The northbound ramp on the Dan Ryan Expressway to westbound I-290 has been shut down for a reported shooting investigation, according to authorities. Delays in the area are expected as authorities investigate the shooting, Illinois State Police said. It is unclear if anyone was struck by gunfire in the incident. There is currently no further information available. This is a developing story. Check back later for updates. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser ..read more

While Friday in the Chicago area started out clear and dry, an active weather pattern was set to move in by afternoon, with warmer temperatures, rain, storms and the chance for severe weather. “Periods of rain over the next several days,” NBC 5 Meteorologist Iisha Scott said. “But it doesn’t look to be a washout.” According to Scott, there will be dry time Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and temperatures will be significantly warmer. However, storms bringing the threat of hail, gusty winds and even the potential for a tornado loom over the weekend forecast. Late Friday morning, rain and rumbles o ..read more

Chicago’s popular Riot Fest has a new pitch — and a promise — for the future of the viral “rat hole,” which was removed from its spot in a Roscoe Village sidewalk and preserved while city officials determine what to do with it. The punk rock music festival has offered the Chicago Department of Transporation $5,000 to purchase the slab of concrete holding the rat hole, with a promise to “display it at Riot fest every year.” The pitch was first posted Thursday morning by the group, with several follow-up messages posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after. The Chicago Department of Transportat ..read more

CAVA, a fan-favorite Mediterranean fast casual restuarant opens in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood Friday. According to an announcement, its the chain’s first ever restuarant in the Midwest. “After years of locals begging the brand to come to Chicago, CAVA will finally be open for business,” the announcement said. The restaurant’s “Mediterranean-inspired” fast-casual cuisine features customizable bowls and pitas, the announcement says, with a menu that includes “with a wide range of mains such as harissa honey chicken and spicy lamb meatballs, flavorful greens and grains, dips, spreads, dre ..read more

Two American dads detained in the Turks and Caicos Islands are uplifted by the support after their stories went viral. Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania and Ryan Watson of Oklahoma are both out on bail awaiting court hearings, charged with possession of ammunition that they say was mistakenly left in their luggage after prior hunting trips. “The outpouring of love, support and prayer, not only from friends and family, but long-lost friends, or people that you don’t even know, that have really gone the extra mile to support us and pray for us – it’s just, it’s unreal,” Hagerich said. “It’s wildly ..read more

Warmer temperatures and the chance for showers and storms were headed to the Chicago area for the weekend, the NBC 5 Storm Team reported. According to NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman, Friday morning started out dry, with temperatures significantly warmer than Thursday, when parts of the area saw freeze warnings and frost advisories. Temperatures Friday afternoon will peak in the 50s and 60s, Roman said. Even warmer temperatures expected for the weekend. However, those temperatures however come with an active weather pattern, forecast models showed. “Summer warmth,” Roman said, of the warm wee ..read more

Chicago, you officially have a new franchise quarterback. About 19 minutes into night one of the highly anticipated 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears used their No. 1 pick to secure USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. And although the pick may have been the worst kept secret in the NFL, the move was still met with plenty of fanfare. “Learn all my teammates names, their families, learn the playbook and get ready to go win games,” he said. In a stacked quarterback class that includes Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarty, Williams stood head and shoulders above the ..read more

After prosecutors’ lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch and kill” tabloid schemes, defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are poised Friday to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election. David Pecker will return to the witness stand for the fourth day as defense attorneys try to poke holes in the testimony of the former National Enquirer publisher, who has described helping bury embarrassing stories Trump feared could hurt his campaign. It will cap a consequential w ..read more

DETROIT — You can understand why Caleb Williams was initially skeptical of the team that held his NFL future in the palm of their hands. The Bears, after all, don’t have a sterling reputation for developing quarterbacks or producing winning football. If drafting a transcendent quarterback prospect was like a job interview, the Bears would have shown up with a resume akin to a 16-year-old grocery clerk applying to be vice president of a Fortune 500 company. Williams has worked the past 12 years to be the No. 1 overall pick. When he saw the Bears land the top selection via a trade with the Carol ..read more

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams is well aware that the city of Chicago has been waiting for a franchise quarterback to lead the Bears to the promised land for generations. He knows that plenty of guys– from Justin Fields to Jay Cutler, Rex Grossman and Mitchell Trubisky, and many, many more– have been brought in to finally jump start an eternally anemic offense, and all have ultimately failed. The history of the Bears and their quarterbacks is so bleak, that Williams actually overstated the struggles. “Yeah, you obviously look into it to be the only team without a 3,000-yard passer, I belie ..read more