Stories by Maya Miller

Lush gardens, craft beer, gallery tours and the Bard—reimagined—usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

Young adults from Chicago’s Austin community are learning about fire safety as part of a pilot program aiming to address high crime rates, unemployment and other issues facing residents.

Music festivals, secret gardens, dancing lions and—oh la la!—French flair usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Thirty businesswomen from 27 African countries are traveling to Chicago this week to hone their entrepreneurial skills and make connections with their American counterparts.

Researchers of demographic shifts in the Chicago region have some interesting takeaways following analysis of census data. One calls the findings “staggering.”

For more than a decade, a network of nonprofit organizations has been addressing gang violence by hosting summer basketball games in neighborhoods across the city.

A massive food festival, live music, fine art and Irish fiddles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

City officials say the ordinance affirms that government agencies will not practice discrimination-based operations, but some activists say the city could do more to protect immigrant and minority rights.

There are plenty of coding classes for teens and young adults in Chicago, and most of them aren’t cheap. But one local nonprofit is shaking up the landscape by offering coding classes to young women—for free.

Fireworks, festivals and plenty of live music usher in the holiday weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

Consumer complaints about cosmetics and hair care products nearly doubled in 2016, prompting some in the medical community to call for greater transparency between the industry and the agency that regulates it.

So far this year, the Chicago Council on American Islamic Relations received about 400 complaints of discrimination against Muslim-Americans—the same number it received during all of 2016. 

The international nonprofit Women Who Code boasts 100,000 members worldwide. This week, it’s relaunching its Chicago chapter and plans to offer meet-ups and other networking opportunities.

Lake Michigan’s first floating water park, street festivals, the NHL draft and the annual Pride Parade. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

Hundreds of summer jobs are cause for celebration. “We want to make sure people know there are a lot of great things happening in this neighborhood besides bullets,” said one organizer of Friday’s event.

Young women from Chicago’s South and West Sides can face the same roadblocks as young men, but their struggles often go unnoticed. How one mentoring program is communicating its message to girls—and teaching self-expression.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan will join a bipartisan effort to investigate the role opioid manufacturers may play in contributing to the country’s opioid epidemic. 

The technology festival Chicago Techweek returns for a sixth year. We speak with the Techweek CEO about this year’s “radical shift” in programming.

When Hyde Park resident Connie Spreen wrote song lyrics about bicycle safety a few years ago, her children begged her not to produce them. Now, she’s a co-producer alongside Rhymefest for “Stay in Your Lane.”

Street festivals, vintage sales, funny femmes and plenty of tacos usher in Father’s Day weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

When two local comedians launched the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival in 2012, they were regularly asked: “What’s it like to be a woman in comedy?” Find out what’s in store for this year’s fest—and how the business of comedy is evolving.

The museum is turning to the public for help in telling the story of African-Americans who served as combat soldiers during World War 1.

A new housing report offers a bleak look at the cost of renting an apartment in Illinois for those earning minimum wage.

A plan to develop affordable housing units under the same roof as public libraries moved forward Wednesday, when Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the winning architects and developers for each of the three projects.

Live blues, lit wits, neighborhood festivals and ribs galore usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago. 

A significant decrease in calls to Chicago 911 emergency services is not matched by an overall decline in crime. We take a look at the numbers.