Stories by alex ruppenthal

An interactive map shows results from soil sampling conducted near S.H. Bell. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

EPA to Remove Manganese-Contaminated Soil on Southeast Side

Regulators plan to clean up the soil of several residential yards with high levels of brain-damaging manganese, but they have yet to finalize a plan for addressing homes with elevated levels of lead in the soil.

(Fotorech / Pixabay)

Landmark Study Offers Data on Pregnancy in State Prisons

About 4 percent of women incarcerated in state prisons across the U.S. were pregnant when they entered jail, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. 

A view of the Great Lakes from space. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / Flickr)

Heat Waves, Heavy Rain, Flooding: Report Details Dangers of Climate Change in Great Lakes Region

A first-of-its-kind report shows how climate change is threatening the Great Lakes, and how their ongoing transformation figures to impact the entire region.

A gorilla at Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Joe McKenna / Wikimedia Commons)

Chicago Zoos Want You to Recycle Old Cellphones to Save Gorillas

Mining for coltan, a mineral compound used to make cellphones and other small electronics, has displaced large numbers of Eastern gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

The Lathrop Riverfront Group held a kick-off paddle event along the Chicago River in fall 2018. (Courtesy Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago)

‘Blue-Green’ Chicago River Corridor Would Generate $192M Yearly, Analysis Shows

Environmentally sensitive development of the Chicago River system would sustain more than 1,600 jobs per year while also improving water quality and recreational space, according to a new study. 

Chicago Animal Care and Control Executive Director Kelley Gandurski poses for a picture with Ashley, a 6-year-old stray dog available for adoption. (Alex Ruppenthal / WTTW)

With New Screening Process, City Shelter is ‘Fast-Tracking’ Cat and Dog Adoptions

Chicago Animal Care and Control was so packed with cats late last summer that it sent out an urgent call for adoptions. Now, the department seems to have found a solution to one of its biggest challenges: overcrowding.

Flooding in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood on April 18, 2013. (Center for Neighborhood Technology / Flickr)

Better Business Bureau Warns of Spring Flooding Scams

With conditions perfect for flooding, the Better Business Bureau’s Chicago division is urging area residents to take precautions when hiring contractors to address flooding-related damages. 

The seismographs at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park visually depict the suddenness and intensity with which the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake devastated the islands of Japan. (Joe Parks / Flickr)

Northwestern Project Enlists ‘Earthquake Detectives’ to Study Seismograms

With the help of volunteers who classify sounds from recordings of seismic events, scientists could learn more about the conditions under which earthquakes occur. 

A former petcoke storage site near the Calumet River on Chicago's Southeast Side (Terry Evans / Courtesy of Museum of Contemporary Photography)

Federal Bill Seeks Comprehensive Health Study on Petcoke

Proposed legislation would require the federal government to examine potential health risks from exposure to petroleum coke, a solid byproduct of the oil refining process that had for years been stored in uncontained piles on the Southeast Side. 

A chimpanzee in the Goualougo Triangle, part of the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo. (Kyle de Nobrega / Wildlife Conservation Society)

Humans Are Destroying Chimpanzees’ Culture, Study Finds

The complex and relatively advanced cultures of chimpanzees are disappearing as human beings encroach on previously undisturbed areas of African forest, according to a new study involving researchers from Lincoln Park Zoo.

(mali maeder / pexels)

A Guide to Recycling Plastics

On average, people in the U.S. generate 220 pounds of plastic waste each year, even though much of those materials could be recycled. Here’s the lowdown on the types of plastic that can and can’t be recycled. 

Kristin Dvorak, an assistant lead bird keeper at Lincoln Park Zoo, recently traveled to South Africa as part of an international effort to rehabilitate 1,800 abandoned flamingo hatchlings. (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)

Lincoln Park Zoo Helps Save 1,800 Abandoned Flamingo Chicks in South Africa

A severe drought earlier this year forced a large group of flamingos to flee a nesting site in South Africa. That’s when Lincoln Park Zoo and other wildlife conservation groups from around the world stepped in.

(Idaho National Laboratory / Flickr)

Study: Female Scientists Receive $40K Less in Federal Funding Than Men

A new Northwestern study is the first to show that female scientists receive less money when applying for federal grants than their male counterparts. 

The Minnesota Legislature banned the sale and use of coal tar-based sealants on January 1, 2014. These products were commonly applied to asphalt driveways and parking lots. (MPCA Photos / Flickr)

Bill Would Let Illinois Cities, Counties Ban Coal Tar Sealants

Children who are regularly exposed to coal tar-based pavement sealants are 38 times more likely to develop cancer, according to the environmental group the Sierra Club. 

A male giant anteater pup was born at Brookfield Zoo on Dec. 15, 2018. (Jim Schulz / Chicago Zoological Society)

Giant Anteater Pup Born at Brookfield Zoo

The unnamed pup, born Dec. 15, can be seen alongside his mom on select days in the zoo’s “Tropic World: Africa” exhibit.

(Andrew Kuhn / Flickr)

Transportation, Jobs at Center of Ambitious Illinois Clean Energy Bill

The Clean Energy Jobs Act aims to move Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 while modernizing the state’s transportation sector and creating thousands of new jobs.

(LoboStudioHamburg / Pixabay)

Records: CPD Used CIA-Backed Software to Monitor Social Media Accounts

Chicago police have spent nearly $1.5 million on a social media monitoring software called Dunami since 2014, records show. The ACLU of Illinois has called on CPD to end its use of the "spying software." 

(Chicago Tonight file photo)

Trash Removal Project Adds 7-Mile Stretch of Chicago River

The Litter Free Chicago River project will soon include a stretch of the river from North Avenue to Foster Avenue, where the North Branch connects with the North Shore Channel.

Eric Elshtain, the Field Museum’s first-ever poet-in-residence, interacts with a group of children in the museum’s Stanley Field Hall. (John Weinstein / The Field Museum)

Field Museum’s First Poet-in-Residence to Host Pop-Up Poetry Stations

Poet Eric Elshtain is one of the museum’s newest additions, and he represents the institution’s latest effort at using art to change the way visitors interact with nature.

An overhead view of Watco's storage terminal at 2926 E. 126th St. in Chicago. (Google)

Southeast Side Facility to Stop Handling Bulk Amounts of Brain-Damaging Manganese

Watco Transloading says it will no longer handle materials with high concentrations of manganese, a heavy metal used in steelmaking that can cause brain damage at high exposure levels. 

Field Museum scientists remove several bones from Sue the T. Rex on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Eric Manabat / The Field Museum)

T. Rex Check: Sue’s Arm, Leg Bones Examined in Attempt to Diagnose Past Injuries

What can CT scans tell us about the diseases or injuries Sue the T. Rex might have had? Scientists are hoping to determine just that, but needed to remove several bones Tuesday for testing.

Shirlee, a Blanding’s turtle, as a new hatchling in 2017 (Courtesy Forest Preserve District of DuPage County)

Turtle With Rare Genetic Condition Adopted by Suburban Ecologist

A rare yellow-hued Blanding’s turtle who called Chicago home has moved out to the suburbs, where she’s helping to spread the word about the plight of her endangered species throughout Illinois.

Valentino, a small African antelope, was born Thursday at Brookfield Zoo. (Cathy Bazzoni / Chicago Zoological Society)

Valentino, a Baby Antelope, Born on Valentine’s Day at Brookfield Zoo

A tiny African antelope that belongs to one of the smallest species of its kind in the world received a name befitting his Feb. 14 birthday.

Kimberly Wasserman, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, speaks during a press conference Thursday in response to a new renewable energy plan unveiled by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (Courtesy Little Village Environmental Justice Organization)

Activists Denounce Mayor Emanuel’s Renewable Energy Plan

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announces a plan for transitioning Chicago buildings to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. But community advocates say the plan ignores existing environmental threats in some parts of the city.

(Andrew Kuhn / Flickr)

Illinois Defies National Trend by Adding 1,300 Solar Jobs in 2018

The U.S. solar energy industry lost nearly 8,000 jobs last year, but Illinois was one of just eight states that saw a significant increase in solar jobs.

An animal care specialist at Brookfield Zoo measures the girth of a dolphin. (Courtesy Chicago Zoological Society)

New App Developed at Brookfield Zoo Helps Optimize Dolphins’ Diets

Unlike the industry serving health-conscious humans, there are no books, infomercials or 12-week programs to help dolphins optimize their diets. But there is an app for that, thanks to new research by animal welfare specialists.