High costs and strict regulations make Illinois one of the hardest states in which to open a restaurant.

A report by Restaurant Furniture that uses data sourced from the TaxFoundation.org, Tax-rates.org, Dol.gov and Cityfeet.com looks at what each state may cost an entrepreneur looking to run a restaurant there. The report breaks down each state’s total costs to open an eatery by looking at the rent of a commercial space and obtaining licenses. Illinois finished fourth highest behind California, New York and Colorado.

Hundreds of migrants are now spending their first nights in Chicago aboard buses at the city’s designated “landing zone” for new arrivals, where many say they’re getting little food or medical assistance.

“An adult can take it, but the kids can’t — the cold, the sickness” said Jonathan, a recent arrival, on Monday outside the bus where he’s been staying four nights with his partner and their son.

It’s official: The Chicago area’s first big snowstorm of the winter season is here.

As of Tuesday morning, nearly all of the Chicago area was under either a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning, with threats of heavy, wet snow, high winds, low visibility and dangerous travel conditions expected to last throughout the day.

A push to create a permanent board of Chicagoans to oversee the Chicago Police Department as part of a new era of oversight for the beleaguered law enforcement agency began in earnest on Monday.

Applications are now open to serve four-year terms on the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, which is designed to give Chicagoans real control of the police department as part of an effort to build trust in officers and police brass and put an end to repeated allegations of misconduct. The deadline to apply is Feb. 7.

A national teaching organization is giving Illinois poor marks on policies to improve reading instruction.

The National Council on Teacher Quality published a report that highlights five policy actions that states can take to support teachers in the science of reading.

Even before the latest Gold Coast crash-and-grab robbery attempt, local Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) already had been planning to meet on Monday with other city officials to discuss installing barriers on sections of Michigan Avenue and the nearby retail district.

That meeting proceeded just a few hours after an SUV smashed into the Prada store on Oak Street near State, leading to a shootout in which one police officer was shot and a robbery suspect was critically wounded.

Illinois tollway officials Monday predicted major progress in 2024 on a game-changing project.

The agency is building a new toll road (I-490) around O’Hare’s western flank that will connect with the extension of Route 390, formerly the Elgin O’Hare Expressway.