Stories by Patty Wetli

Oak trees, once abundant in the Chicago region, have been struggling to reproduce in recent decades. A grant from the U.S. Forest Service will help fund a restoration project at Greene Valley in Naperville.

The Shedd announced the birth of a baby boy beluga, and is expecting a second beluga arrival any day. A Pacific white-sided dolphin is also due to give birth.

The weeklong social media campaign coincides with the 104th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service on Aug. 25.

Rafts loaded with plants floated down the Chicago River last week, a strange sight that in decades past might have been the result of some sort of bizarre garbage spill but these days is a sure sign of the waterway’s ongoing “re-wilding.”

Jeanne Gang’s Studio Gang firm is one of three finalists competing to design the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. The firms just unveiled images of their proposals.

Chef and restaurant winners were to have been announced in September, but the industry’s “dire situation” prompted the James Beard Foundation to cancel its annual presentation.

City crews are still clearing debris from last week’s powerful derecho. Thousands of trees were lost, which has renewed the call by some for an Urban Forestry Advisory Board to manage Chicago’s green infrastructure. 

An asteroid the size of an SUV buzzed past Earth over the weekend, coming closer to the planet than any other on record, according to NASA. 

The yet-to-be-named foal was born Friday. Grevy’s zebras are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting. 

With Chicago’s beaches closed, Evanston has been a lakefront refuge for many city dwellers, but now even that option is becoming limited as summer nears its end.

The National Weather Service is warning people to steer clear of Lake Michigan due to high waves and strong currents. That doesn't just apply to beachgoers and swimmers. Shoreline structures can be dangerous too.

Ines Sommer’s documentary “Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm” shows that climate change is knocking on the door. But that’s not what the movie was supposed to be about. 

In a move prompted by the controversy surrounding Douglas(s) Park, the Park District Board of Commissioners voted to begin the process of amending its code in order to establish a clearer two-step policy for renaming parks.

The physical destruction caused by Monday’s powerful storm, which saw a tornado touch down in Rogers Park, was as devastating as a hurricane, according to ComEd. Now some neighbors are leading the charge on helping out.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Rogers Park during Monday’s powerful storm. Thousands of Chicagoans remained without power Tuesday morning. 

Be on the lookout for Perseids on Tuesday night and early Wednesday as the meteor shower hits its peak. Here’s how to maximize your chances of seeing these fireballs streak across the sky.

The inaugural $10 million Chicago Prize grant was awarded last week to a team from Auburn Gresham, which has ambitious plans to bring transformational change to the community.

A large crowd gathered over the weekend along the lakefront, prompting the city to install fencing at Montrose Beach — and the mayor to issue a stern message.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois opened a new health and wellness center in Morgan Park on Monday after renovating a building abandoned by Target.  

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced $2 million in state funds for the Green Era Urban Farming Campus, pushing financing for the project over the top and paving the way for Friday’s groundbreaking in Auburn Gresham.  

Brick of Chicago’s virtual tours of Printers Row, set for Saturday and Sunday, will bring the history of printing to life with a demonstration from Starshaped Press.

Shedd Aquarium volunteer Betty Goldberg took citizen science to the next level, contributing a massive number of hours to a global survey of reef sharks. 

The Chicago Architecture Center’s popular event, now in its 10th year, will stick to the outdoors and offer online programming, with a focus on Chicago’s South and West sides.

Following a May explosion, General Iron has put appropriate controls in place to resume its metal shredding operation, experts say. Neighbors say they have little faith in the company’s commitment to compliance.

The conservation group Openlands started the program in 1991 and has since certified 2,000 TreeKeepers, who play an important role in conserving, protecting and advocating for the Chicago region’s trees. 

Anyone entering suburban Cook County from a designated COVID-19 hot spot — including travelers and returning residents — will have to quarantine for 14 days. The list includes 22 states, and could grow more.