Chicago Teens Lift Senior Citizens Out of Isolation During the Pandemic

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Maya Joshi of the nonprofit Lifting Hearts with the Arts appears on “Chicago Tonight.” (WTTW News)

When a Chicago high school student found herself limited in activities due to the pandemic, she created an opportunity that would not only occupy her time, but the time of others. 

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Woodlawn

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(WTTW News)

Low-income communities across the city are bracing for what could be a large number of evictions once a statewide moratorium is lifted. In one of those communities, a fight over housing has been brewing for years as a large tenant prepares to move in. 

Chicago Bars Back in Business on Wednesday, But Only for Outdoor Service

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(Photo by Lightscape / Unsplash)

Bars, lounges, taverns and brewery taprooms — basically any establishment that serves alcohol on-site, but not food — will be allowed to reopen Wednesday, with a whole slew of caveats.

Ready for a ‘Road Trip’ Through Time? New PBS Series Debuts

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Emily Graslie at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, for Episode 2 of “Prehistoric Road Trip.” (Credit: Julie Florio / WTTW)

The new WTTW-produced PBS series “Prehistoric Road Trip” is a project more than two billion years in the making. Host Emily Graslie tells us about the show.

Aldermen OK Lightfoot’s Plan to Spend $1.1B Federal Coronavirus Relief Funds

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(Ken Teegardin / Flickr)

Aldermen signed off on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to spend $1.13 billion in federal funds designed to help the city cover the cost of responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Activists Push for New Police Oversight Board in Chicago

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Protesters march around Chicago’s City Hall, Wednesday, June 17, 2020, demanding that Mayor Lori Lightfoot enact the ordinance for an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council, CPAC. (AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast)

A couple hundred activists gathered outside of Chicago City Hall on Wednesday to call on the mayor and City Council to create a new elected board that would have the power to investigate and fire police officers. 

Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks Charged With Felony Murder

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This screen grab taken from body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows Rayshard Brooks speaking with Officer Garrett Rolfe in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant, late Friday, June 12, 2020, in Atlanta. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

Prosecutors brought murder charges Wednesday against the white Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks in the back, saying that the black man posed no threat when he was gunned down.

No Bond for Chicago Man Accused of Firing Shots at Car Full of Police, Wounding 1

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Steven McGee (Chicago Police Department)

Steven McGee, a reputed gang member, allegedly opened fire on a car full of uniformed Chicago police officers, striking one in the leg, as they attempted to arrest him in Bronzeville on Monday for a previous aggravated assault.

June 17, 2020 - Full Show

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Watch the June 17, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Watchdogs Warn of Strain on Agencies from Pandemic Response

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing to examine implementation of Title I of the CARES Act, Wednesday, June 10, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Al Drago / Pool via AP)

The report emphasizes a few core concerns, including the financial management of more than $2 trillion in new spending and protecting the health and safety of government workers deemed essential during the pandemic.

Poll: Black Americans Most Likely to Know a COVID-19 Victim

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In this May 18, 2020, file photo, Belvin Jefferson White poses with a portrait of her father Saymon Jefferson at Saymon’s home in Baton Rouge, La. Belvin recently lost both her father and her uncle, Willie Lee Jefferson, to COVID-19.  (AP Photo/  Gerald Herbert, File)

Eleven percent of African Americans say they were close with someone who has died from the coronavirus, compared with 5% of Americans overall and 4% of White Americans.

Farmers Markets Reopening, With Changes. Pick Up Fresh Fruits and Veggies, Then Skedaddle

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(Illinois Farmers Market Association / Facebook)

A flood of farmers markets are getting ready to open, but visitors should expect a different experience in 2020. For starters, there will be no picking through produce and dawdling will be discouraged. 

Illinois Comptroller on COVID-19 Spending, State Budget Deficit

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Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. (WTTW News)

Illinois has spent close to $600 million so far on COVID-19 relief, much of it going to personal protective equipment.

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Portage Park

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Communities across Chicago have staged demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter, and not all of those areas have been Black and Brown. We visit a predominantly White community that held a rally last week.

Illinois GOP Sues Gov. Pritzker Over Ban on Large Gatherings

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Protesters in Springfield call for Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reopen the state. (WTTW News)

Various businesses, religious organizations and even legislators have sued Gov. J.B. Pritzker over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But the Illinois Republican Party says its lawsuit is different. 

Aldermen Weigh In on Police Funding, Reparations, Cops in Schools

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Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th Ward) speaks about the Police Free Schools Ordinance on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. (WTTW News)

Protesters across the city and nation continue to push for police reforms that some elected officials say should include defunding the police. That’s just one of the topics on the City Council’s packed agenda Wednesday.

Despite Pandemic, Scooters Will Return to Chicago This Summer, Officials Announce

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(WTTW News)

Scooters will soon return to Chicago streets as part of a second pilot program despite the coronavirus pandemic and an initial run that ended with “mixed results,” city officials announced.

The Shedd’s New Baby Penguins Are Adorable in Latest Pictures

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The Shedd Aquarium has shared new photos of its baby penguins, which hatched in May. (Shedd Aquarium / Brenna Hernandez)

Like any proud new parent, the Shedd Aquarium is sharing adorable photos of its newest arrivals: four Magellanic penguin chicks, all of which hatched in mid-to-late May.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul Tests Positive for COVID-19

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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks to the media Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. (WTTW News via BlueRoomStream)

The Illinois attorney general says he began self-isolating after experiencing minor symptoms over the weekend. He is the most prominent politician in the state to test positive for the novel coronavirus. 

Governor Signs Bill to Expand Vote-By-Mail Amid Pandemic

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A mailer sent from the Chicago Board of Elections for the March 2020 primary. (WTTW News)

A new Illinois law is designed to considerably expand the number of voters who cast their ballot in the 2020 presidential election by mail. Gov. J.B. Pritzker called it perhaps “the safest method to cast a ballot in November.”

Joffrey Ballet and Lyric Opera Cancel Their Fall Seasons

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Cara Marie Gary in “The Nutcracker.” (Photo by Cheryl Mann)

This fall was to mark the Joffrey’s first season in its new home on the Lyric Opera stage after many years of residence at the Auditorium Theatre.

Scaled-Back Plan for Former Chicago Spire Site Advances

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(Rendering courtesy Chicago Department of Planning and Development)

Chicago’s most famous empty hole is set to get new life, in the latest massive development that will alter Chicago’s skyline in the midst of a global pandemic.

Chicago Bakers, Including a James Beard Winner, Firing Up Their Ovens for #BakersAgainstRacism

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Offerings from Publican Quality Meats (publicanquality / Instagram)

Bakers in Washington, D.C., started a movement that’s gone global. Now Chicagoans are taking part in the virtual bake sale, with proceeds going to local nonprofits that support racial equality.

Trump Signs Executive Order on Police Reform

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Law enforcement officials applaud after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on police reform, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, June 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

In Rose Garden remarks, President Donald Trump stressed the need for higher standards and commiserated with mourning families, even as he hailed the vast majority of officers as selfless public servants and held his law-and-order line.

Chicago Aldermen Call for Police to Be Pulled From CPS Schools

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Caleb Reed, a student at Mather High School on the city’s North Side, speaks about his experiences with school resources officers at an event Tuesday, June 16, 2020. (WTTW News)

Public school districts in Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle have recently suspended or outright terminated their contracts with local police departments. Could Chicago Public Schools be next?

UIC Clinical Trial Will Test COVID-19 Vaccine

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In this March 16, 2020, file photo, Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. The vaccine by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc., generated antibodies similar to those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19 in a study of volunteers who were given either a low or medium dose. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren, Fil

Next month, the University of Illinois at Chicago will begin testing a vaccine to see if it will prevent people from getting the novel coronavirus or experiencing severe illness from it if they do get it.

June 16, 2020 - Full Show

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Watch the June 16, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Researchers: Cheap Drug Improves COVID-19 Survival

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Packages of Dexamethasone are displayed in a pharmacy, Tuesday, June 16, 2020, in Omaha, Neb. Researchers in England said Tuesday they have the first evidence that the drug can improve COVID-19 survival. The cheap, widely available steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients. (AP Photo / Nati Harnik)

Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients.

Poll: Americans Are The Unhappiest They’ve Been in 50 Years

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In this May 10, 2020, file photo, a merchant prepares a floral arrangement on Mother’s Day at the Los Angeles Flower Market in Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

This bold — yet unsurprising — conclusion comes from the COVID Response Tracking Study, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. It finds that just 14% of American adults say they’re very happy, down from 31% who said the same in 2018.

How a Community Group is Using Art to Help Children Heal

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A community art center is making sure kids have an outlet to express themselves as the stay-at-home order not only limits their activities, but also their resources. We visit the nonprofit SkyArt.

A Conversation with Audra Wilson, New CEO of Shriver Center on Poverty Law

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Audra Wilson, CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Monday, June 15, 2020. (WTTW News)

Amid a pandemic and a renewed focus on police brutality, some say the center’s work is more critical than ever. We speak with the newly appointed president and CEO of the Chicago-based nonprofit.

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Bronzeville

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(WTTW News)

All across Chicago, communities are rebuilding from the twin crises of COVID-19 and property damage. We speak with residents, business owners and officials in the historic heart of black Chicago culture.