Stories by Kristen Thometz

The tiny African antelope born on Valentine’s Day was euthanized Tuesday, according to zoo officials, who identified a birth defect that affected the animal’s ability to swallow normally.

Blooming orchids, an outdoor beer fest and a massive bike ride usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

A fundraiser started by City of Aurora officials has raised more than $72,000 in just two days to support the families of those who lost their lives in a shooting at a local manufacturing plant.

As part of its ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, the Drug Enforcement Agency announced Thursday it’s launching a yearlong digital billboard campaign across the Chicago area.

New musicals, vintage wedding dresses, motorcycles and encased meats usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

A new report details a rise in the use of e-cigarettes by young people across the country as the city of Chicago files a lawsuit against online sellers it claims illegally sold tobacco products to minors.

A pair of Illinois Institute of Technology researchers developing technology to detect early stage tumors have won the university’s Nayar Prize, which includes a $500,000 award.

Qualified clinicians can receive up to $75,000 in student loan repayment through a new federal program. In exchange, they must serve three years on the front lines of the opioid crisis in underserved communities.

Brawny babes, discount theater tickets, hot rods and cool jazz usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.

Gino Garcia’s work to raise awareness of domestic violence caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski. On Tuesday, Garcia will attend Trump’s address as a guest of the congressman. 

In announcing her endorsement of Amara Enyia, Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown called Enyia “a breath of fresh air” that will give Chicagoans hope.

As the polar vortex moves out, groundhogs, cocoa-inspired treats, craft brews and experimental theater usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

The University of Illinois at Chicago will continue its role in the largest-ever prospective epidemiological study of Latinos, the largest minority population in the U.S.

Wednesday’s forecast shows a daytime high of around 14 degrees below zero, which would beat the city’s all-time coldest high of minus 11. When wind chills are factored in, temperatures could reach minus 35. 

You don’t have to wait till election day to cast a ballot. On Tuesday, early voting will start at the city’s downtown “super site.” Find out when and where you can cast your ballot.

A new Northwestern Medicine study was able to successfully predict whether women would experience worsening depressive symptoms within the first year of childbirth by identifying four maternal characteristics that put them at risk.

The clock hands didn’t move this year, but that’s no “sign of stability,” says Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Instead, she calls it a “stark warning.”

Special menus, an icy plunge in the lake, winter brews and Mexican sweet bread usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.

The flu can keep kids out of school and parents out of work. So why do some parents chose not to get their children vaccinated against it? A new citywide survey offers some insight.

George Preston will take over as vice president and general manager of WFMT starting March 1. WWCI President and CEO Sandra Cordova Micek says Preston is “uniquely qualified” for the position.

The city’s teen birth rate has dropped 70 percent since 2000, according to city officials, but African-American and Latina teens are more than five times as likely to give birth than their white peers.

Along with her husband, the late Abner Mikva, Zorita “Zoe” Mikva created the Mikva Challenge more than 20 years ago. She died Saturday at the age of 90.

Puppets, celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. and thousands of plastic balls usher in the weekend. Here are a dozen things to do in and around Chicago.

New year, no booze – at least for the month of January. That’s the idea behind the “dry January” trend. 

The odds of dying from an opioid overdose are one in 96, while the odds of dying from a motor vehicle crash are one in 103, according to a new analysis by the National Safety Council.

She launched the first advertising agency owned and managed by an African-American woman in the 1970s. Barbara Gardner Proctor died on Dec. 19, 2018 at the age of 86.