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It’s a new week. Kick off your Monday with a fresh roundup of local stories from WTTW News.
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A rendering of the O’Hare Flyer. (Courtesy of Dave Lundy)
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A Chicago-based team is working to get the so-called O’Hare Flyer off the ground in the next five years.
The proposed express train would run from downtown Chicago to Terminal 2 at O’Hare International Airport in just 15 minutes.
This ambitious goal has been in the works for the last three years. If completed, it would be the first airport express train in the United States. While there’s already city transit that takes riders from the Loop to O’Hare, the team said the flyer would run on a dedicated track at speeds up to 80 mph with departures every 15 minutes.
Mark Walbrun, the project’s chief engineer and co-founder, got the idea for the train while working on projects in Europe, where there are already express airport trains across the continent. He said he began thinking, “Chicago has a lot of rail corridors. There must be a way to tie all this together.”
More context:
Walbrun said there’s no conflict with Metra, Amtrak or CTA lines, emphasizing that the tracks his team plans to put down would be theirs alone, meaning only they can dispatch and control them.
The $2.25 billion project is not seeking government subsidies or funding that could otherwise go to regional transit agencies. Instead, the O’Hare Flyer team has so far funded the project through private investors and intends to raise more money in the capital markets.
“O’Hare is an airport where traffic and customer flyers are coming in and out all the time,” co-founder Kristi Lafleur said. “Those numbers are projected to grow over the next couple of years significantly. It has all the makings of a great service, a world-class airport, a world-class downtown, and we’re going to be connecting the two with a world-class train service.”
The train stop would be placed just west of the Old Post Office in the West Loop, a block from Union Station and a block from the Clinton Blue Line stop.
“Think about what it’s going to mean when we try to sell conventions, when we try to sell corporate headquarters,” co-founder and CEO Dave Lundy said. “If we get to tell people, if you show up at our station at 0, 15, 30, and 45, you will be at O’Hare in 15 minutes reliably every time. It’s a golden opportunity for this city to be able to up its economic development opportunities.”
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Menard Correctional Center in Menard, Ill., is pictured on Aug. 24 2026. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
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Incarcerated people in solitary confinement units across Illinois prisons will no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets.
Those in solitary, or what’s officially known as restrictive housing, are ineligible to receive audio-visual privileges, unless a mental health professional states otherwise, according to Illinois law. An individual that’s been in restrictive housing for more than 60 consecutive days can seek restoration of those privileges.
Yet, up until recently, that wasn’t the case for restrictive housing units in all Illinois prisons.
Due to an “error,” as Illinois Department of Corrections Naomi Puzzello said in a statement, when the department provided tablets, men in the unit at Menard Correctional Center were provided the devices. As of last week, men admitted to the prison’s restrictive housing unit do not have access to tablets.
“Individuals who are already in (restrictive housing) at Menard CC will keep their tablets absent receipt of major disciplinary reports,” Puzzello said in a statement. “This approach prioritizes the safety and well-being of individuals in custody and staff members at Menard.”
This change is “deeply concerning” to the prison watchdog group the John Howard Association.
“The more you deny people access to support, the worse they feel, the more behavior devolves,” said Jennifer Vollen-Katz of the John Howard Association.
Some backstory:
Tablets started being provided to all in custody in 2025, as the department moved away from distributing paper mail. Now, mail sent to incarcerated people is scanned and uploaded to tablets provided by the department for them to read.
For the past several months, WTTW News has been in contact with nearly 20 men in restrictive housing at Menard Correctional Center to hear about their experiences for a forthcoming story.
But now, reporters’ communication will be shut off with several men.
Hananiah Dukes, currently in restrictive housing in Menard, told WTTW News before the policy change that the tablet is necessary for him to access legal materials. He’s currently working on legal proceedings he filed pro-se, and needs the digital law library on the tablet to continue that work.
“Not having the tablet will disable me tremendously,” Dukes wrote in a message.
The change comes in the wake of a hunger strike undertaken by approximately 25 men at Lawrence Correctional Center over restrictive housing conditions – including the lack of access to tablets.
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The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News)
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On Saturday, Chicago State University played its first-ever football game, losing 44-28 to Roosevelt University at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
WTTW News caught up with the team ahead of the game. For some of the players taking the field, the historic moment marked a chance to represent the city they call home.
Arshawn Powell, a wide receiver for the Cougars who wears No. 7, is a graduate of Evergreen Park Community High School and is part of Chicago State’s inaugural football team. For him, the new program is about more than simply playing football.
“It gives people something to watch,” Powell said. “Like, every other state has got big football teams. We are trying to be the next big football team in Chicago.”
The Cougars are bringing together players from across the country, including Tre’ Hartwell, a Western Michigan University transfer who has a family connection to Chicago through his great-grandmother.
Head coach Bobby Rome II has spent the past year building the program from the ground up — hiring coaching staff, recruiting players and establishing a new football culture at Chicago State. That includes bringing Chicago talent back home: Offensive line coach Arthur Ray Jr. is a Chicago native from Roseland.
Building a new Division I football program has come with challenges. The Cougars do not have a dedicated football field on campus, and the team will play home games at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Now, the focus is turning to the first season. Chicago State is hoping the new program can help build a new sports identity on Chicago’s South Side.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: August 31, 2006 - Alleged Chicago Outfit Mobster Anthony Zizzo Disappears
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On this day 20 years ago, Anthony Zizzo left his Westmont townhouse, said goodbye to his wife, and was never seen again. At 5 feet, 3 inches tall, the man people called “Little Tony” was believed by authorities to be a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit, a mafia criminal organization. His wife alerted the authorities when her spouse didn’t return home that night, and credit records placed him purchasing gasoline and stopping by a Melrose Park restaurant where his abandoned Jeep Grand Cherokee was found parked outside. To this day, he has never been found. The FBI announced a $10,000 reward for any information. "Whether he's gone on the lam, so to speak, and he's
hiding out, or whether he's met foul play, someone knows what happened to him," said FBI Chicago Special Agent Ross Rice in 2011.
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This Week’s Civic Events and Meetings
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
The Chicago School Board President Forum: A WTTW News Town Hall
On the evening of Sept. 15 at WTTW Studios, join WTTW News and community partners Kids First Chicago, The Chicago Public Education Fund, Mikva
Challenge and the Chicago Education Alliance for “The Chicago School Board President Forum: A WTTW News Special Town Hall.”
“Chicago Tonight” anchor Brandis Friedman, with a live studio audience of Chicago residents, will moderate a panel that includes Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez, Victor P. Henderson and Sendhil Revuluri, who will discuss issues such as improving the district's financial situation and enrollment challenges.
Audience members from neighborhoods throughout the city will also be allowed to participate in the conversation. To ensure that we cover issues that matter most to you, please submit your questions for the candidates ahead of time. You can submit your questions here: engagement@wttw-wfmt.com by Thursday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m.
This event is free, but you have to RSVP 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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