Authorities work the scene at the Apollo Theatre after a severe spring storm caused damage and injuries during a concert, late Friday, March 31, 2023, in Belvidere, Ill. (AP Photo / Matt Marton)

In Belvidere, Illinois, a tornado collapsed the roof of the Apollo Theatre as 260 people attended a heavy metal concert, killing one person and injuring 40, officials said.

(WTTW News)

An airport destroyed in the middle of the night by the government. It may sound like the plot of an exotic spy thriller, but it happened in Chicago 20 years ago this week.

(WTTW News)

Researchers at Northwestern University found that people who live directly next to Lake Michigan or along one of the major interstate highways running through Chicago are regularly exposed to more air pollution than residents in the rest of the city.

The Wild Mile floating wetland in the Chicago River, October 2022. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Researchers from Shedd Aquarium and Chicago-based Urban Rivers teamed with counterparts in Boston and Baltimore and confirmed that floating wetlands can improve water quality and provide vital habitat.

(Johannes Plenio / Unsplash)

The National Weather Service said starting around 2 p.m. Friday, the Chicago area is expected to see destructive winds and the possibility of tornadoes that could cause extensive damage.

Debris covers the ground in the aftermath of a tornado in Tuscaloosa, Ala., May 7, 2011. Meteorologists are warning of a series of severe storms that could rip across America’s Midwest and South over the next couple of weeks. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

A seemingly relentless series of severe storms, likely with deadly tornadoes, are forecast to rip across parts of America’s Midwest and South over the next couple weeks, especially Friday, meteorologists said.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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The only violence people wanted to hear about was the harm being done to their health due to decades of pollution from surrounding industries.

Mayoral candidates Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas made their case to voters at a packed forum held in Pilsen, and the words “crime” and “police” didn't come up once.

Chicago mayoral candidates Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas. (Provided)
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Much of the focus has been on the mayoral candidates’ public safety plans, but whoever emerges victorious on April 4 will also inherit environmental and climate-related challenges.

(WTTW News)

The Chicago Park District is offering teenagers a chance to work where they play this summer in seasonal positions like recreation leaders, lifeguards and junior laborers.

(Danne / Pexels)

Scientists calculated the biomass of various groups of mammals, and humans’ impact weighs heavily on the planet.

A prescribed burn at Rainbow Beach. (Courtesy Chicago Park District)

The Chicago Park District has been setting its land ablaze on purpose, these fiery scenes leading to healthier natural areas.

University of Chicago paleontologist Neil Shubin is gearing up for his next expedition. (Courtesy of Neil Shubin)

The long-delayed trip is a return to the Canadian Arctic and an area where University of Chicago paleontologist Neil Shubin made a career-defining discovery back in 2004.

(Oliur Rahman / Pexels)
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The Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation that would phase out single-use polystyrene foam foodware beginning in January 2024.

(WTTW News)

It will be up to the next mayor to decide how to respond to Chicagoans’ growing frustration with these mega-events.

Women push wheelbarrows atop a coal mine dump at the coal-powered Duvha power station, near Emalahleni east of Johannesburg, Nov. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)

Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst of climate change’s future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Spring is always an iffy proposition in Chicago, but it officially begins Monday.