WTTW is launching a yearlong series called "Firsthand: Peacekeepers," aimed at understanding and reducing Chicago violence through profiles of local peacemakers and public events.

Why it matters: While Chicago shootings have fallen 42% over the past four years, they remain high at 2,282 last year.

• The series, which started yesterday, highlights some of the most promising avenues for tackling violent crime.

Zoom in: The core of the series features five short documentaries focusing on different people:

• Judge Patricia Spratt, who oversees a traditional courtroom in Maywood, but every Thursday leads the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Court.
• Damien Morris, a Garfield Park peacekeeper who visits victims in the hospital, mediates disputes and brokers peace agreements.
• Kids Off the Block founder Diane Latiker, who's been keeping the peace in Roseland for 20 years.

What they're saying: "We followed people who are actively intervening in violent conflicts [but also] creating the conditions for peace in more subtle ways," executive producer Dan Protess said.

Zoom out: The year-long campaign will also feature a series of violence prevention-focused expert talks, investigative journalism and community screenings across the city followed by discussions.

The hope: That viewers will see "these peacekeepers as professionals whose work is guided by research, and who have received extensive training, and who, like a mail carrier or a city worker, are fixtures in their neighborhoods."

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Illinois is one of only 13 U.S. states that sends more money to federal government coffers than it receives, a recent analysis found.

Why it matters: As President Trump pushes for states to become more financially independent, Illinois is already among the states that is the least reliant on the federal government.

By the numbers: Illinois (-$1,313) had a lower balance of federal spending per capita in 2022, discounting COVID-19 relief dollars, according to a 2024 Rockefeller Institute of Government report.

What we're watching: Gov. JB Pritzker is set to deliver his state budget address on Wednesday, which will include spending priorities for federal dollars.

How it works

The Loop and Mag Mile are still trying to regain their footing from post-pandemic retail vacancies, but there's some good news.

Driving the news: A new Gap Factory store is planned for 17 N. State St., Crain's reported this month.

• The ground floor of Tribune Tower is also for sale to be used for retail space, CoStar reported.
• Uniqlo is returning to Michigan Avenue. After closing its store across from Water Tower in 2021, the Japanese brand is planning to open at 600 N. Michigan Ave.

The intrigue: Retail leasing has been strong in north and northwest neighborhoods along I-90, as well as northwest suburbs like Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Oak Brook and Naperville, according to a report from Marcus and Millichap.<br/><br/>Zoom out: Here are some other recent openings and announcements of new shops coming to Chicago and the suburbs.

👗 Anthropologie closed its Block 37 and Shops at Fremont locations and is expected to open on the ground floor of the Newberry Plaza in Gold Coast.

• The ground floor of the residential building is called Newberry on the Triangle.

🎶 In the neighborhoods, Artifact Records opened in Logan Square and Gorjana jewelry store added another location, Block Club reported.

👓 Warby Parker eyewear shop opened its 10th Chicago-area location this month in Deerfield Square.

More retail openings

💧 The boil order in Skokie has been lifted after crews fixed a water main break that flooded several blocks last Friday morning. (CBS 2)

🐕 Two dogs were electrocuted in River North after reportedly stepping on a manhole on North Dearborn Street. (NBC 5)

Former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks revealed he is battling stage 4 stomach cancer. (MLB)

The iconic cinema in Lincoln Park is celebrating 50 years with a new name, but the same commitment to independent and international film.

The big picture: FACETS, dubbed "a temple of great cinema" by the late, great film critic Roger Ebert, is known for offering independent, obscure and cult classic screenings and having programming that is varied enough to be accessible to even the casual moviegoer.

Driving the news: FACETS' board announced recently that its new name will be FACETS Film Forum in recognition of its mission to create "film experiences that include an opportunity for conversation and dialogue and community," executive director Karen Cardarelli tells Axios.

The intrigue: FACETS still runs its rental membership program that gives members access to more than 50,000 titles, one of the largest film archives in the U.S., Cardarelli says.

State of play: In addition to the name change, the nonprofit has launched a $1 million fundraising campaign to help with operational costs.

What's next: Their Beyond the Red Carpet fundraiser on Feb. 22 will feature a recorded interview with the Oscar-nominated director of "Sing Sing" and the series Chicago on Screen will feature screenings and post-film conversations, starting with "The Fugitive" on March 14.

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Do you know where Carrie is this week?

Here's a hint:

• This was the hot spot as evident by the walls
• Where celebrities got Booth One to take their calls.
• There's a rumor that the hotel has a tunnel below
• Where Marilyn would visit JFK on the down low.

Guess here