Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Vast Majority of Patients at Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ Newest Clinic in Carbondale Come From Out of State

Three-quarters of the patients served by the Carbondale clinic have come from out of state, the organization said in numbers released Monday. Of those out of state patients, 88% reside in states where abortion access is restricted, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri.

Chicago Receives $3M Grant to Inventory Its Trees and Create Plan to Manage City’s Urban Forest

The Chicago Park District also received nearly $1.5 million to conduct an inventory. Morton Arboretum's Chicago Region Trees Initiative is administering the grants on behalf of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

‘I Just Want Everybody to Know That I See You’: Barack Obama Visits Presidential Center Construction Site in Chicago as Structure Reaches Full Height

The former president shook hands with construction workers and signed a beam that will be used in the ongoing construction of the center in Jackson Park.

Alzheimer’s Drug That Can Slow Disease Gets Backing From FDA Advisers

Food and Drug Administration advisers voted unanimously that the drug’s ability to slow the disease outweighs its risks, including side effects like brain swelling and bleeding that will have to be monitored.

CPS, CTU to Hold First-Ever Contract Negotiation Session Open to the Public Friday

The CTU announced the sides have agreed to schedule an open contract bargaining session Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond St., in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.

8 People Killed by Gunfire Over Weekend Across Chicago: Police

An 18-year-old woman fatally shot as she sat in a vehicle early Sunday morning in West Englewood was among eight people killed by gunfire over the weekend across Chicago.

WTTW News Explains: What Are Illinois’ Gun Laws?

Chicago has a reputation as the City of Big Shoulders. For rough-and-tumble politics. And for having a lot of crime, despite strict gun laws. But what are those laws? WTTW News explains.

Potawatomi Hope to Finalize DeKalb County Land Transfer When Lawmakers Return in the Fall

The Prairie Band Potawatomi are now headquartered in northeast Kansas. But they once had a reservation in what is now DeKalb County, a reservation that officials now agree was illegally sold out from under them in 1850.

Extraordinary Stage Show Mixes Magic With a Bounty of Brainteasers at Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Review

David Kwong is a magician who also constructs crossword puzzles. As he puts it, “I combine the two nerdiest hobbies into one.” In his one-man show “The Enigmatist,” Kwong asserts that the disciplines of puzzle-making and magic-making share DNA.

Number of Unhoused Chicagoans Tripled Amid Surge of Migrants, Survey Found

“We aren’t rising to the occasion,” said Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. He called the survey results “disheartening but not surprising.”

Week in Review: Biden Takes Executive Action at the Border; Chicago Police Prep for the DNC

Chicago police learn new tactics to handle mass protests ahead of the DNC. And could the president’s new border policy mitigate migrants coming to the city?

Chicago Archaeopteryx About to Go Off Display for the Summer, Catch It Before Hiatus at Dinopalooza

After Saturday, the Field Museum’s newest dinosaur fossil will be off display until fall while staff works on building a permanent exhibit for the Chicago Archaeopteryx.

The CSO in Masterful Performances of Works by Four French Composers: Review

Paris will be hosting the Olympic Games this summer, but if you are in search of what might easily be dubbed the Olympics of French classical music, you have no need to purchase an airline ticket. Simply head to Orchestra Hall, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss.

Street Closures for NASCAR Chicago Street Race Start Monday. Here’s What to Look Out For

The NASCAR Chicago Street Race will take place July 6-7. Setting up and tearing down for the race is expected to take 19 days.

Appellate Court Finds CPS Did Not Violate School Closure Moratorium When It Revoked Charters of Urban Prep Academies

An Illinois appellate court this week ruled that Chicago Public Schools did not violate a moratorium on school closures when it voted down charter renewals for a pair of South Side high schools.

7th Annual ‘We Walk for Her’ March Demands More Help in Finding Missing Black Girls and Women

People marched the streets in Bronzeville to demand that elected officials and law enforcement authorities do more to resolve missing persons and murder cases. Black girls and women are overrepresented in missing persons cases in Chicago, according to reports.

James Beard Finalists Include an East African Restaurant in Detroit and Seattle Pho Shops

The nominees cover a diverse range of cuisine and chef experience, a recent shift following turbulent, pandemic-era years for the James Beard Foundation. The most-anticipated categories include awards for outstanding restaurateur, chef and restaurant.

As Pride Month Shines in Chicago, Latino LGBTQ+ Communities Spotlight Youth Services

Chicago’s Latino lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer communities are embracing the city’s progress toward equality, while recognizing there’s still work to be done. Particularly when it comes to providing safe and welcoming environments for today’s LGBTQ+ youth.

Got Piles of Dead, Stinking Cicadas and Don’t Know What to Do? Treat Them Like Fallen Leaves, Expert Says

Members of the first wave of cicadas have done their thing: They came, they molted, they screamed, they bred, and now they’re dying.

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 6, 2024 - Full Show

Officials say more than half of the migrants forced to leave city shelters immediately returned. How Latino communities are celebrating Pride. And meet the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space.

More Than Half of Migrants Forced to Leave City Shelters Immediately Returned, Chicago Officials Say

The acknowledgement that approximately 500 people returned to city shelters after living there for at least two months raises new questions about plans by officials to start evicting families with school-age children from city shelters on Monday.

At 26, She Became the First Mexican-Born Woman to Travel to Space. Now She’s Working to Encourage the Next Generation

Many kids dream of blasting off into space one day — and Katya Echazarreta was no exception. As the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space, she is dedicated to showing other women the sky’s the limit when it comes to reaching their goals.

Pay $5.8M to Settle Lawsuit Alleging Rampant Racism and Sexism at Water Department, City Lawyers Recommend

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly ruled there was enough evidence for a jury to conclude “that the city had a custom or policy of condoning racial harassment and discrimination at (the Water Department) as well as inaction in the face of a risk of potential constitutional violations.”

City Council Set to Fill Vacant Seats on Ethics Board After Months of Delays

The Chicago City Council is poised to fill two long-vacant seats on the city's Board of Ethics after Mayor Brandon Johnson faced months of criticism from good-government advocates.

Key City Panel Advances Plan to Ban Lobbyists From Giving Campaign Cash to Mayors

The proposal, based on a unanimous recommendation by the Chicago Board of Ethics, now heads to a final vote at the City Council meeting set for June 12.

60 Chicago Parks to Offer Free Public Internet Access, Officials Say Wi-Fi is ‘Truly a Human Right’

Rosa Escareño, Chicago Park District general superintendent and CEO, announced an $8 million investment in broadband infrastructure that will provide free, public internet service at 60 of the city’s parks on the South and West sides.
 

Sign up for the WTTW News newsletter

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors