Chicago's Christmas tree recycling program starts next week
Live trees can be dropped off at one of 27 drop-off locations around the city between Jan. 3 and 17.
Watch CBS News
Live trees can be dropped off at one of 27 drop-off locations around the city between Jan. 3 and 17.
The city is trying to get ahead of the threats to tall trees posed by gusty winds.
The overnight winter parking ban is officially over for the season in Chicago, but that means street sweeping has returned.
Last year, the city used less salt than at any point in the last 10 years.
Records show that the city’s salt usage has dropped over the years. As Tara Molina reports, last year, the city used less salt than at any point in the last 10 years.
There were only 15 days with measurable snow this past winter in Chicago, but a total of 7,745 vehicles got hauled off the streets.
"Once this snow stops, hopefully overnight into the morning, and it slows down, and then the product and the traffic will take care of itself, we'll get to those neighborhood residential streets," Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard said.
If you need help getting rid of it, Chicago is launching its annual tree recycling program this weekend.
Since 1980, Chicago's overnight ban prevents motorists from parking on roughly 100 miles of city streets, and about 95% of the time there was no plowable snow.
The winter parking ban from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. on many major city streets – regardless of snow on the ground or lack thereof – has been in effect since 1980. CBS 2’s Jermont Terry looks into a question many have been asking for years – why does the city tow when there’s no snow?
Chicago’s overnight snow parking ban goes into effect Friday, and if you aren’t careful, you will end up getting hooked. CBS 2’S Jermont Terry found a big surprise when it came to these tows.
More than 200 snow vehicles are out and about clearing residential streets, according to the Department of Streets and Sanitation.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation has sent out over 200 salt trucks overnight in response to snow showers expected through Sunday.
It gives residents an opportunity to use their imagination to create snowplow names like "Snow-Be-Gone Kenobi", and "Buzz Ice-Clear."
All week Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation was preparing for the winter storm. We're told more than 280 trucks are out there and 400,000 pounds of salt are available. DSS Commissioner Cole Stallard provides the latest in an effort to keep streets safe for drivers.
Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard joins us by phone.
They towed six cars first thing Wednesday morning.
Plow crews are on standby – and some private vendors are already on call.
Scenes of snow being blown around by strong and biting winds aren’t uncommon during a Chicago winter – but they aren’t pleasant, and they can be dangerous. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reports on how city officials are getting out ahead of such conditions.
Plow crews are on standby – and some private vendors are already on call. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reports on that and other preparations.
Salt spreaders have been working since Thursday to make sure the main roads are safe and passable.
Edward Bowersox's family says he was pinned along a fence in the alley by his coworker – who was driving a garbage truck and making a turn.
Edward Bowersox's family says he was pinned along a fence in the alley by his coworker – who was driving a garbage truck and making a turn. CBS 2's Marybel González reports.
CBS 2's Tara Molina talked to some residents of West Town who have tried everything.
The pest control company Orkin has called out Chicago yet again as being the worst place for rats in the United States, and some West Town residents say they've tried everything to bring the rats under control. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports.
It's seemed like time was running out for injured Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to be able to still help the team this season, but just three days before their regular season finale, he took a big step toward a return.
It's the post-holiday travel rush. Many people are heading home after New Year's Day celebrations.
A man is accused of severely beating a gas station clerk and trying to start an explosion after he was denied a job application in Chicago's far northwest suburbs.
A 70-year-old grandmother from the Philippines who was facing deportation on Friday morning has been allowed to remain in the country, after her removal was because of immediate medical concerns.
A man who won big at Bally's Chicago casino but didn't get paid because of his immigration status says he has finally gotten his winnings.
House Democrats will also be holding a hearing on the five-year mark of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
"We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland," President Trump announced.
A recently released cache of security videos is raising new questions about the prison cameras at the facility where Jeffrey Epstein died in his cell in 2019.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Cmdr. Greg Bovino sparred on social media this week, after the mayor endorsed "ABOLISH ICE" as a possible name for a Chicago snowplow.
Two separate court hearings was held Wednesday to try to stop the sudden loss of $60 million in funding for Illinois after-school programs.
As this holiday season nears its end, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning Tuesday about text scams.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
It's the holiday season, which means it's the most common time of year for norovirus to spread. Here's what you need to know about this winter stomach bug.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
American Airlines announced Monday that it is adding 100 more departures from Chicago early next year as it continues its expansion at O'Hare International Airport.
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for a new stadium to Northwest Indiana, even though they already own land in Arlington Heights and have also proposed a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perhaps best known for his role as state Sen. R. Clayton "Clay" Davis on HBO's "The Wire."
It marks the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
The band announced Perry Bamonte's death on their official website on Friday.
The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact of President Trump's second term in office thus far.
The singer said an MRI showed a cancerous spot on one of his lungs after he recovered from a lengthy bout of bronchitis.
It's seemed like time was running out for injured Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to be able to still help the team this season, but just three days before their regular season finale, he took a big step toward a return.
Congratulations to the newlyweds in the new year. Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon made it official on Friday morning, signing the very first marriage license of 2026, and presiding over the happy couple's wedding.
It's the post-holiday travel rush. Many people are heading home after New Year's Day celebrations.
A man is accused of severely beating a gas station clerk and trying to start an explosion after he was denied a job application in Chicago's far northwest suburbs.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
A 13-year-old girl is in critical condition after a fire in the West Englewood neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
It's the post-holiday travel rush. Many people are heading home after New Year's Day celebrations.
A 7-year-old boy was shot in the arm when another child got their hands on a gun Thursday night in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
A man is accused of severely beating a gas station clerk and trying to start an explosion after he was denied a job application in Chicago's far northwest suburbs.
A 70-year-old grandmother from the Philippines who was facing deportation on Friday morning has been allowed to remain in the country, after her removal was because of immediate medical concerns.
As thousands of people are expected downtown for New Year's Eve celebrations, Mayor Johnson, the Chicago police, and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications are trying to get out ahead of any safety concerns.
Cameras not working, video evidence missed by police and a psychic that leads a hit and run victim's son to a clue that changes the case
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
It's seemed like time was running out for injured Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to be able to still help the team this season, but just three days before their regular season finale, he took a big step toward a return.
Ilya Mikheyev had two goals and the Chicago Blackhawks handed the Dallas Stars their fourth consecutive loss with a 4-3 victory.
No. 1 Indiana became the first team in the brief history of the 12-team College Football Playoff to win a game after receiving a first-round bye, smothering Alabama 38-3 in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.
Isaac Okoro scored a season-high 24 points, Tre Jones added 20 points and 12 assists and the depleted Chicago Bulls topped the New Orleans Pelicans 134-118.
Chicago had a chance to win in regulation, but Nick Foligno shot the puck off a post on a prime scoring opportunity in the final seconds.
Esther Jane Stephen, a high school softball coach, was arrested in 2020 in the fatal shooting of her former fiancé Shea Briar in Jay County, Indiana. Prosecutors say Stephen, known as E.J., had attempted to kill him before with a drink laced with ibuprofen.
As overall crime continued to drop in Chicago in 2025, the city ended the year with the fewest homicides in 60 years.
A teen has been charged with armed robbery, after an online marketplace meetup turned deadly earlier this week in west suburban Cicero.
A teenager was killed and another person was wounded in a shootout Wednesday afternoon in Cicero, after a robbery attempt during a social media marketplace sale, police said.
A man was left in critical condition Wednesday when someone opened fire from a vehicle in broad daylight in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.
