Stories by Eunice Alpasan

More than 450,000 early vote and vote-by-mail ballots have been cast as of Sunday night for the upcoming presidential election, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. If you plan on voting on Election Day on Tuesday, here’s what you need to know.

As a vegan for nearly 10 years, I’ve been fortunate to try many different foods and cuisines that have expanded my idea of what vegan food can be. In light of World Vegan Day, here are some of my personal favorite food spots in the city serving dishes inspired from around the globe.

The hotline aims to help the U.S. Department of Justice deter and combat discrimination and intimidation at the polls, election fraud and threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, according to a news release.

Chicago Stars FC will continue to use the Red Stars name and crest for the remainder of the season before fully transitioning to the new brand at the start of the 2025 season.

“People are realizing Election Day is now right around the corner and now taking advantage of these early voting options to get their civic duty out of the way,” said Max Bever, director of public information at Chicago Board of Elections.

Once eligibility is confirmed, city staff will deliver a free compost bin to residents’ homes, according to a news release announcing the initiative. Each ward will receive an initial allocation of 20 bins.

Voters in Chicago and suburban Cook County can look up their voter information online, where voters can verify their voter registration, locate their polling place, view a sample ballot and check the status of a vote-by-mail ballot.

Homewood residents and supporters gathered at Homewood Brewing Company, 18225 Dixie Highway, to attend a ribbon-cutting celebration for the brewpub, which is holding a soft opening Friday and Saturday before operating at extended hours next week.

The Secretary of State’s office is deploying 15 kiosks located in Chicago, the suburbs and downstate in Mariano’s, Jewel-Osco, Kroger and Meijer grocery stores. The kiosks will print vehicle registration stickers for customers immediately on site. Customers seeking a driver’s license or state ID card renewal will receive a temporary document at the kiosk to use while their new card is mailed to them.

The milestone comes over one year since an Illinois law went into effect requiring public schools to provide a plant-based lunch for students who have, or whose parents have, requested a plant-based lunch option in advance. The plant-based school lunches meet the same federal nutrition standards as non-plant based lunch options.

The Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival coincides with Filipino American History Month in October. Performances and readings will be held Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 11-26 at PrideArts and Rizal Center.

The conversation was the final installment of a three-part series, “Ending Gun Violence in Chicago: Connecting Policy, Practice and Community,” hosted by philanthropic group The Joyce Foundation in collaboration with WTTW and City Club of Chicago.

The race, which transformed the streets of downtown into a 2.2-mile street course, is already set to make its return to Chicago next summer.

Attendees of the outdoor concert venue the Salt Shed might have been exposed to a bat during a Sept. 12 concert for the band Goose, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Early voting is now available at a voting supersite at 191 N. Clark and the Chicago Board of Elections offices at 69 W. Washington, 6th floor. Early voting in all 50 wards begins Oct. 21.

The CDC recommends people ages 6 months and older get the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccinations to get the best protection from current circulating COVID-19 variant strains and flu viruses.

Chicago-based health care workers who provided humanitarian aid in Gaza gathered Wednesday to raise awareness around the ongoing crisis in Palestine and the deaths of civilians.

Readers of the lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler voted Chicago as the best big city in the U.S. for the eighth year in a row, as part of the magazine’s annual readers’ choice awards. Chicago has been named best big city in the U.S. every year since 2017.

The donation will help expand the work of UChicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, which launched last year. The forum aims to promote the understanding, practice and advancement of open dialogue at the school and beyond.

The number of women in construction industry apprenticeship programs has remained mostly steady in the state, going from 3% to 5% since 2009, according to Illinois Department of Labor data. While there has been some progress in more women going into the trades, there’s more work to be done to help women stay in the trades, according to leaders in the industry.

The 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct. 16-27. Screenings and programs are set to take place at the festival’s hub theater in AMC NEWCITY 14 in addition to the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center and more.

The Smithsonian is hosting the event series in collaboration with Chicago’s Center for Native Futures, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the National Public Housing Museum and the South Side Community Art Center. Events are set to take place Sept. 20-28. All events are free and open to the public.

Chicago architect John Ronan, who leads the local design firm John Ronan Architects, was chosen earlier this year to design the memorial in Washington, D.C.

Elected officials, community members and partners gathered Monday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for Sankofa Wellness Center, at the corner of West Madison Street and South Kildare Avenue.

The nonprofit Remember Him Remember Her has partnered with Nave Wellness Center to provide free monthly grief support groups to people navigating parental loss.

Chance the Rapper’s charity SocialWorks, founded in 2016, aims to empower youth through the arts, education and civic engagement.