Talia Soglin

Talia Soglin covers transportation and labor for the Tribune. Her work reporting on business and the workplace has been recognized by the Chicago Headline Club and the National Headliner Awards.

People walk outside the Hearthside Food Solutions facility in Romeoville on March 28, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Deadline to submit claims in Hearthside child labor settlement nears

September 23, 2026 at 4:42 p.m.

People who worked at Hearthside Food Solutions while they were underage have two months left to file claims for financial compensation under an Illinois settlement agreement, the state said Wednesday.

Chicago Transit Authority Board Chair Lester Barclay listens to public speakers during a meeting on Sept. 22, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Controversial CTA board chair keeps job

September 22, 2026 at 4:08 p.m.

Chicago Transit Authority board chair Lester Barclay, who has faced heat from transit advocates for criticizing Illinois’ transit reform legislation, will continue to helm the transit agency’s governing board.

UNITE Here Local 1 workers from Cambria Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile Hotel picket outside of the hotel on Oct. 23, 2018. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago hotel workers vote to strike

September 21, 2026 at 4:15 p.m.

Workers at dozens of downtown Chicago hotels could go on strike at any time, according to their union, Unite Here Local 1.

Ron Pitelka, Local 150 excavator operator for Walsh construction company, sits on top of a large boulder outside of the O'Hare Multi-Modal Facility on Sept. 16, 2026. Pitelka helped unearth the rock while excavating in the south airfield. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Heavy lifting: This boulder aficionado helped unearth a 50-ton rock at O’Hare

September 21, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Over the last two decades, the 45-year-old excavator operator has amassed a collection of several hundred rocks. But none are as large as the one dug up at O'Hare.

People wait at the newly reopened Gate L2A at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Aug. 13, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

O’Hare, Midway again ranked below average in customer satisfaction survey

September 16, 2026 at 11:23 a.m.

Chicago’s airports have again ranked below average in an annual customer satisfaction survey released by JD Power.

A man on an electric scooter rides past a memorial on Sept. 15, 2026, for Riley O’Neil, who was killed while riding his bike in the 3200 block of South Halsted Street in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Aldermen call for traffic safety action in wake of city employee’s bike death

September 15, 2026 at 5:24 p.m.

Aldermen are calling for the city to take steps to improve traffic safety throughout the city — including by not cutting the Transportation Department’s budget and exempting it from a...

Jamie Rhee is introduced as the interim executive director of the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority on Sept. 10, 2026, during the NITA board's first meeting. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Jamie Rhee named interim leader of Northern Illinois Transit Authority

September 10, 2026 at 3:45 p.m.

Former Chicago aviation boss Jamie Rhee will serve as interim executive director of the state’s new governing body for public transit, the board of the nascent Northern Illinois Transit Authority...

The 50-ton boulder was found below the surface of the airfield at O'Hare during the excavation of the South Detention Basin. The Chicago Department of Aviation is asking the public to help name it. (Chicago Department of Aviation)

Chicago asks for help naming 50-ton boulder unearthed at O’Hare

September 9, 2026 at 4:29 p.m.

The 50-ton boulder was discovered about 30 feet underground during excavation work on a stormwater detention project, the city said. The project is part of work for the city's multibillion...

A person walks atop a concrete median that leads up to the Cortland Street Bridge over the Chicago River on Sept. 2, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Is the Cortland Street Bridge a precious landmark or a traffic albatross?

September 9, 2026 at 3:02 p.m.

The Cortland Street Bridge is said to be the oldest model of a trunnion bascule bridge, an iconic movable bridge design native to Chicago’s landscape.

Executive Director Leanne Redden attends the final regular Regional Transportation Authority board meeting on Aug. 20, 2026, in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

RTA executive director retires as transit shake-up takes root

September 2, 2026 at 3:32 p.m.

A day after the governance shake-up mandated by Illinois’ transit reform legislation took effect, the executive director of the now-defunct Regional Transportation Authority announced her retirement.

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