Stories by alex ruppenthal

(Courtesy Solar Energy Industries Association)

City Solicits Solar Energy Developers for Vacant South, West Side Lots

Chicago is seeking proposals to install solar panels on 30 acres of previously developed land in Austin, Englewood, West Pullman, Riverdale and South Deering. 

(Jeremy Atherton / Wikimedia Commons)

EPA to Host Chicago Hearing on Repeal of Obama-Era Clean Power Plan

Local public health experts are set to testify at a Chicago hearing next week on the Trump administration’s proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which established limits on pollution from power plants. 

(Chicago Tonight file photo)

EPA Awards Nearly $60,000 for Chicago River Education Project

A new federal grant aims to help educators use the Chicago River as a “living classroom” to teach students about water quality issues. 

(Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

Advocates Celebrate Opening of Restored Horner Park Riverfront

An effort that began two decades ago to restore the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River in Horner Park is finally complete.

Megan Ross (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)

Lincoln Park Zoo Names Megan Ross as First Female Director

The zoo’s former curator of birds becomes the first woman to hold the position of director in the zoo’s 150-year history, and the first zoo director since the institution privatized in 1995.

Kelley Gandurski (Kelley Gandurski / Facebook)

After Firing Previous CACC Director, Emanuel Names Permanent Head

Nearly three months after the controversial firing of Susan Russell, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has named Kelley Gandurski as executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control.

A rendering of the dog-friendly green space planned for two parking spaces in River North on Friday, Sept. 21. (Courtesy of The Anti-Cruelty Society)

Play With Dogs in River North ‘Bark(ing) Spots’ on Friday

Two parking spaces in River North will be transformed into a temporary dog-friendly area as part of PARK(ing) Day, a global movement calling attention to the need for more open space in cities. 

Runners participate in the 2012 Chicago Marathon near the intersection of Clark Street and Diversey Parkway. (Benjamin Lipsman / Flickr)

Chicago Marathon Joins Shedd’s Initiative to Ditch Disposable Straws

Since the launch of #SheddTheStraw last spring, businesses across Chicago have taken steps to eliminate their use of single-use plastic straws. Now, one of Chicago’s biggest events is getting involved.

The Field Museum and Journeyman Distillery are partnering on a gin made with 27 botanicals introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. (Courtesy The Field Museum)

Field Museum to Release Gin Rooted in 1893 World’s Fair

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.

Mauyak, one of eight beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium (Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

Mauyak, 37-Year-Old Beluga Whale at Shedd Aquarium, is Pregnant

The aquarium is preparing for a new – and very large – resident whose arrival is expected next summer.

A new art installation at Navy Pier uses a solar-powered highway message board to warn of the dangers of climate change. (Alex Ruppenthal / Chicago Tonight)

‘Warning High CO2’: Navy Pier Art Installation Heeds ‘Climate Crisis’

Pull over to the side of the road and consider the world-ending event taking place before your eyes. That’s essentially the message conveyed by the newest piece of public art on display at Navy Pier.

(Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

Shedd Aquarium Welcomes 24 Endangered Blanding’s Turtle Hatchlings

As part of a new partnership aimed at preserving the endangered Great Lakes species, the turtles will remain at Shedd until they are big enough to be released back into the wild at a protected site in DuPage County.

Sgt. Andres Salazar inspects an internal hoist on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at the Kankakee Army Aviation Support Facility on Sept. 12, 2018. (Sgt. Stephen Gifford / Illinois National Guard)

Illinois National Guard Deployed to Assist Hurricane Florence Response

Ten soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard have been deployed to North Carolina to support relief efforts during and after Hurricane Florence. 

Ricky, a male cat at Chicago's Animal Care and Control shelter (Chicago Animal Care and Control)

City Animal Shelter Seeking Help With Influx of Rescued Cats

The number of rescued cats at Chicago’s Animal Care and Control shelter reached a high of 300 earlier this week, prompting the agency to sound the alarm on social media.

UIC bioengineering professor Ian Papautsky and Erin Haynes of the University of Cincinnati Department of Environmental Health present a sensor that will conduct rapid testing for human exposure to toxic metals. (Courtesy University of Cincinnati)

UIC Professor Developing Finger-Prick Blood Test for Toxic Metals

If successful, the portable, smartphone-sized sensor will measure human exposure to toxic metals like lead and manganese using a single finger prick of blood  – and deliver results in minutes.

(Jim Schulz / Chicago Zoological Society)

Rare Blind Salamanders Debut at Brookfield Zoo

The completely blind amphibians, found in Texas, are a translucent white color with bright red gills. Brookfield Zoo is one of just three North American institutions to host the rare creatures.

(Aurimas / Flickr)

Chicago Becomes LEED-Certified for Green Building Initiatives

Chicago has become the seventh city in the world to receive top-level certification for its sustainability efforts focused on green buildings.

(Walmart / Flickr)

Bag Tax Study: Use of Disposable Bags Down But Still Above 50 Percent

Chicago’s bag tax has resulted in a decrease in the use of disposable bags since taking effect early last year, but a majority of shoppers still use at least one disposable bag per trip, a new study shows.

(Pxhere.com)

Illinois Sues Trump Administration Over Plan to Strip Protections for Migratory Birds

A lawsuit filed Thursday by Illinois and seven other states challenges a Trump administration plan to eliminate long-standing protections for migratory birds.

(Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

Shedd Aquarium Adds Extended Hours to Free Admission in September

The aquarium’s initiative to offer free admission to Illinois residents this month has a new twist that could help you avoid rush-hour traffic.

Residents of Dune Acres, Indiana, hike Cowles Bog Trail. (Katherine Moore Powell / The Field Museum)

Climate Scientists Create Plan for Preserving Indiana Dunes

About 2 million people visit the Indiana Dunes each year for its hills of sand and sprawling beaches. But the beloved site on the southern shore of Lake Michigan is changing – and not in a good way.

(Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay)

Detainees Pair Up with Shelter Dogs for New Program at Cook County Jail

Cook County Jail detainees will train dogs from the city shelter as part of a new program aimed at preparing for adoption larger dogs that often struggle to find permanent homes.

Specimens preserved by alcohol at the Field Museum (John Weinstein / The Field Museum)

Field Museum to Host ‘Science of Alcohol’ Series in Logan Square

Learn about the history, science and uses of alcohol during a discussion series in September at The Whistler as part of the Field Museum’s 125th anniversary celebration.

(kat_geb / Flickr)

Rauner Signs Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp in Illinois

A new law allows Illinois farmers to grow cannabis for non-drug uses, making Illinois the latest state to legalize a crop that experts say is growing in demand.

(Courtesy Chicago Department of Aviation)

Grazing Goats, Sheep and 1 Donkey Help Clear Vegetation at O’Hare

For the fifth straight year, dozens of animals have returned to O’Hare International Airport, where they are helping to clear invasive vegetation that can harbor wildlife and pose risks to aircrafts during takeoff. 

David, a young male pangolin, is part of Brookfield Zoo’s “Habitat Africa! The Forest” exhibit. (Courtesy Chicago Zoological Society)

Brookfield Zoo Conference Examines the Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

More than a million pangolins have been poached from the wild in the past 10-15 years, according to Brookfield Zoo. What conservationists are doing to change that.