David Struett
@davidstruett.bsky.social
Chicago Sun-Times reporter, assistant news desk editor https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/david-struett
'Metra’s leaders approved a budget that spares riders from a fare hike next year, but they acknowledged it won’t be an express train to the hoped-for transformational service expansion.' chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Metra approves budget with no fare hike, 'modest' service increase
The agency won't see any service cuts next year, thanks to the $1.5 billion transit bailout passed in Springfield last month. But Metra's $1.2 billion proposed budget, passed Thursday by the agency's ...
chicago.suntimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:43 PM
'Metra’s leaders approved a budget that spares riders from a fare hike next year, but they acknowledged it won’t be an express train to the hoped-for transformational service expansion.' chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Some Chicago-area air travelers are anxious and scrambling, uncertain if their upcoming flights will be impacted by cut in air traffic at the country’s biggest airports, including O’Hare and Midway @caseyhe.com
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Chicago air travelers on edge ahead of FAA's planned 10% air traffic cuts
Airlines are bracing for mass cancellations as unpaid air traffic controllers strain under a historic government shutdown, while anxious fliers wait to learn if their weekend plans will take off.
chicago.suntimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Some Chicago-area air travelers are anxious and scrambling, uncertain if their upcoming flights will be impacted by cut in air traffic at the country’s biggest airports, including O’Hare and Midway @caseyhe.com
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
CTA, Metra and Pace planned to raise fares in 2026 — no matter what happened in Springfield with the transit bill. Now that the $1.5B funding package passed the General Assembly, the RTA is nixing its call for the proposed fare increases. @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
RTA walks back 2026 fare increases for CTA, Metra and Pace
The RTA, which must approve each of the agencies' budgets this month, had insisted they each include the fare hike, even if state lawmakers approved a $1.5 billion spending package — which lawmakers d...
chicago.suntimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
CTA, Metra and Pace planned to raise fares in 2026 — no matter what happened in Springfield with the transit bill. Now that the $1.5B funding package passed the General Assembly, the RTA is nixing its call for the proposed fare increases. @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
'CTA hopes this kind of rush hour — subway surfing — doesn't take root here as it has in New York.' For the @chicago.suntimes.com with Robert Herguth chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
CTA hopes this kind of rush hour — subway surfing — doesn't take root here as it has in New York
A longtime practitioner of the dangerous practice in Chicago tends to agree, pointing to the deaths and injuries on the New York transit system as “pretty sad — I was lucky enough to understand what I...
chicago.suntimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:36 PM
'CTA hopes this kind of rush hour — subway surfing — doesn't take root here as it has in New York.' For the @chicago.suntimes.com with Robert Herguth chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
Weeks after Cardinal Blase Cupich caused a national uproar by proposing to bestow an award to U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, a prominent abortion rights supporter, Pope Leo XIV signaled he still has Cupich’s back. @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/religion/202...
Pope Leo appoints Cupich to Vatican post weeks after Durbin award controversy
The post to the pontifical commission for the Vatican City State is not hugely influential, but the appointment nonetheless shows the pope is not running away from Cupich.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Weeks after Cardinal Blase Cupich caused a national uproar by proposing to bestow an award to U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, a prominent abortion rights supporter, Pope Leo XIV signaled he still has Cupich’s back. @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/religion/202...
Chicago's airports are refusing to play a video of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem accusing Democrats of government shutdown. My reporting for the @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/politics/202...
O'Hare, Midway refuse to play video of Kristi Noem accusing Democrats of government shutdown
They join a growing list of airports refusing to play a video from Department of Homeland Security Secretary due to its partisan messaging.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Chicago's airports are refusing to play a video of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem accusing Democrats of government shutdown. My reporting for the @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/politics/202...
'Texas National Guard members arrive at Chicago area military training facility'
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Texas National Guard members arrive at Chicago area military training facility
Military troops arrived at an Elwood training center after weeks of threats from President Donald Trump's administration, over the objections of local leaders.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM
'Texas National Guard members arrive at Chicago area military training facility'
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Chicago is expanding its speed camera program. Here's the city's top-ticketing cameras and some analysis about whether the program is fair. Written with Alden Loury for the @chicago.suntimes.com
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
New Chicago speed cameras drive surge in tickets. 'I won't drive down the street'
The city's 186 speed cameras issued more than 240,000 tickets in June, when 22 new cameras came online. That's the most in any month in nearly three years.
chicago.suntimes.com
September 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Chicago is expanding its speed camera program. Here's the city's top-ticketing cameras and some analysis about whether the program is fair. Written with Alden Loury for the @chicago.suntimes.com
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
I spent some time asking why Chicago hasn't made much progress at reducing traffic crashes. Here's my story for the @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
A decade ago, the city committed to eliminating traffic deaths by 2026. It's not even close.
Despite an ambitious plan by the city to eliminate all traffic deaths by next year, nearly as many people are dying on Chicago roads as when the goal was announced in 2017. The number of yearly injuri...
chicago.suntimes.com
August 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I spent some time asking why Chicago hasn't made much progress at reducing traffic crashes. Here's my story for the @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Wheelie rider crash prompts reckoning for Orland’s Critical Mass www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/16/o...
Orlando Critical Mass bike ride has moment of reckoning following hit-and-run accident
Orlando Critical Mass, a gathering of hundreds of cyclists that takes over the streets on the last Friday night of every month, has faced challenges posed by reckless riders. One of them clipped a …
www.orlandosentinel.com
August 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Wheelie rider crash prompts reckoning for Orland’s Critical Mass www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/16/o...
'Are ghost buses all but gone? Canceled CTA buses will now be noted on tracker apps'
@chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
@chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Are ghost buses all but gone? Canceled CTA buses will now be noted on tracker apps
For the first time, the Chicago Transit Authority is sharing data about which buses have been canceled so they don't show up as "scheduled" buses in transit apps.
chicago.suntimes.com
August 4, 2025 at 10:24 PM
'Are ghost buses all but gone? Canceled CTA buses will now be noted on tracker apps'
@chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
@chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
I spent the last few weeks talking to bike messengers in Chicago. Here’s the story about them chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/07...
Meet Chicago's last bike messengers. Here's how they survive.
The pandemic was devastating to the courier business, but it survived. The industry is a far cry from where it was in its heyday a few decades ago, but the culture and camaraderie remain, couriers say...
chicago.suntimes.com
July 15, 2025 at 12:45 PM
I spent the last few weeks talking to bike messengers in Chicago. Here’s the story about them chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/07...
'History shows the new cameras will issue significantly more tickets in their first days as drivers adjust their speeding habits.' @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
16 new Chicago speed cameras to start ticketing drivers just days from now
History shows the new cameras will issue significantly more tickets in their first days as drivers adjust their speeding habits.
chicago.suntimes.com
May 27, 2025 at 10:04 PM
'History shows the new cameras will issue significantly more tickets in their first days as drivers adjust their speeding habits.' @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
“Syndicated content in Sun-Times special section included AI-generated misinformation”
chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/05...
chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/05...
Syndicated content in Sun-Times special section included AI-generated misinformation
A Chicago freelance journalist said he did not fact-check information he compiled using AI before including it in stories for media clients.
chicago.suntimes.com
May 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM
“Syndicated content in Sun-Times special section included AI-generated misinformation”
chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/05...
chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/05...
Reposted by David Struett
The CST Guild is aware of the third-party “summer guide” content in the May 18 edition of the Sun-Times newspaper.
This was a syndicated section made externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom.
We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.
This was a syndicated section made externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom.
We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.
May 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
The CST Guild is aware of the third-party “summer guide” content in the May 18 edition of the Sun-Times newspaper.
This was a syndicated section made externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom.
We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.
This was a syndicated section made externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom.
We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.
A juror appeared to faint faint during a doctor's testimony in the trial of 11-year-old Jayden Perkin's alleged killer. He was stabbed after trying to save his mother from an ex-partner — a day after the ex-partner was paroled. chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2025/0...
Juror appears to faint during doctor's testimony at trial for Jayden Perkins murder
The juror jerked backward, then fell to the floor as Dr. Andrea Geddes explained that Jayden's mother had been stabbed 15 times.
chicago.suntimes.com
May 15, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A juror appeared to faint faint during a doctor's testimony in the trial of 11-year-old Jayden Perkin's alleged killer. He was stabbed after trying to save his mother from an ex-partner — a day after the ex-partner was paroled. chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2025/0...
'Thousands of Uber riders could be in line for refunds — and Uber could face hefty fines — after the ride hailing company acknowledged that it improperly charged a $1.50 downtown congestion outside the hours it was supposed to be applied.' @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Chicago investigates Uber overcharges, how many riders might be in line for refunds
The city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has launched a sweeping investigation to determine how many Uber riders were victimized by the overcharges.
chicago.suntimes.com
May 1, 2025 at 8:29 PM
'Thousands of Uber riders could be in line for refunds — and Uber could face hefty fines — after the ride hailing company acknowledged that it improperly charged a $1.50 downtown congestion outside the hours it was supposed to be applied.' @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Reposted by David Struett
We're at Navy Pier today telling the CPM board to keep their promise of finding non-labor cuts to save public media and the people who make it.
We’ve already seen so many talented colleagues let go. We say no more.
We’ve already seen so many talented colleagues let go. We say no more.
March 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
We're at Navy Pier today telling the CPM board to keep their promise of finding non-labor cuts to save public media and the people who make it.
We’ve already seen so many talented colleagues let go. We say no more.
We’ve already seen so many talented colleagues let go. We say no more.
An update on the Highland Park shooter's guilty plea: 'Robert Crimo III signs trial waiver 'Donald Trump' after pleading guilty to Highland Park parade shooting'
chicago.suntimes.com/highland-par...
chicago.suntimes.com/highland-par...
chicago.suntimes.com
March 5, 2025 at 8:53 PM
An update on the Highland Park shooter's guilty plea: 'Robert Crimo III signs trial waiver 'Donald Trump' after pleading guilty to Highland Park parade shooting'
chicago.suntimes.com/highland-par...
chicago.suntimes.com/highland-par...
'Crimo pleads guilty to Highland Park parade massacre — ending long-awaited trial before it begins.' My story for the @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/highland-par...
Crimo pleads guilty to Highland Park parade massacre — ending long-awaited trial before it begins
Crimo told Judge Victoria Rossetti that he would change his plea to guilty to all 69 counts filed against him. "This was not a negotiation," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart told reporters. ...
chicago.suntimes.com
March 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
'Crimo pleads guilty to Highland Park parade massacre — ending long-awaited trial before it begins.' My story for the @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/highland-par...
With Madigan conviction and feds on the line, are Illinois politicians getting the message? @tinasfon.bsky.social
chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-tria...
chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-tria...
With Madigan conviction and feds on the line, are Illinois politicians getting the message?
Federal prosecutors have made it clear they are listening to phone calls. But have the threats of federal investigations and wiretapped conversations actually deterred criminal behavior in Illinois po...
chicago.suntimes.com
February 12, 2025 at 9:16 PM
With Madigan conviction and feds on the line, are Illinois politicians getting the message? @tinasfon.bsky.social
chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-tria...
chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-tria...
Illinois’ legal weed business reached an all-time high in 2024, with the state reaping $2 billion in sales. But the state’s legal pot business continues to operate in the shadow of an unregulated hemp market. @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/cannabis/202...
Record-breaking Illinois pot sales light up ‘thriving cannabis industry’ — despite unregulated hemp market
The average price of bud has fallen gradually, numbers show. Recreational sales grew 2.5% last year, with dispensaries logging $1.72 billion in sales.
chicago.suntimes.com
February 12, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Illinois’ legal weed business reached an all-time high in 2024, with the state reaping $2 billion in sales. But the state’s legal pot business continues to operate in the shadow of an unregulated hemp market. @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/cannabis/202...
'Gia Biagi has been at the wheel of the Illinois Department of Transportation for less than two weeks, but she already is planning to hit the accelerator on construction projects, including the slow-moving Kennedy Expressway headache.'
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
New state transportation boss looking to cure Kennedy construction ‘headache,' focus on speeding up projects
Gia Biagi, the state's new acting transportation secretary, quit as commissioner of Chicago's Transportation Department shortly after Mayor Brandon Johnson took office.
chicago.suntimes.com
January 27, 2025 at 4:04 PM
'Gia Biagi has been at the wheel of the Illinois Department of Transportation for less than two weeks, but she already is planning to hit the accelerator on construction projects, including the slow-moving Kennedy Expressway headache.'
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Planned Parenthood of Illinois to close Englewood clinic, 3 others @kwashburn.bsky.social
chicago.suntimes.com/health/2025/...
chicago.suntimes.com/health/2025/...
Planned Parenthood of Illinois to close Englewood clinic, 3 others
The organization has faced an overwhelming spike in patients in the years since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
chicago.suntimes.com
January 22, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Planned Parenthood of Illinois to close Englewood clinic, 3 others @kwashburn.bsky.social
chicago.suntimes.com/health/2025/...
chicago.suntimes.com/health/2025/...
