Stories by Erica Gunderson

Since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, the U.S. territory has suffered greatly. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans who made the wrenching decision to move to Chicago after the hurricane have also struggled to recover.

President Donald Trump on Saturday urged the Republican-run Senate to consider “without delay” his upcoming nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just six weeks before the election.

A presidential campaign that was already tugging at the nation’s most searing divides has been jolted by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, potentially reshaping the election.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington. She was 87.

Big state budget cuts are on the horizon. The Big Ten is back, but youth sports remain on hold. In Springfield, the Madigan inquiry moves forward. And the White Sox are going to the playoffs.

A northern Illinois man who was charged with murder for his role in the beating death of his 5-year-old son, Andrew “AJ” Freund, pleaded guilty Friday to reduced charges and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 

Young, Black & Lit provides free books that feature Black main characters to children. The organization has distributed more than 5,000 books in the Chicagoland area through book fairs, community groups and schools.

Who can get a test? Where can you get one? And how much do tests costs? Here’s what you need to know about coronavirus testing in Illinois.

The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will bar the apps from accessing essential internet services in the U.S.

U.S. health officials on Friday dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested.

On the same day a funeral was held for the 8-year-old girl who was shot and killed last week while riding in a vehicle with her family, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city must do more to protect its juveniles during a historic uptick in violence.

Restaurants and bars in Will and Kankakee counties — Region 7 of the state, as outlined in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan — can once again offer indoor dining and service beginning Friday evening.

The head of COPA said the agency had “never intentionally withheld” information from the public after an audit by the city’s watchdog found it had failed to release video and audio recordings of use-of-force incidents within 60 days.

Join a hike Sunday in Will County, where a flock of American white pelicans, one of North America’s largest birds, is hanging out during its annual fall migration.

Community gardens and urban farms were left scrambling to comply with a new city policy related to hydrant access that left some without water throughout the entire 2020 growing season. 

How one of Chicago’s Far Southwest Side neighborhoods is coping with the coronavirus.

Mexican Americans didn't let the pandemic stop their celebrations. Was there a better way?

For more than 50 years, a family business in West Garfield Park has persevered in good times and bad. They run a record shop that sells music in many formats – and pretty much anything else that will sell.

After a come-from-way-behind victory against Detroit, the Bears now face the New York Giants in the home opener on Sunday. Former Bears player James “Big Cat” Williams has this preview.

A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election.

Geoffrey Baer on a mysterious lakefront structure in this week's Ask Geoffrey. 

The annual migration of monarch butterflies is currently at its peak in the Chicago area. Several roosting sites have been spotted around town as the creatures use the city as a pit stop on their 2,000-mile journey to Mexico.

Mayor Lightfoot called the life expectancy gap between Black and White residents “unacceptable,” as the Chicago Department of Public Health issued a new report that found systemic racism pervades nearly every aspect of civic life.

The office designed to help aldermen keep tabs on how the city spends tax dollars detailed a proposal on Thursday that finds savings by cutting “perks” and things that are “nice to have, but need not have.”

Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris, known for his role on Netflix’s cheerleading reality show “Cheer,” has been charged in federal court with producing child pornography after he allegedly enticed underage children to send him sexually explicit photos and videos.

The CPD launched a series of public surveys, with the goal of hearing what Chicagoans have to say about several policing policies and making adjustments based on those responses.