Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Sue’s move to a new 5,100-square-foot home is part of a decadeslong plan to display the dinosaur in a proper scientific context that helps demonstrate why the T. Rex “is widely considered the greatest dinosaur fossil in the world.”

A first-of-its-kind survey of the Chicago area’s remaining grasslands could be good news for several species of threatened birds that once thrived across Illinois.

For the second time this year, Chicago’s DryHop Brewers is joining forces with Lincoln Park Zoo in the name of wildlife conservation, this time for a rare and endangered New Zealand bird.

The ongoing probe into harmful levels of brain-damaging manganese on Chicago’s Southeast Side has turned up another, more familiar neurotoxin: lead.

Many of the displays in the museum’s Native American Hall have gone unchanged since the 1950s. Now, Native American scholars and tribal members will work with the museum to better represent these stories.

Jose Vilchis, who was charged in October with sexually assaulting a teenage gymnast in south suburban Channahon, now faces additional charges of criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse, according to a grand jury indictment.

They are one of the most successful packs within the nationwide Mexican Wolf Recovery Program, but nine of the 10 wolves will leave Chicago for new homes as part of a plan to help save the endangered species.

Sunny days and cool nights have helped produce a vivid display of fall colors this season. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, thousands of trees are at their peak.

A $2.5 million award to address climate change will help Chicago expand bike-share programs to all parts of the city, according to the mayor’s office.

An estimated 15 million people in the U.S. – including thousands of Chicago residents – experienced water shutoffs in 2016, in many cases because they failed to pay their water bills. 

The mega-retailer says plans to install solar panels at nearly two dozen sites across Illinois will represent a 25-percent increase in the state’s current solar capacity.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is calling for federal action following a report that identified an Illinois meat-processing plant as the worst-polluting plant of its type in the country.

Chicago-based environmental group Openlands has received a $1 million grant to address climate change by planting new trees and recruiting residents to protect them. 

A Bensenville-based home renovation company has agreed to pay nearly $53,000 for alleged violations of federal laws designed to protect against exposure to lead-based paint. 

The 2,300-pound rhinoceros, Layla, logged an important milestone this week, celebrating her eighth birthday just months after overcoming a near-deadly infection.

The Lathrop Riverfront Group was formed to promote the section of riverfront near the Julia C. Lathrop Homes, a Chicago Housing Authority project that is being redeveloped into a mixed-income riverfront community. 

From Thursday through Sunday, volunteers who help transcribe labels from the museum’s massive collection of physical specimens get free admission for the day and a behind-the-scenes tour.

More than two decades after first being accused of sexual abuse, a longtime Chicago-area gymnastics coach was arrested Monday on charges of sexually assaulting at least one teenage girl who trained with him in the far southwest suburbs. 

Visitors to the Field Museum this fall will have a chance to soak up Chicago’s rich beer history, with a focus on the immigrant communities that established the city’s first breweries.

An inexpensive drug for Type 2 diabetes also decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes caused by air pollution, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

A pork-processing plant in western Illinois released an average of nearly 2,000 pounds of harmful nitrogen per day into a tributary of the Illinois River last year, according to a new report.

According to a new report, McDonald’s and Whole Foods sell meat from agribusiness companies that are responsible for mass deforestation and pollution.

Soil samples have been collected from more than 100 properties as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to assess the threat posed by brain-damaging manganese emitted from nearby industrial sites.

Swiping right could help you find a new furry best friend, if not a date for the weekend.

On Oct. 16 and Nov. 14, registered guests will be able to explore all of Shedd’s exhibits in a “comfortable and accepting environment” as part of a new “Calm Waters” program.

Overnight storms brought more than 1.5 inches of rain in parts of the Chicago area Monday night, prompting sewage discharges into several local rivers.