Cook County’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar has been appointed as vice president of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) for 2026. 

The appointment is a recognition of Dr. Arunkumar’s leadership at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO). Dr. Arunkumar oversaw MEO operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She has played an instrumental role in implementing new policies and procedures and shaping the culture of the office while upgrading operations and technology.  

Medical Examiner’s Office Releases Preliminary 2025 Data

Public urged to review pet vaccination and exposure risks

The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control (ARC) has confirmed a rare case of rabies in a dog within the City of Chicago. This is the first rabies-positive dog identified in Cook County since before 1964 and the first in Illinois since 1994. The dog, vaccinated earlier this year, was surrendered to a local rescue and euthanized for behavioral reasons before testing positive for rabies. The source of rabies is currently unknown and under investigation.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved planning, design and construction contracts today to continue the pipeline of transportation-related projects for the County’s Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH). These vital projects advance multimodal projects throughout Cook County to improve state of good repair, operations, safety and support the regional economy.

Cook County officials today announced the completion of a comprehensive courthouse wireless connectivity project that concluded in November, significantly improving Wi-Fi signal strength and reliability across courthouse facilities countywide.

As part of the project, crews installed approximately 1,000 wireless access points to eliminate dead zones and strengthen wireless coverage throughout court buildings.

COOK COUNTY, IL—Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle recently announced that nine social equity cannabis license holders will each receive a $75,000

Cook County will experience extreme cold weather for several days starting Friday evening. The National Weather Service has advised that wind chills will make it feel as cold as -20°F over the weekend.   

Cook County is opening warming centers in the north, west and south suburbs to help residents combat extreme weather conditions. The warming centers will be open 24 hours. The centers will open at 8:30 a.m. Friday and run continuously until 4:30 p.m. Monday, December 15.  

Findings Offer Practical Roadmap for Improving Transparency, Consistency and Predictability Across County Programs

$5 million in funding is available for Suburban Community-Based Organizations 

Today, President Preckwinkle and the Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC) announced a funding opportunity designed to support residents who have been impacted by gun violence in Suburban Cook County. Up to $5 million in funding will be available to eligible community-based organizations through the Suburban Cook County Wraparound Services for Survivors of Gun Violence (SCC-SGV) grant opportunity.

In recognition of International Human Rights Day, the Cook County Commission on Human Rights will host “A Closer Look at the Importance of Fair Housing” on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, from 5:00-7:00 P.M., at the