The man suspected of killing the Walgreens guard and another man in Rogers Park was found dead in Evanston today. more ›

The Chicago Teachers Union held a sit-in at City Hall today to protest the mayor's plan to close a number of Chicago Public Schools. The groups are focused on lobbying for the schools in the mid-south region of the city. They say the closings are concentrated on the South Side, as they often are, as this map demonstrates. On the CTU website it states: more ›

We conclude our recaps of the top stories of the year by looking back at the heightened tensions between government and labor in Wisconsin, Illinois and Chicago. more ›

Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis looks, well, darker and thinner than in real life. more ›

Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis held a news conference this morning to say she would not resign amidst criticism of a video that surfaced Monday where she mocked the lisp of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and talked candidly about her past marijuana use at a conference last month. more ›

The conservative think tank Education Action Group Foundation released video of a speech by Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis where Lewis mocks Education Secretary Arne Duncan's lisp and cracks wise about her pot smoking days at Dartmouth College and having the perfect resume for an affirmative action quota hire. more ›

This is definitely turning into a jarring spectacle that has both the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools up in arms. more ›

It is likely that the finger-pointing will continue as the fate of Chicago public school students, teachers, and parents is put on hold until Lewis and Brizard can come to some sort of agreement. more ›

CTU President Karen Lewis said during a meeting about the school day extension a few weeks ago that she had a tense interaction with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. more ›

City Council's stand against the Chicago Teachers Union on the subject of a longer school day is seen by some as more than a token gesture intended to curry favor with the mayor. more ›

Benjamin E. Mays joins Genevieve Melody Elementary, Skinner North Elementary and Stem Magnet Academy in stretching the amount of classroom time for its students. more ›

In an effort to bypass union pressure, Chicago Public Schools is offering financial rewards to those schools that adopt its longer school day. Chicago Teachers Union officials aren't happy. more ›

While some union members are saying that the three dissident elementary schools were coerced -- or even bribed -- into saying 'yes' to longer school days, CPS maintains that no forceful prodding was involved more ›

"I didn't get elected to be liked, I got elected to solve problems," Emanuel told the audience. more ›

Chicago Teachers Union President said the union won't be "bullied" by public attempts to accept a 2 percent pay raise for elementary teachers in exchange for extending the school day 90 minutes. more ›

CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard took his case for a "better school day" to the airwaves last night. more ›

The breakdown in talks could further speculation the Teachers Union will go on strike for the first time since 1987. more ›

The president of the Chicago Teachers Union says that the chances of a teachers' strike is "very high." more ›

The Chicago Teachers Union contends recent local school council elections are unlawful under the Illinois school code. more ›

Chicago Public Schools is set to lay off 1,000 teachers in the next few days. more ›

A week after the Chicago School Board rescinded a pay raise for teachers, they're set to vote for pay raises for CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and others. What about "reasonable expectations" before a pay raise? more ›

The Chicago Teachers Union said they will negotiate yesterday's decision by the Chicago School Board to rescind a 4 percent pay raise next year, setting in motion the possibility of a strike. more ›

Mayor Emanuel's newly appointed Chicago School Board voted to rescind a 4 percent pay raise that was already written into the Board's contract with the union for 2012. more ›

Jean-Claude Brizard, Mayor-elect Emanuel's choice to head Chicago Public Schools, fielded questions in Rochester, NY yesterday about his decision to leave that city's school district for the challenges of handling the nation's third-largest public school system. Brizard tried to downplay the perception in Rochester that he's an opportunist and said he's leaving because he became a "lightning rod" for criticism. more ›

It looks as though the only thing left between Mayor-elect Emanuel installing Rochester (NY) City Schools Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard as CEO of Chicago Public Schools is the signature on a contract. Emanuel announced his selection of Brizard for the CPS Superintendent position today. more ›

The State Legislature is currently debating a bill called Performance Counts which, if passed into law, would link teacher tenure to student test scores, make it easier to fire ineffective teachers and restrict teachers' right to strike. more ›

• The Chicago Teachers Union has filed a lawsuit in another attempt to fight the proposed increase in CPS classroom size.
• The City Council’s Aviation Committee approved a proposed fee hike on O'Hare rental cars.
• The Wall Street Journal has a story on how Wal-Mart's rivals are allegedly using their own set of tricks to stop the corporate giant's spread in places like Mundelein, IL.

The Chicago Public Schools are alway a hot topic here, mainly for discouraging news. Now, there's a chance to make a positive impact and get involved. Chicago Public Schools, in conjunction with the Chicago Teachers Union, have a unique opportunity for you: become a teacher for a day. Whether you're looking to scratch that teaching itch you've always felt or just trying to become more involved in your community, it's a unique chance to lend a hand. The event is designed "to give business and community members a better understanding of and develop a deeper appreciation for the work Chicago Public Schools’ teachers provide each school day." more ›

Former WKQX-FM 101.1 radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller filed a lawsuit Tuesday against his former employer, saying radio officials disparaged his show and blocked him from getting other work. We are getting pretty sick of the cell phone drivers, but we are always amazed at the cell phone bikers (not in a good way). Yesterday, an 19-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a garbage truck on the Northwest Side, was apparently talking... more ›

They didn't coerce anyone out of this one -- Chicago mob kingpins guilty in decades of crime. And a relative of a mob murder victim wasted no time applauding the guilty verdicts in the Family Secrets case. Signed, sealed, can't be delivered --Heavy rain forced Stevie Wonder to cancel his concert Monday at the Charter One Pavilion on Northerly Island. It was rescheduled for tonight. David Letterman and Oprah are BFF now. Screw The... more ›