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Gloria Steinem, the celebrated author, activist and pioneering feminist, has died at 92. She also visited WTTW several times over the years. Take a minute to catch up on the latest Thursday stories from WTTW News.
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A Chicago Police Department vehicle is parked on Clark Street near Daley Plaza on June 15, 2026. (Victor Hilitski / WTTW News)
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In August, Chicago saw its fewest homicides across any such month in more than a decade as violence levels remain in line with last year’s historic lows.
There were 39 homicides recorded throughout August, according to new data from the Chicago Police Department, marking the lowest total for any August since 2011.
That brings this year’s homicide total to 289 through the end of August. That is two more than the city recorded at the same time in 2025, a year that closed with Chicago’s lowest homicide total in 60 years.
The 141 shooting incidents recorded in August also marked a nearly 20% decline compared to the same month last year, while the total number of people shot (198 in August 2026) fell by nearly 18%, according to the CPD figures.
Through the first eight months of 2026, 1,264 people in Chicago have been shot, which is a decline of about 1% compared to the same time last year. Robberies are down 23% year-to-date, while burglaries have declined by 11%. CPD also said property crimes are down 25% compared to this time last year.
Some backstory:
President Donald Trump commented in a social media post after a mass shooting in Washington Park over the weekend that left one person dead and 14 others injured that “Chicago violence is unchecked and at record levels. It has never been worse!”
Trump, who has previously sought to deploy military troops into Chicago, said “the city will die if the Federal Government, a fine tuned crime fighting machine, is not invited in, by the Mayor or Governor, to HELP. I am awaiting the call.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to Trump’s comments Tuesday, saying “When you have a president who is literally defunding the operations that can actually assist us in creating safer communities, it’s difficult to take anything that he says seriously.”
Gov. JB Pritzker, a vocal Trump opponent and possible 2028 presidential candidate, said Tuesday in a post of his own that the last time Trump sent agents to Illinois, “they murdered a father and shot an innocent woman in broad daylight — then attempted to cover it up,” referencing the shootings of Silverio Villegas González and Marimar Martinez by federal agents last year.
“We need to keep reducing violence,” Pritzker said in a social media post, “but this President does not make it easier.”
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Mayoral candidate John Kelly appears in a video filmed outside a Chicago Fire Department station. The video was posted to his Instagram account on Aug. 29, 2026. (jkellyformayor / Instagram)
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Mayoral hopeful John Kelly is continuing to campaign in Chicago Fire Department stations, even as the Chicago Board of Ethics continues to probe him for violating the city’s ethics laws.
Eleven days after deleting videos of his first three visits to Chicago fire stations after WTTW News reported they apparently violated the city’s ethics laws, Kelly posted a new video that shows him standing outside a fire station before delivering what he says are pizzas and salads for the “hard-working men and women of Chicago.”
The video, posted Saturday, ends as Kelly, accompanied by a man he identifies as “Tom from Luke’s Pizza on Harlem Avenue,” enters the fire station after saying he’s “going to shut the cameras off.”
The name of the fire station, carved into the building, appears to have been blurred by Kelly’s campaign in the video.
“No cameras inside, but I can share that our first responder’s passion to protect Chicago is inspiring,” Kelly’s campaign wrote in the caption of the video, which ends with his campaign logo, just like the first three now-deleted videos.
Some backstory:
The city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance bans candidates for city office from “intentionally (using) any city property or resources of the city in connection with any prohibited political activity.” The maximum punishment for violating that ordinance is a $20,000 fine per violation, records show. That law bans candidates from campaigning on city property, regardless of whether the visits are recorded or used in videos or advertisements.
The Chicago Board of Ethics has repeatedly punished candidates for elected office for using city property in their campaign advertisements.
In a video posted to social media after the first three videos were removed, Kelly acknowledged he “may have violated some ethics rule about campaigning on city property,” using his fingers to make air quotes around the word ethics.
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Four beluga whales arrived at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Aug. 13, 2026; two of them have since died. (Gavin Wright / Shedd Aquarium)
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Two beluga whales died Wednesday afternoon at Shedd Aquarium: Rain, a recent rescue, and longtime resident Beethoven, officials announced.
The deaths come just days after Shedd celebrated the arrival of two additional belugas from the defunct Marineland park in Canada — the culmination of an international effort to rescue 30 belugas whose fate had been uncertain ever since Marineland closed in 2024.
Rain, a 20-year-old female, was among four belugas transferred to Shedd in mid-August as part of that process. Another whale in that group, Peekachu, died last week.
Four other belugas from Marineland have been settling in at Shedd since late July, with the aquarium accepting a total of 10 whales from the Canadian park.
Beethoven, a 34-year-old male, was part of Shedd’s resident beluga pod. He recently fathered Opus, born at Shedd in 2024.
“At this time, it is impossible to know if these passings are isolated or related,” Shedd said in a statement.
Necropsies, blood tests and other exams are underway to help determine what led to the death.
According to a report from the Canadian Press, all of the transferred whales were given a clean bill of health before each move. The country’s Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson gave final approval before each transfer.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: September 3, 1856 - Famed Chicago Architect Louis Sullivan Born
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The Auditorium Building. The Chicago Stock Exchange Building. The James Charnley House and the Carrie Eliza Getty Tomb. These are just a few examples of the Chicago buildings and structures designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. With their firm Adler & Sullivan, these two architects and civil engineers were pioneers of the modern skyscraper, known for the “form follows function” approach and their mentorship of Frank Lloyd Wright. On this day 170 years ago, Louis Sullivan was born in Boston, Mass. He lived until 67, died in Chicago and is buried in the city’s Graceland Cemetery. A forthcoming episode of "Chicago Stories" focuses on skyscrapers, taking you "beyond these towering structures to tell a broader tale of visionaries, rivalries, and their eternal quest to soar higher." It airs Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. on WTTW.
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This Week’s Arts & Culture Events
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Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.
Monday is Labor Day, which means we’re about to have a three-day weekend: another 24 hours to rest, recharge and explore whatever we’d like. Fortunately, as the city celebrates the holiday and workers get to stay home, the local arts and culture scene will still be going strong. Whether it’s music, theater or art, you’re in luck for things to do this extended weekend.
Music: Chicago Jazz Festival — Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center
One of the best Labor Day traditions in the city is the Chicago Jazz Festival, which provides a bounty of free jazz concerts programmed at Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center. The festival runs from Thursday through Sunday, but each day is packed with eclectic talent. Selected headliners include Robert Glasper, Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap Duo, the Miles Electric Band and more. Peruse the whole schedule here.
Art: African Festival of the Arts — Washington Park
Head to Washington Park’s Sunken Garden for the African Festival of the Arts, which is happening Saturday through Monday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Expect food, arts offerings, performances, readings, fashion showings and much more. This year’s theme is “Crowning the African Spirit,” and it “honors the rich artistic, cultural, and spiritual traditions that connect people of African descent around the world.” You can buy tickets here.
Theater: “Mean Girls” — Paramount Theatre
When Tina Fey was writing her iconic movie “Mean Girls,” she was inspired by the north suburban high schools of Evanston Township and New Trier when she made the fictional North Shore High School its setting. The film has been adapted into a musical since 2017 and now treks over to Aurora’s Paramount Theatre for a new run. Buy tickets here.
Film: “Noir City: Chicago” — Music Box Theatre
Starting Friday, the Music Box Theatre and the Film Noir Foundation are teaming up to screen 19 movies in their series “Noir City: Chicago.” The festival runs from Friday through Sept. 10 and is jam-packed with classics like “Sweet Smell of Success” and Robert Altman’s “Kansas City.” You can check the full schedule here.
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What's one Chicago business you miss dearly? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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