The Latest Breaking News from Cook County

CHICAGO — Vacant and abandoned properties clustered on the Chicago’s South and West sides and southern suburbs have been a stubborn problem for decades. Every two years, the Cook County treasurer tries to return those properties to productive use during its biennial scavenger sale of delinquent taxes, often with little…

A study says that a nearly 80-year-old law intended to put distressed and tax-delinquent Chicago-area properties back to productive use has done little to improve or solve racial inequities in the city’s Black and Latino neighborhoods

Hospital admissions have more than doubled since mid-April, following a steady increase in cases since the early spring — a trend playing out in most other parts of the country, too.

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

After Sun-Times reports exposed questionable tax breaks, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi tells four people to pay a total of $254,298 for years of tax breaks they shouldn’t have gotten.

CHICAGO — The charges against R. Kelly came down like an avalanche: First, four indictments in Cook County. Another in Minnesota. Then a one-two punch of federal cases in Chicago and Brooklyn.

“To Chicago’s businesses, I want to say loud and clear: Labor laws are not optional. We will hold you accountable,” said a city official on consumer protection.

ShawnTe Raines-Welch topped three opponents in the Democratic primary race for judge in a suburban judicial district. A candidate tied to Welch’s predecessor, ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, didn’t fare as well.

Preckwinkle said Tuesday night she looks “forward to all the good work that lies ahead” as her opponent, Richard Boykin — a former Cook County Board commissioner — conceded the race: “The voters have spoken, and I stand by their decision.”