Stories by Nick Blumberg

We’re spending a lot more time indoors. Join us as we get reacquainted with our beloved city through film. The polls are now open!

Mayor Lori Lightfoot shut down Chicago’s lakefront, 606 trail and Riverwalk to encourage social distancing. But will limiting access to public space reduce the demand for it? We look to other cities’ ideas.

A day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatened to close off access to city parks if Chicagoans continued to flout social distancing rules, the city shut down the lakefront trail, beaches and adjoining parks, the Bloomingdale Trail and the Chicago Riverwalk.

Half-priced Divvy memberships, credit for unused CTA passes and free rides for paratransit customers are all part of Chicago’s plan to keep its transportation network rolling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First-term congressman Sean Casten was unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Illinois’ 6th District, but in the general election he’ll face outspoken competition from Republican candidate Jeanne Ives.

Can Jeanne Ives flip Illinois’ 6th Congressional District back to red? We sit down for a one-on-one with first-term congressman Sean Casten.

Challenger Marie Newman has defeated long-serving U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, and the Republican challengers for first-term Democrats Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten are set. Where else things stand across congressional districts.

With no hockey or basketball, delayed baseball and no March Madness, we don’t even have sports to turn to in these times of trouble. Enter the Chicago Showdown, four weeks of Chicago-themed brackets built to fuel friendly arguments – and we need your votes!

As city officials plan a second round of the electric scooter pilot program, meet a company that hopes its seated scooter will make the cut.

Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District has long been a Democratic stronghold, but in recent years the Democrat representing it has been under fire from his ideological left.

The long-awaited expansion of Chicago’s Divvy bike-share program on the Far South and Southwest sides is set to kick off this spring — and some new bike lanes and pedal-assist bikes are on the way too, according to city officials.

Five Republican candidates are vying to take on Illinois’ long-serving and well-funded incumbent senior senator, Dick Durbin, who is running for a fifth term this fall. All five join “Chicago Tonight” for a candidate forum.

Coronavirus fears tank the stock market. The gloves come off in the race for Cook County state’s attorney. More turmoil at Chicago Public Schools. And the city preps for round two of electric scooters.

Track maintenance will close four “L” stations in the Loop this weekend from 2 a.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday, according to the Chicago Transit Authority. Get the full details.

At a hearing Wednesday, Chicago aldermen voiced their concerns and hopes for the city’s second round of electric scooter testing that’s expected to kick off this summer.

Chicago’s FBI office is in the midst of several high-profile political corruption cases that appear to be targeting politicians. Since last fall, those investigations have been overseen by Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr.

In her new book, Chicago native and author Mikki Kendall offers a critique of mainstream feminism. She joins us to discuss “Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women That a Movement Forgot.”

Every year, millions of people visit State Street in the heart of Chicago’s Loop. But is the street working the way it should? That’s the question the Chicago Loop Alliance is asking as it considers what State Street could be.

Three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning for the fifth consecutive weekend. The Grand Blue Line station will also be closed.

Jussie Smollett faces new criminal charges. State’s Attorney Kim Foxx faces political fallout. Mayor Lori Lightfoot addresses rising crime numbers. And the NBA All-Star game descends on Chicago.

The NBA’s All-Star Game is in Chicago for the first time since 1988 and the city is bouncing with NBA events all weekend. Here’s a preview.

If you’ve ever tried to order a bloody mary with your eggs benedict on a Sunday morning, you might have run into one of the many quirks of Chicago’s liquor laws. But that could soon change.

For the fourth weekend in a row, three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater will be closed from Friday night through Monday morning.

Two veteran journalists who agreed to leave the Chicago Tribune after a recent round of buyouts talk about their hopes for the company’s future.

The CTA’s proposal for a 5-mile extension of the Red Line south to 130th Street is one step closer to reality. 

A proposed new landmark district aims to protect historic Chicago homes from demolition, but some owners worry it will tie their hands.