Stories by Eunice Alpasan

The findings come amid federal cuts to safety net programs like SNAP, along with rising costs and insufficient wages, which are forcing residents to choose between groceries and other essentials like housing and medicine, according to the report.

The Englewood Jazz Festival returns to Hamilton Park on Sept. 17-19. The festival will feature performances honoring the legacies of Oscar Brown Jr., John Coltrane and Miles Davis while also celebrating the next generation of musicians.

Starting this month through November, the Chicago Public Library will present book discussions, science talks, films, creative workshops and cultural experiences tied to the book selection. One Book, One Chicago for the first time will include dedicated programming for children and teens.

This year’s Open House Chicago will feature more than 200 locations across 30 Chicago neighborhoods, including 20 sites that are new to the festival, according to a Wednesday announcement. The festival takes place Oct. 17-18.

The report, “Hunkering Down: The Hidden Economic Cost of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Cook County, IL,” was released by UIC’s Great Cities Institute. The report also found an estimated $107 million was lost in local sales tax revenue.

The planned expansion comes as SkyART gears up to host a free community block party on Sept. 12 in celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The celebration will be held at SkyART West in Garfield Park.

Chicago’s airports are projected to see more passengers than last year, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. For those hitting the road, car traffic is expected to peak Thursday and Friday, according to AAA.

The first death from West Nile virus in Illinois this year was reported in Chicago, the Chicago Department of Public Health announced Tuesday. CDPH also reported the first two human cases of West Nile virus in the city.

The Presidents Cup will be held at Medinah Country Club in the northwest suburbs on Sept. 22-27. It will be President Donald Trump’s first public appearance in the Chicago area since he was elected to a second term.

The Vietnamese Association of Illinois has served as an anchor for the Vietnamese community in the Chicago area for the last 50 years. The organization will hold a 50th anniversary concert celebration Saturday featuring New Orleans–based musical group Saigon Jazz Revival and Vietnamese singer Carol Kim.

The Daily Herald News Guild has filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, according to a news release. The union would represent 20 eligible staff members at the newspaper, according to the organizing committee.

The belugas are the latest to be rescued from Marineland, a shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which closed to the public in 2024. Last month, a first group of four beluga whales arrived at Shedd Aquarium.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said that it does not recommend adjustments to the childhood immunization schedule based on the recent federal executive order and that the department continues to endorse the immunization schedule put forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Chicago Humanities announced its full fall festival schedule, featuring standalone programs and festival days in select neighborhoods, the festival announced Tuesday. The festival runs from September through November.

John Ballantine served as a trustee at Window to the World Communications, the parent organization of WTTW and WFMT, for 34 years and served as a vice chair during his tenure.

The upgraded station is part of a broader CTA initiative to make all rail stations fully accessible by 2038. Upgrades to the Austin Green Line station include a new elevator and escalator, reconstructed stairs, a new ramp, an extended platform and a monitor that displays real-time elevator status information.

Head Start began in the 1960s as part of former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. The federal early childcare and education program aims to support the poorest and most vulnerable children — including those who are homeless, in foster care or have disabilities.

A singer and longtime patron of Chicago’s jazz music scene, Geraldine de Haas helped start what would later be known as the Chicago Jazz Festival. She died last week at 91, her family announced.

In Illinois, there have been no deaths related to the cyclospora outbreak, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Tuesday.

The Printers Row Lit Fest will be held Sept. 12-13. The free event brings together more than 200 nationally and locally acclaimed authors, journalists, poets, screenwriters, booksellers and storytellers.

The $70 million program can support up to 175,000 Illinoisans who lost or received reduced SNAP benefits due to changes in eligibility. No paperwork or application is required; the one-time benefits are issued automatically.

Emmett Till was a Black teenager from Chicago who was abducted, tortured and killed in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a White woman in Mississippi. Till was 14 years old. Following Till’s murder, his mother insisted on an open casket funeral to show his mutilated body.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office will provide blue envelopes free of charge at DMV facilities and participating law enforcement agencies across the state, according to Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. The statewide blue envelope program officially launches January 1, 2027.

State and local health officials have still not identified a cause or source behind the higher number of cyclosporiasis cases the state and the city is seeing compared to previous years. The disease, which can cause frequent and watery diarrhea, is spread by consuming contaminated food or water.

Mobile vaccination clinics will be held at community events and back-to-school fairs throughout suburban Cook County through mid-October. Vaccines for those ages 6 months to 18 years old will be provided at no cost, regardless of immigration or insurance status.

An outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasitic infection has hit more than half of U.S. states, including in Illinois, which has 194 confirmed and probable cases as of Monday.