when Hurricane Michael roared into southwest Georgia. If the family feared anything, it was probably falling trees — not a carport next to the house. In what could only be described as a freak accident, authorities say Michael's...

Ford's testimony made me reconsider Bill Clinton's accuser

Christine Blasey Ford, married and in her 50s, reluctantly came forward recently to say she’d been sexually attacked by a now-famous man many years ago. She didn’t remember the date of the attack, she hadn’t reported it to police at the time and certain incongruous details gave rise to doubts that...

Sommeliers push back at decision to strip 'master' titles after incident of cheating

After revelations of cheating led the country’s most prestigious wine industry certification body to invalidate the 2018 master sommeliers tasting exams, the somms are pushing back. In case you missed it, on Tuesday, the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, invalidated the master sommelier titles...

A Sears bankruptcy could cause one of the biggest pension defaults ever, but the government would protect 90,000 retirees

If Sears, once the nation’s largest retailer, declares bankruptcy, it could cause one of the biggest pension defaults in U.S. history, but the government would step in to keep checks coming to more than 90,000 retirees. The company’s long-term pension obligations, which have been underfunded by...

Turks tell U.S. officials they have audio and video recordings that prove journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed

The Turkish government has told U.S. officials that it has audio and video recordings that prove Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul this month, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. The recordings show that a Saudi security team detained...

Under attack, billionaire George Soros plans to redouble his efforts

George Soros, the billionaire investor and liberal donor, sat in his hotel suite by Lake Zurich last week, lamenting the turn much of the world has taken in recent years: "Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." His favored presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost to President Donald...

Will Kris Bryant stay? How much mileage does Anthony Rizzo have left? 5 offseason questions for the Cubs about their infielders

This is the fourth in a series of position-by-position analyses about the Cubs entering the offseason. 1. Does Kris Bryant stay with the Cubs? If so, at third base? Relax, folks. The Cubs, like most teams with plenty of young talent several years away from free agency, attempt to sign those players...

Chicago Police Board clears cop in controversial fatal shooting of 15-year-old boy

Bucking the recommendation of police oversight officials who called the shooting “unprovoked and unwarranted,” a divided Chicago Police Board voted 5-3 Thursday night to clear an officer of all wrongdoing in fatally shooting a teen in the back of the head during a foot chase nearly six years ago....

5 Chicago-centric things about Kanye West's White House visit

Kanye West made his first visit to the Oval Office. And he had a lot to say about Chicago. President Donald Trump and West — but mostly West — spoke with reporters before a private lunch on Thursday. West launched into a one-man show of sorts on social policy, mental health, why he wants to abolish...

Mortgage rates soar to seven-year high

Mortgage rates are at their highest levels since April 2011. According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average jumped to 4.90 percent with an average 0.5 point. (Points are fees paid to a lender equal to 1 percent of the loan amount.) The 19-basis-point...

3 Chicago cops attacked, locked inside home while chasing suspect

Three Chicago police officers were attacked and locked inside an Englewood home as they chased a woman who had spit in the face of one of the cops, authorities said. The officers were able to get out of the house in the 7000 block of South Throop Street and arrested a woman and two men around 2:30...

Social Security checks to increase 2.8 percent in 2019

Tens of millions of Social Security recipients and other retirees will get a 2.8 percent boost in benefits next year as inflation edges higher. It's the biggest increase most retired baby boomers have gotten. Following a stretch of low inflation, the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2019...

United Airlines raises requirements for frequent flyer program's most elite status

Starting next year, United Airlines will make it more difficult to reach the MileagePlus plans’ most elite status level — Premier 1K — but the carrier is offering a new perk for such top-tier flyers. Starting Jan. 1, members of the loyalty reward program must spend a minimum of $15,000 and accumulate...

5 things to know about the poliolike condition that has hospitalized 2 Chicago-area children

At least two children who have been diagnosed with a rare but serious condition that weakens muscles and limits mobility are being treated in Chicago, according to Lurie Children’s Hospital. The parents of a Batavia 2-year-old, Julia Payne, went public in hopes of raising awareness for acute flaccid...

Cubs fire hitting coach Chili Davis after 1 season

The persistent inconsistency of the Cubs’ offense in the second half of the season cost hitting coach Chili Davis his job after only one season. Davis, 58, was informed of his dismissal Thursday — nine days after the Rockies eliminated the Cubs in the National League wild-card game. The Cubs scored...

Column: America elected a mirror image of itself

Since the day President Donald Trump took office, readers have repeatedly asked me why I've been more amused than outraged, more fascinated than offended. My response, at first individually to each reader, and now in this space, remains the same: The United States deserves Donald Trump as its president,...

Peter W. Smith, GOP operative who sought Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, committed suicide, records show

A Republican donor and operative from Chicago's North Shore who said he had tried to obtain Hillary Clinton's missing emails from Russian hackers killed himself in a Minnesota hotel room days after talking to The Wall Street Journal about his efforts, public records show. In mid-May, in a room...

Chicago native who opened Anger Room as safe outlet for aggression allegedly murdered by ex-boyfriend

Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Donna Alexander dreamed of creating a safe space for people to release anger and stress, in the hopes of quelling violence and unnecessary pain. She opened Anger Room in Dallas in 2008, allowing clients to smash household objects to blow off steam, and the business...

In Quincy debate, shadows of controversies haunt Gov. Bruce Rauner and J.B. Pritzker

Controversies surrounding the major candidates for governor cast a long shadow over the final broadcast debate of the campaign Thursday, with Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat J.B. Pritzker defending accusations of wrongdoing and trying to cast the other as having engaged in criminal conduct. The...

With every expletive and hissyfit, Jimmy Butler makes sure that the Bulls continue to win the trade

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Jimmy Butler contrives to publicly rip young teammates. After demanding a trade over the summer but not getting it, Butler showed up Wednesday for his first Timberwolves practice and proceeded to rip everybody on and off the court from coach and basketball President...

Blackhawks blow late lead against Wild, lose second straight game in OT

It’s October and there are still 78 games to play. Doesn’t matter. This one is going to leave a bruise. “It hurt,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. The Hawks blew a 2-0 first period lead and a 3-2 lead in the third period before the Wild beat them 4-3 in overtime Thursday night at the Xcel...

The feds were watching, but unlicensed gun dealer was still able to sell Glock that killed Chicago police officer

Thomas Caldwell once told a federal agent that selling guns was an addiction. Even after being told to stop because he had no license, the Wisconsin man kept peddling firearms, posting more than 200 ads on a controversial website. One of those guns, a Glock 26 9 mm handgun, ended up in the hands...

Lake County police officers have been allowed to call for rides home after being pulled over

Libertyville police allowed a Waukegan officer to call for a ride home even though he registered a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit during an early morning traffic stop, video and audio recordings obtained by the Lake County News-Sun show. The case is the third example of law...

North Chicago officials lament death of dog tied outside for months: 'Somebody watched this dog waste away'

Shari Goldberg held Toby, a 3-year-old American bulldog mix, in her arms when he took his last breath on Sept. 30. That was one of the only kind gestures the dog had experienced in months, maybe longer. Other kindness came from veterinarians who cared for him for four days before he was euthanized...

Scandal in wine world: 23 new Master Sommeliers stripped of titles after cheating discovered

The wine world was shaken, not swirled, when scandal broke out Tuesday afternoon. In a letter sent out Tuesday, titled “Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas Board of Directors Takes Unanimous Actions to Preserve Integrity of Examination Process,” the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers — the...

'That didn't happen': Father-son eyewitnesses to Laquan McDonald's shooting tell why they came forward

Jose Torres passes the busy commercial intersection on his way to and from work most days. The area on the Southwest Side has changed a lot since that night four years ago when fate brought him and his son there moments before a Chicago police officer fatally shot Laquan McDonald. But the violent...