Stories by Patty Wetli

Chicago was hammered by a pair of storms on Monday that dumped nearly three inches of rain at Midway Airport, where wind gusts topped 70 miles per hour.

There are four categories of project improvements on the ballot. Whichever receives the most votes from the public will receive $500,000.

A complicated, high-stakes rescue of 30 beluga whales from a defunct Canadian water park is underway, with four of them arriving Tuesday at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

The Cook County Forest Preserves Fisheries Division is piloting a nature-based solution to treat a water quality issue.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air pollution action day for the northeastern part of the state.

Night Out in the Parks events and Movies in the Park have been cancelled as well.

The bird-friendly ordinance has now been sent to the Zoning Committee for consideration. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 21.

Brown, Green, Orange and Pink Lines will all be affected by the closures.

Money raised at the annual BrewFest supports treatment and preservation of Horner Park’s sizable, and healthy, stand of ash trees. This year’s event is set for Friday.

Welles Park, on Chicago’s North Side, has become a preferred breeding ground for the beetles, multiple years in a row.

Neighbors have described the stench emanating from the reservoir as “horrific” and “putrid.”

Residents from the North Side of Chicago to the north suburbs reported feeling the effects of what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a 2.9 magnitude earthquake Wednesday.

An unprecedented international rescue effort is underway to find new homes for some 30 beluga whales. Shedd Aquarium is answering the call.

Mini underground reservoirs are Chicago’s latest solution to its flooding problem. But there’s no one silver bullet, officials said.

Some areas reported 8 to 10 inches of rain in a 48-hour period.

Chicago piping plover monitors are mourning the loss of a second chick in less than a week at Montrose Beach.

The eaglets are the first born in a Chicago park in 100 years.

It felt like 106 degrees in Chicago Tuesday, and more of the same is expected for Wednesday and Thursday as the combination of heat and humidity continue to create dangerous conditions.

The singular beauty on display at Marian Byrnes Park is now more accessible than ever, thanks to new amenities added by the Chicago Park District.

Potential names should reflect Chicago's heritage, culture and diversity.

An avian soap opera is playing out in Waukegan where this year’s piping plover breeding season has been full of unexpected plot twists.

As cleanup continues from last week's storms, more severe weather is in the forecast for this week, with the greatest threat on Wednesday.

The Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort is reporting a record-setting 90 pairs of plovers in 2026, the most since the bird was listed as an endangered species in 1985.

The National Weather Service will be surveying damage from multiple reported tornadoes that touched down Thursday, while recovery efforts continue from the derecho that walloped Chicago on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service is tracking two rounds of severe weather Thursday.

Chicagoans should prepare for multiple rounds rounds of thunderstorms and uncomfortably hot and humid conditions on Wednesday and Thursday.