In the course of a few weeks, President Donald Trump veered from confidently assuring Americans his administration had the coronavirus outbreak “very well under control” to declaring a national emergency.

On Saturday night, revelers in many parts of the country ignored warnings against attending large gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus. On Sunday, it became clear that in many places, the party is over.

With no hockey or basketball, delayed baseball and no March Madness, we don’t even have sports to turn to in these times of trouble. Enter the Chicago Showdown, four weeks of Chicago-themed brackets built to fuel friendly arguments – and we need your votes!

The drastic measure comes as officials announced the number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois has risen to 93. Restaurants can still serve food via delivery, or curbside pick-up. “This is another hard step to take,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.

Weary travelers returning to the U.S. amid coronavirus-related travel restrictions are being greeted by long lines and hourslong waits for required medical screenings at airports.

President Trump declares a national emergency as the coronavirus prompts event cancellations and school closures across the city and state. And primary races are down to the wire as Illinois voters head to the polls Tuesday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ordering the closure of all public and private K-12 schools across the state, including Chicago Public Schools, starting Tuesday. It’s the largest closure to date related to the spread of the novel coronavirus in Illinois.

Here we are a nation on edge, the future uncertain, civilization as we know it seemingly on the brink of collapse. And our very first survival instinct is to hoard toilet paper. 

To help alleviate the impact of coronavirus-related declines in restaurant sales, Chicago-based Grubhub announced a temporary change to its fee structure and a charitable fund to support impacted restaurants and drivers nationwide.

President Donald Trump on Friday declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency in order to free up more money and resources. But he denied any responsibility for delays in making testing available for the new virus.

A Cook County jury on Friday convicted Shomari Legghette of gunning down Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer outside the Thompson Center, a shocking murder that marked the highest-ranking Chicago officer to be killed in the line of duty in decades.

Complete coverage of the novel coronavirus from WTTW News and “Chicago Tonight.”

Think things are bleak on planet Earth? At lease it’s not raining metal. That’s the kind of bizarre climate scientists recently observed on an ultra-hot exoplanet they’ve dubbed WASP-76b, located 640 million light-years away.

Mass at all Archdiocese of Chicago churches will be suspended starting Saturday until further notice in an effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. “This is not a decision I made lightly,” Archbishop Blase Cupich said in a statement. 

The spotted lanternfly, oak wilt, gypsy moth and boxwood blight are among the latest threats in the plant world. And citizen scientists have a role to play when it comes to stopping the next plague.