Stories by Angel Idowu

Under the big top, Teatro ZinZanni presents a performance that is Cirque du Soleil meets cabaret, with a little circus action in between.

As expected, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday issued a new executive order that lifts the requirement for masking in most indoor public settings, citing a “vast improvement” in COVID-related hospitalizations and transmissions. 

This past week, in a chillingly prescient way, a rescheduled visit of English National Ballet’s production of Akram Khan’s “Creature” arrived on the Harris stage, and it could not have been more ideally timed. 

The first trial for one of the hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions begins this week, with jury selection starting Monday in the case against Guy Wesley Reffitt. The trial may be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases.

A man who spent $8.50 apiece in 1984 for a pair of tickets to Michael Jordan’s NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls has sold one of them at auction for $468,000.

The Supreme Court is hearing a case its conservative majority could use to hobble Biden administration efforts to combat climate change.

Fourteen people were shot in 12 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, according to the Chicago Police Department.

The City Council’s Subcommittee on Reparations has met only once since it was formed in June 2020, and Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward), the chair of the subcommittee, told WTTW News that her efforts to schedule additional meetings have been unsuccessful.

After 182 days, Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted the statewide mandate on Monday as confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations continued to drop precipitously after the surge driven by the omicron variant. 

Indoor mask mandates for the city of Chicago and state of Illinois are ending Monday. But don’t leave home without one – you’ll still need it in some places. Here’s what you need to know.

Many Americans, including parents of school children, have been clamoring for an end to masking while others remain wary that the pandemic could throw a new curveball. Now, states, cities and school districts are assessing Friday’s guidance to determine whether it’s safe to stop mask-wearing.

The directive to put Russia’s nuclear weapons in an increased state of readiness for launch raised fears that the crisis could boil over into nuclear warfare, whether by design or mistake.

Students protest racial slurs at a suburban high school. How a Chicago journalist uses her own experience to address trauma. Helping students pay for college. And our Black History Month Spotlight.

Students at Niles West High School in Skokie have led two walkouts in the last two weeks to protest what they call a culture of racism on campus. 

Getting to the why is the theme of the book in the latest installment of our Black Voices Book Club Series. “Hood Healing: Interviews With Some of Chicago’s Most Prolific Voices In Media and Black Culture” unpacks the generational trauma Black people experience and how that impacts communities.

On a mission to make education accessible to everyone, one man started a program that has grown dramatically over the years.

As we close out Black History Month, the last Chicago history maker in our spotlight series is a famous cartoonist. Jackie Ormes broke barriers as the first Black woman cartoonist to be published in a newspaper. 

The CSO's bravura rendering of this masterwork was, indeed, a temporary balm for the soul and evidence of how great works of art speak to us throughout time.

We spoke with Frida Kahlo’s grandniece and great-grandniece ahead of the opening of an immersive exhibit showcasing the artist’s work in 360 degrees.

The last day before Lent has many names: Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. It's also known as Paczki Day when Chicagoans prepare for Lent by indulging in as many of the traditional Polish jam-filled doughnuts as they can eat.

Nonprofit organization Hope Chicago told students at Benito Juarez Community Academy they were recipients of fully-funded scholarships at their choice of 20 colleges, universities, and other education programs across Illinois.

In the wake of the decision to reject a permit for a metal shredding and recycling operation on the city’s Southeast Side, environmental justice advocates say now is the time for the city and industrial leaders to work together and find ways to meet the needs of both the community and corporations.

Can industry and safe environmental practices coexist in Chicago? Free college tuition for local students. And we bring you a taste of Polish treats with Colombian flavors.

The story of how La Villita and Chicago’s other Mexican enclaves developed is the subject of “Making Mexican Chicago: From Postwar Settlement to the Age of Gentrification.” The book walks the streets of the city’s Mexican communities and explores the history of the forces that shaped them.

With events rapidly unfolding on TV and across social media, child development experts urge parents to check in with children of all ages but not to worry if those conversations are brief.

It’s been a more turbulent flight than expected. Biden is scheduled to deliver his first State of the Union speech on Tuesday night at a moment when he has struggled to deliver on many of his original promises and as he is being forced to confront new crises.