Belmont Cragin residents were filing into the cafeteria at Prieto Math and Science Academy last month to weigh in on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s signature plan to overhaul Chicago’s mental health system when they got unexpected evidence that the bold, still largely theoretical plan remains a focus at City Hall.

Into the school walked Johnson, ...Read more

A group of about 60 people organized by the Chicago Jewish Alliance gathered at Fullerton and Seminary avenues Sunday morning in response to an encampment set up Tuesday at DePaul University to protest the war in Gaza.

Members of Chabad Lincoln Park, Stand With Us, Hillel Metro Chicago and the Jewish Institute for Liberal Voices, among other ...Read more

After a tense day of protests, counterprotests and increased university police presence on the University of Chicago’s Main Quadrangle, the sun began to fade Friday evening and the Jewish holy day of Sabbath began.

Within the encampment established by the University of Chicago United for Palestine coalition, about 50 Jewish students and ...Read more

A driver crashed into the White House gates and died late Saturday night, authorities said.

Police did not release any information about the man behind the wheel, but the Secret Service said there was “no threat to the White House.”

President Joe Biden was not home at the time, according to the Secret Service. He was spending the weekend ...Read more

The state’s Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case this week that could determine whether Californians are allowed to weigh in on an expansive ballot measure that would put virtually all tax increases before voters.

It’s part of a rare case in which the court will consider removing a proposition from the ballot before an election. At ...Read more

UCLA has moved swiftly to create a new chief safety officer position to oversee campus security operations, including the police department, in the wake of what have been called serious lapses in handling protests that culminated in a mob attack on a pro-Palestinian student encampment last week.

Chancellor Gene Block announced Sunday that Rick ...Read more

The critical elements of Florida’s bold new statewide homelessness policy emerged from the written prescriptions of a Texas-based conservative think tank bent on thwarting the nation’s “homeless-industrial complex,” according to records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

Emails show the Cicero Institute offered Florida lawmakers a menu ...Read more

New York Mayor Eric Adams pledged to ensure that this year’s graduation ceremonies in the city won’t be disrupted by violent protests over the war in Gaza, saying no one should be allowed to threaten commencements.

“We will make sure it’s done in a peaceful manner,” Adams said Sunday on ABC’s "This Week." Graduations are “a ...Read more

Three New York City synagogues and The Brooklyn Museum were hit with bogus bomb threats over a roughly two-hour span — and the threats are believed to be part of a mass email sent to nearly two dozen Jewish houses of worship, according to a Jewish philanthropic organization.

The emailed threats, all determined to be unfounded, drew the ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Cinco de Mayo parade in Little Village was ended early Sunday after the Chicago Fire Department responded to reports of shots fired along the parade route.

The Chicago Fire Department did not transport anyone from the scene, officials said, but responded to Cermak Road and Washtenaw Avenue. The Chicago Police Department ...Read more

The new Palestinian prime minister is a former World Bank executive who vows to fight corruption and waste. The finance minister worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers International. The foreign ministry is helmed by a woman with a U.S. doctorate and deep experience in human rights.

By many measures, the new Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is ...Read more

Scenes from the Houston area looked like the aftermath of a hurricane in early May after a series of powerful storms flooded highways and neighborhoods and sent rivers over their banks north of the city.

More than 400 people had to be rescued from homes, rooftops and cars, according to The Associated Press. Huntsville registered ...Read more

A coordinated, multiagency effort is essential to save Southern California's coastal rail corridor from sea-level rise and erosion, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear warned last week.

"The data is clear and the message more urgent than ever that our coastline near the rail line is at critical risk of failure," said Blakespear, D-Encinitas, at a ...Read more

In Connecticut and across the country, university campuses have been disrupted by student protests supporting Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza war, just ahead of graduations this month.

Universities across Connecticut, however, have plans in place to prevent trouble although they do not expect disturbances at those graduation ceremonies.

The ...Read more

In a swift-moving, predawn operation three days before graduation ceremonies begin, USC campus police and LAPD officers in riot gear cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment from the center of campus Sunday as protesters beat drums and chanted.

No arrests were reported and no violence erupted during the police sweep, a university spokesperson said....Read more

New York Mayor Eric Adams pledged to ensure that this year’s graduation ceremonies in the city won’t be disrupted by violent protests over the war in Gaza, saying no one should be allowed to threaten commencements.

“We will make sure it’s done in a peaceful manner,” Adams said Sunday on ABC’s "This Week." Graduations are “a ...Read more

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and key cabinet members arrived Sunday in the country’s south where record-breaking floods have shut down a main airport and submerged neighborhoods, leaving dozens dead and many others missing.

Heavy rains over the state of Rio Grande do Sul caused main rivers to overflow, straining damps and ...Read more

Israel is prepared to temporarily halt the war in Gaza to gain the release of the hostages held there, but won’t agree to the Hamas demand to end the war completely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

It’s unclear where the comments — and an exchange of barbs with the Hamas political leader — will leave the potential for a halt in...Read more