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It’s Tuesday. Read the latest headlines from WTTW News on Illinois prisons, policing and the weather.
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Left: Amy Hicks filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections and Wexford Health Sources alleging she was forced to undergo induced labor during the birth of her third child. (Courtesy of Amy Hicks) Right: Logan Correctional Center is pictured in a file photo. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
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When Amy Hicks was pregnant and incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center in 2024, she said prison staff didn’t give her a choice as to how she’d give birth to her third child.
Despite her wish for a natural pregnancy, she said prison employees scheduled her for an induction of labor prior to her due date.
“I was scared; I didn’t believe it at first,” Hicks told WTTW News.
Hicks alleges her experience isn’t singular: Prison employees told her that an induction of labor scheduled by officials was the policy for all those pregnant at Logan — regardless of individual medical need or consent.
Now, Hicks is suing the Illinois Department of Corrections and Wexford Health Sources, which up until last year provided health care to the prison system.
More context:
The federal lawsuit, recently filed in part by the ACLU of Illinois, alleges the defendants violated the Illinois Reproductive Act when they ordered and/or facilitated the induction of Hicks’ labor against her will.
That act says people have the fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about their own reproductive health care. It also prohibits the state from denying, restricting, interfering with or discriminating against an individual’s exercise of that fundamental right, including people under state custody, control or supervision.
The lawsuit further alleges that IDOC and Wexford violated Hicks’ right to refuse medical treatment when they caused her to be induced against her will.
“The forced induction was painful, physically violating, and emotionally traumatizing,” the lawsuit states.
IDOC spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said in a statement that “all medical procedures provided to individuals in custody, including those related to pregnancy and childbirth, require the informed consent of the patient. Informed consent is fundamental to medical care and is the policy of the Department.”
During her incarceration, Hicks told WTTW News, she heard of several other women who had similar experiences. She said she hopes the lawsuit will help other people stand up for their right to have their child as they want.
“Just because we are going through something with our criminal past does not have anything to do with our reproductive rights,” Hicks said.
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Sponsor Message
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The Poetry Foundation, the publisher of Poetry magazine, welcomes you to experience it for yourself with FREE public programs and resources! On March 12, Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle will perform alongside Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte. Later in the month, straight out of the pages of Poetry, Frank X Walker will read with Affrilachian poets Kelly Norman Ellis, Nikky Finney, and Parneshia Jones.
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(WTTW News)
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The Chicago police officer who shot a 13-year-old boy in May 2022, leaving him permanently paralyzed, should be fired, the agency tasked with investigating police misconduct and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling agreed, records show.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that Officer Noah Ball’s decision to shoot the boy was unjustified, a conclusion endorsed by Snelling, according to records published Friday.
Some backstory:
The agency better known as COPA found that Ball shot the boy after he had turned toward officers chasing him on foot and “appeared to raise his hands” after being ordered to stop and surrender, based on video captured by a nearby surveillance camera.
When Ball shot him, the boy “was unarmed and posed no imminent threat,” COPA’s investigation concluded.
Ball, who is not listed in the city’s database of active employees, was on a leave of absence in November when Snelling agreed to fire him and place him on a list of employees ineligible to be rehired by the city, records show. A CPD spokesperson did not respond to a request from WTTW News about Ball’s current status with the department.
COPA’s recommendation that Ball, who joined CPD in 2017, be terminated is the second time the agency has urged that he be fired for using the highest level of force without justification against a member of the public.
Snelling, backed by a member of the Chicago Police Board, blocked Ball’s termination in connection with the June 2021 shooting, which occurred less than a year before Ball would shoot a 13-year-old boy and sever his spinal column, records show.
Cierra Corbitt, the boy’s mother, has sued the city, alleging Ball “recklessly, callously, and wantonly” shot her son. A trial date has not yet been set by U.S. District Court Judge John Tharp Jr.
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(Chris Jensen / iStock)
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Meteorologically speaking, winter is over and, statistically speaking, it wasn't as bad as it seemed.
What to know:
Despite a long streak in January when temps struggled to reach double digits, the mean average temperature for the entire season — December, January and February — was 27.3 degrees, or just .8 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service winter recap for Chicago.
The snow total fell short, reaching 21.9 inches, which is 7.7 inches below normal. The difference-maker was an uncommonly warm day in January that produced rain instead of what could have been nearly two feet of snow. (Note: November's snow totals technically fell in autumn.)
Speaking of rain, seasonal liquid precipitation measured 4.76 inches, or 1.31 inches below normal. Nearly 2 inches of that total fell on the day referenced above.
February closed out both drier and warmer than normal in Chicago. The big story in February was the lack of snow and rain. Just 1.1 inches of snow was recorded, or 9.6 inches below normal. Rainfall totaled a scant .16 inches, which is 1.81 inches below normal.
According to the weather service, February 2026 was the third driest February in Chicago since recordkeeping began in the late 1800s, and was tied for the seventh driest of any month on record. March appears poised to reverse that trend, with a chance of rain in the forecast throughout the first week of the month.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: March 3, 1866 - Fred A. Busse, 39th Mayor of Chicago, Born in Chicago
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From 1907 through 1911, Fred A. Busse, a Republican politician, served as the 39th mayor of Chicago. He only served one term, losing to Carter Harrison IV in the 1911 election. On this day 160 years ago, on March 3, 1866, Busse was born in Chicago. His father was a captain in the Union Army during the Civil War. Early in his career, Busse worked as a bailiff, in the coal industry as a secretary and later president of his own company. He became treasurer of Illinois and eventually postmaster of Chicago. He died in 1914 of heart disease and is buried in Graceland Cemetery. If you’re wondering if Busse is the namesake of Busse Forest Nature Preserve in Rolling Meadows, that’s a
different 20th-century local Republican politician with the same surname: Cook County Commissioner William Busse.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s “Chicago Tonight” producer Shelby Hawkins on women-owned restaurants.
Shelby Hawkins: Happy Women’s History Month to all who celebrate! March is also marked by the vernal equinox and slowly climbing temperatures, so it’s nearly time for brunch dates shared on patios and happy hours on rooftop bars. To commemorate the nicer weather and annual woman-focused observance, I thought I’d share my top picks for women-owned restaurants (with outdoor dining options, of course).
Little Goat Diner
Chef Stephanie Izard is the owner of this intimate yet always bustling spot in Lakeview’s Southport corridor. It serves breakfast all day, and true to its name, is decked out with little goats as decor. 3325 N. Southport Ave.
Favorite Item: Bull's Eye French Toast + Fried Chicken
Kubo
Chef Christine Ledesma and her partner Cemal, who’s a mixologist, own this traditional Filipino eatery in Lakeview. The term kubo, or bahay kubo, roughly translates to “country house” or hut, which is fitting given how comfortable and cozy the patio is. 1232 W. Belmont Ave.
Favorite Item: Escabeche Whole Pampano (Sweet and Sour Fish)
TNT Rooftop Restaurant
Overlooking the Austin community, TNT is one of my favorite rooftops in Chicago. Married couple Taneka and Tony (hence TNT) Anderson created this luxury, seafood-centric restaurant back in 2023. 5405 W. Madison St.
Favorite Item: Shrimp & Grits
Park & Field
This is another husband-wife co-ownership, how sweet! Dave Nalezny and Kitty Izzo operate this sports club/event space/beer garden in Logan Square. I first discovered Park & Field going to a friend’s engagement party, and immediately fell in love with the space — partially for the cutesy ambience and also because of the boozy brunch. 3509 W. Fullerton Ave.
Favorite Item: Eggs Benedict
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What’s your favorite Chicago-set TV show?
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