Cool off from the blistering heat with these stories from WTTW News.
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Donna Miller speaks at a news conference on July 9, 2026. (WTTW News)
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Domestic violence cases have become increasingly deadly in recent years. The U.S. saw a surge in domestic and intimate partner violence incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating a preexisting issue.
In an effort to combat the longstanding problem, Cook County and the city of Chicago launched the Violence Against Women Task Force at the start of 2026 following a year when citywide homicides dropped, but domestic-related fatal shootings increased.
“We think that there was an increase because people were reporting it more often,” said Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, who helped create the task force. “I had a hearing last year that lasted about seven and a half hours long where we heard from victims of domestic violence and they told their stories. We hope that that encourages others to not only tell their stories, but to get resources and help available to them.”
The task force recently released its first report detailing systemic challenges that victims of domestic abuse face, and recommendations to better unify the court and law enforcement systems.
What the report says:
Within six months of the task force’s launch, domestic-related homicides have decreased in Cook County by 53%.
“We attribute that decline to higher engagement from the different departments,” Miller said. “They have more knowledge. They’re focused on it now. If we can do that in a six-month time period, imagine what we can do with better resources, greater transparency, more focus over a longer period of time and make it consistent. We don’t want to have just a six-month fix. We want to have a consistent fix that lasts throughout time.”
One of the main recommendations outlined in the report is reforming the Domestic Relations Court (DRC). Suggestions include recording every hearing and providing free transcripts, expanding free legal help, making mediation safer, improving technology and virtual access, and ending jail time or threats of jail to survivors who struggle to pay court costs.
No single agency is responsible for protecting survivors once they enter the system, so individuals could be interacting with multiple entities like local police, sheriffs, state police and various courts. That fragmentation creates confusion among victims as to where they’re supposed to go for help, Miller said, so streamlining that process is now a top priority.
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(WTTW News)
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When Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling retires today, it will mark the end of the first chapter in Chicago’s current era of community control over the department.
For decades, the Chicago Police Board picked finalists for the top cop position, a process that critics said happened away from public scrutiny and often ended with a rubber stamp of approval from City Council.
Now — as the city reflects on the tenure of the first superintendent chosen through the current process — the civilian oversight board is getting ready to start the selection process all over again.
A 2021 ordinance established the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, or CCPSA, and gave the commission power to set department policy, review the police budget and select superintendent finalists. The ordinance also paved the way to elect district councils in each police district, which nominate CCPSA members.
“Under Supt. Snelling, we’ve seen more consistent engagement between district commanders and district councilors … as well as the wider community,” said Remel Terry, CCPSA president.
“The next superintendent will be asked to do a lot at once,” Terry said. “You have to focus on reducing crime, you’ll have to continue police reform, you’ll have to build trust between communities, as well as lead a department of thousands.”
More context:
Snelling’s retirement this week will kick off a 120-day timeline for the CCPSA to select three finalists to send to the mayor, who will then choose one of the three finalists to appoint as superintendent — or reject all three and re-start the process. After the mayor does select a new superintendent, that person must be approved by the City Council.
That timeline will have choices on the mayor’s desk by Nov. 12, just months ahead of the city’s municipal elections in February.
Along the way, the CCPSA plans to hold listening sessions across the city, as well as engaging current officers, policing experts, elected officials and affinity groups.
“We know how important public safety is to the city of Chicago,” Terry said. “And we want everyone to know that they have a space to be heard and influence this process.”
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Swarms of adult scarab beetles have converged on Welles Park in a mating frenzy. In past years, the resulting larva have eaten acres of the park's turf. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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“Bag-a-bug” traps have been placed along a temporary outfield fence at Welles Park
on Chicago's Lincoln Square, where swarms of beetles are zipping around just above the grass in search of a mate.
“They're sweeping the area to figure out where the female is,” Chris Dietrich, Illinois’ state entomologist, said of the male beetles' herky-jerky flight patterns.
The resulting offspring will burrow underground as larva where they'll continue to develop, feeding on the park's grass until they emerge as adults next spring.
Some backstory:
It's the larval, or grub, stage that causes damage to turf. And for whatever reason, Welles Park has become a preferred breeding ground for the beetles, multiple years in a row, in numbers that Dietrich called “atypical.”
In 2021, grubs laid waste to roughly one-third of Welles Park's 15 acres, stripping large swaths of all vegetation. That fall, tens of thousands of them came to the surface — either drowned out of their burrows or searching for more food — and eventually rotted, odiferously, on the ground.
The Chicago Park District treated the lawn with insecticide and reseeded, but the problem has persisted.
“With populations this size, sometimes it takes multiple years to get it under control,” Dietrich said.
The turf at Welles Park has certainly been through the wringer. The same area that was devastated in 2021 was treated again this past spring for grubs: Insecticide was applied, followed by reseeding.
“These beetles tend to zero in where grass is under stress and therefore the grass itself is less able to defend itself,” he said. “Probably one good strategy is to lay off of those fields to allow the turf to recover — healthy turf grass is less susceptible.”
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: July 15, 1916 - Navy Pier Opens
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Before Navy Pier was a local tourist attraction, it was a municipal pier: a functional dock for freighters and passenger ships as well as an outlet for public use. Pageants, conventions and expositions were held at the location, too. On this day 110 years ago, it officially opened. Designed by famed architects Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett and built by Charles Sumner Frost with 20,000 logs of Oregon wood, it evolved to serve as a jail for World War I draft dodgers, a training facility for the U.S. Navy and more. In 1927, it was renamed Navy Pier. During the later parts of the 20th century, it housed events like ChicagoFest. But it needed renovations, which came in the
mid-2000s. Now with updated amenities, carnival attractions, restaurants and more, it remains a vital part of the city’s shoreline.
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Rush at United Center in 2011 (Jay Smith / WTTW News)
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Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, July 15:
Noah Kahan, Gigi Perez, Annabelle Dinda at Wrigley Field. Tickets.
It might be July, but it’s “Stick Season” this week in Wrigleyville.
Youbet, Doc Mino at Schubas. Tickets.
See one of indie rock’s most exciting bands at a small Lakeview club.
Thursday, July 16:
Bitchin’ Bajas, Natural Information Society at Constellation. Tickets.
This stacked show is a preview of September’s “Sound & Gravity” music festival.
Marcos Valle, Daniel Villarreal at Millennium Park. Free.
A perfect night of sunny grooves downtown.
Thursday, July 16, Saturday, July 18, and Monday, July 20:
Rush at United Center. Tickets.
The iconic Canadian rockers reunite with a new drummer.
Thursday, July 16, Friday, July 17, Saturday, July 18, Sunday, July 19 and Tuesday, July 21:
Jeff Rosenstock at Metro. Tickets.
This punk mainstay is playing nine shows in Lakeview. These are the first five gigs. Check the listings for openers.
Friday, July 17:
Tobacco City, V.V. Lightbody at Kilbourn Park. Free.
The best free summer concert series is at a cozy Northwest Side park.
Paul Simon at Ravinia. Tickets.
It’s hard to think of a venue better suited for the folk and pop music icon. The first of two shows.
The Hoyle Brothers at Empty Bottle. Free.
Want a matinee show? This honky tonk residency is always on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. and always free.
Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18:
Paul Simon at Ravinia. Tickets.
It’s hard to think of a venue better suited for the folk and pop music icon.
Saturday, July 18:
The Cactus Blossoms at Robert’s Westside. Tickets.
Tasteful Americana in Forest Park.
Sunday, July 19:
Lucy Dacus with the Chicago Philharmonic, Ratboys at Millennium Park. Tickets.
Yes, the Boygenius songwriter is playing with an orchestra and one of Chicago’s best bands.
Pedro the Lion, Advance Base at Sleeping Village. Tickets.
Two like-minded veterans of indie, alternative and folk music join forces for a show in Avondale.
Park Hills Circle at SPACE. Tickets.
The Alaskan-Irish and Chicago-based singer Maris O’Tearney just released a lovely new album called “All of a Sudden.”
Tuesday, July 21:
Styrofoam Winos, Tobacco City, G’Nite at Hideout. Tickets.
Probably the best indie rock gig of the week.
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What's the best place for a Chicago-style hot dog?
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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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