Stories by WTTW News
Early Voting for Illinois Primary Election Less Than a Month Away
| Amanda Vinicky
The Illinois primary is March 20, but you don’t have to wait until then to cast your ballot.
Field Museum Scientists Help Protect 2 Million Acres of Rainforest
| Alex Ruppenthal
A team led by Field Museum conservation ecologist Corine Vriesendorp has worked for 15 years to protect one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. This week, it was designated as a national park.
Art Institute Highlights Revolutionary Art from Soviet Union
| Dan Andries
An exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago features the artistic outpouring of Russian artists after the October Revolution of 1917, the coup that brought the Soviet Union into being more than a century ago.
Dick Simpson on His Life as a Chicago Progressive
| Paul Caine
He has seemingly been part of the Chicago political scene forever, first as an activist but then as an alderman, political science professor and twice as an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. Dick Simpson talks about his new book.
Julia Sweeney Makes Second City Debut with ‘Older and Wider’
| Alexandra Silets
The author, actor and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member tells us about her new stand-up residency at The Second City.
What DNA Testing Kits Can – and Can’t – Tell You About History, Health
| Erica Gunderson
The commercials for do-it-yourself DNA testing kits promise a bounty of self-discovery about your history and health. But are you prepared for the results?
School Funding Formula in Limbo After Rauner Veto
| Nick Blumberg
Gov. Bruce Rauner used his veto pen this week to rewrite a bill making minor technical changes to the state’s new and much-debated school funding formula. State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith joins us.
Chronic Pain Advocacy Group Seeks Revision of CDC Opioid Guidelines
| Kristen Thometz
Are chronic pain patients losing access to opioids? One advocacy group says yes, and now it’s pushing for “more reasonable” guidelines from the CDC on opioid prescriptions.
Dolphins, ‘Fitbits’ and the Deep Data Dive to Transform Animal Research
| Alex Ruppenthal
Brookfield Zoo is leading a first-of-its-kind study to collect data from dolphins and other aquatic mammals using a Fitbit-like device that figures to revolutionize human understanding of the animals’ behavior.
New Plumbing Promised for Quincy Veterans Home
| Amanda Vinicky
In the face of mounting criticism over his handling of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a veterans home, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday promised additional upgrades to the facility.
‘Too Hot to Handel’: Jazz-Gospel ‘Messiah’ Reaches into State Prisons
| Marc Vitali
Classical music gets a soulful twist in a show that reaches from Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre to a notorious prison in Louisiana.
Revised Obama Presidential Center Plans Submitted to City Hall
| Paris Schutz
The Obama Foundation says it revised plans for the Obama Presidential Center after extensive community input. But are they enough to silence critics of the center, and will city officials OK the plans?
A Homebuyer’s Market? Redfin Says Chicago Neighborhoods ‘Have It All’
| Evan Garcia
If you’re looking to buy an affordable home near public transit, highly rated schools and other neighborhood perks – one real estate website says look no further than Chicago.
Area Hospitals Race to Keep Up With a Demanding Flu Season
| Brandis Friedman
Health officials say the flu is peaking early this year, with 100 more flu outbreaks statewide than at this time last season. How hospitals are handling the increased volume of patients.
Preventing and Treating Legionnaires’ Disease
| Nick Blumberg
As lawmakers spar over a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a veterans home in Quincy, we take a closer look at how the illness spreads and is treated.
West Town Textile Studio Finds Common Threads with Community
| Erica Gunderson
On Chicago’s West Side, an artist-run production weaving mill and a social service agency work together to weave adults with intellectual disabilities into the fabric of their community.
Namaste Charter Staff Move to Unionize
| Matt Masterson
Staf at the McKinley Park-area charter school filed their intent to unionize on Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board.
10 Things to Do This Weekend: Jan. 11-14
| Kristen Thometz
Free fitness classes, bull riding and craft cocktails usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
Celebrate MLK Day 2018 in Chicago with These Events
| Kristen Thometz
Tribute concerts, storytelling, films and artwork commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday. Here are eight ways to mark the holiday.
Janice Jackson Picks Board of Education Member for CPS Leadership Team
| Matt Masterson
Board member Arnie Rivera has been chosen as Chicago Public Schools’ new chief operating officer, but a tweak to the district’s school code is needed before he can take over.
Official: State’s Response to Legionnaires’ Outbreak ‘Quick,’ ‘Decisive’
| Amanda Vinicky
Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah told lawmakers Tuesday that he’s “proud” of the government’s response to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at a state veterans home in Quincy. But critics say it was a delayed reaction that put veterans at risk.
As Global Refugee Numbers Swell, Trump Targets Salvadorans in US
| WTTW News
President Donald Trump surprised both supporters and detractors when he seemed to endorse an immigration deal a day after the White House announced that nearly 200,000 Salvadorans who have been in the country for more than a decade must leave.
How Gentrification Takes Shape Across Chicago Neighborhoods
| Evan Garcia
A scorching accusation by a candidate for Illinois governor adds fuel to the gentrification debate in Chicago.
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