Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Calls for Resignation of Chicago Patrol Chief Jon P. Hein Increase After Ordering Police to Abandon ICE Federal Agents Following Terrorist Attack by Anti-ICE Extremists
Calls for the resignation of Chicago Police Patrol Chief Jon P. Hein are growing after he ordered his officers to withdraw support from federal agents surrounded by a violent crowd of anti-ICE extremists. 🚨 BREAKING: Calls are mounting for the...

What the AI Data Center Boom Means For Our Water and Climate
Big Tech, Big Oil, the Trump administration, and even Democratic leaders are pushing to expand artificial intelligence at the cost of our water and climate. Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be new to us, but its playbook isn’t. And neither is the...

Gujarat Named Earthshot Prize Finalist For Fighting Air Pollution
Photos: Earthshot India-West News Desk AHMEDABAD/CHICAGO — The state of Gujarat has been named a finalist for the prestigious 2025 Earthshot Prize for its groundbreaking efforts to combat air pollution through the world’s first particulate...

Threat of ICE raids shadows every shift in Chicago’s food warehouses
This story is supported by funding from the Chicago Region Food Systems Fund. Each day before sunrise, David Huerta checks his rearview mirror for immigration enforcement agents as he drives through the dark to a warehouse in a southwest Chicago...

Bielema calls on Illinois fans to energize Memorial Stadium against top-ranked Buckeyes
After a 16-point win over Purdue, Illinois (5-1, 2-1) jumped to 17th in the AP Poll. Next up: No. 1 Ohio State, who's also defending national champions. Bret Bielema has a clear message for Illinois fans: energize Memorial Stadium on Saturday....

Trump is ‘escalating’ unrest in Chicago with ‘illegal, dangerous and unconstitutional’ National Guard deployment, lawsuit says
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Chicago passes ordinance expanding additional dwelling units citywide
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to sign gun marketing bill | Illinois National Guard public domain photoIllinois Gov. JB Pritzker to sign gun marketing bill | Illinois National Guard public domain photo Mayor Brandon Johnson and Alderman Bennett Lawson...

Chicago launches late night video game series as part of community safety plan
Tonight, Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety (MOCS), and Chicago Public Library (CPL) are launching the Late Night Video Game Series. The initiative aims to provide safe spaces for youth and families in areas most...

Op-Ed: Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week: Time to protect Illinois jobs, family businesses
This week is Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week, a time dedicated to bringing attention to how Illinois’s unfair legal system drains the economy, hurts consumers and families, and makes it harder for small businesses to survive. Our state has now spent...

Gujarats emission-trading scheme for particulate pollution among finalists for Earthshot Prize
New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) Gujarat's emissions trading-scheme for particulate pollution, developed with the help of researchers from the Emissions Market Accelerator (EMA), has been named a finalist for the 2025 Earthshot Prize, one of the world's...

ICE Under Siege: Second Chicago Vehicle Attack in One Day
Federal immigration agents in Chicago faced two vehicular assaults in a single day—the second taking place in Bensenville—when an illegal alien rammed an ICE vehicle and fled into a residence. The incident underscores what DHS officials say is a...

FAA’s Expansive Chicago Drone Ban Raises Questions Over Security and Civil Liberties
FAA issues expansive Chicago TFR to protect federal officers By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill The FAA has established an unusually extensive and prolonged temporary flight restriction (TFR) for drones operating over downtown Chicago, at a...

Joyful queer utopias: City in A Garden at MCA Chicago
Utopia, as a notion, allows us to adopt perspectives outside of convention, to imagine alternate ways of being. A popular motif for such speculative worlds has been the garden, drawing parallels to the idyllic world humans first inhabited, Eden....

Bill Quinlan: Chicago needs honesty, not short-term budget fixes
For too long, Chicago’s budgets have been written with politicians’ reelection in mind rather than long-term stability. That shortsighted perspective is partly how the city ended up with a $1.15 billion deficit, with voters who overwhelmingly...

Fiscal Fallout: Illinois diversity commission's budget ballooning but results lag
(The Center Square) – Despite federal setbacks for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Illinois has spent millions of dollars in the past few years for new, high-paying government jobs to increase the amount of state contracts that go to...

Illinois is investigating after ICE raid left ‘nearly naked’ children zip-tied, Gov JB Pritzker says
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Namibia promises to uphold Chicago Convention …as Africa aims to accelerate aviation integration via single market
Namibia reaffirmed its commitment to the Chicago Convention when works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi, attended the 42nd session of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly last week. The session was hosted at...

Forty Acres Fresh Market, Chicago’s only Black-owned grocery store, is a new option for fresh food in Austin
On a recent Thursday afternoon, Liz Abunaw was doing it all. Adjusting milk prices, running to the PNC Bank next door for $3 worth of pennies, stocking Spindrift sparkling waters, and flashing each customer with a “please come again” smile. Forty...

BIO on the American Road: Biotech innovation and job growth in Illinois
A concentration of scientific expertise, extensive manufacturing activity, and state support have helped make biotech one of the fastest-growing areas of employment in Illinois. “The life sciences industry in Illinois currently employs 93,402...