Stories by Eunice Alpasan

Santa and his elves are returning to CTA buses and trains for the holiday season. The holiday tradition will return starting the week of Thanksgiving and will run through late December, the Chicago Transit Authority announced Tuesday.

A funeral service was held Monday morning for Chicago police Officer Enrique Martinez, who was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop earlier this month. “The willingness to give your life for the safety of others is the most noble thing you can do,” said Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling.

The holiday-related activities such as holiday markets and tree lighting ceremonies begin this month and run through early January.

Subscription packages will start at $19.99 per month for one team or $29.99 per month for full access to Chicago Sports Network, including all three teams’ live games. CHSN launched in October to replace NBC Sports Chicago, the longtime former home of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox.

The Illinois Nurses Association represents 1,700 nurses at UI Hospital who have been in contract negotiations since June. Nurses at the hospital system initially went on strike for one week when their contract ended in August. For the current strike, the nurses’ union did not give hospital leadership a strike end date.

The city aims to deliver 3,000 compost bins to residents throughout Chicago's 50 wards. The city initially allocated 20 compost bins to distribute in each ward but increased it to 60 bins per ward due to demand.

Ella Jenkins was known for revolutionizing children’s music with her signature “call and response” style found throughout her performances. The self-taught musician became a leading figure in American folk and children’s music of the 20th century.

“We will work to defend and expand the rights of immigrants at the state and local levels even when the federal government attempts to take those rights away including DACA, health care expansion and more,” said Dulce Ortiz, executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center.

More than 450,000 early vote and vote-by-mail ballots have been cast as of Sunday night for the upcoming presidential election, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. If you plan on voting on Election Day on Tuesday, here’s what you need to know.

As a vegan for nearly 10 years, I’ve been fortunate to try many different foods and cuisines that have expanded my idea of what vegan food can be. In light of World Vegan Day, here are some of my personal favorite food spots in the city serving dishes inspired from around the globe.

The hotline aims to help the U.S. Department of Justice deter and combat discrimination and intimidation at the polls, election fraud and threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, according to a news release.

Chicago Stars FC will continue to use the Red Stars name and crest for the remainder of the season before fully transitioning to the new brand at the start of the 2025 season.

“People are realizing Election Day is now right around the corner and now taking advantage of these early voting options to get their civic duty out of the way,” said Max Bever, director of public information at Chicago Board of Elections.

Once eligibility is confirmed, city staff will deliver a free compost bin to residents’ homes, according to a news release announcing the initiative. Each ward will receive an initial allocation of 20 bins.

Voters in Chicago and suburban Cook County can look up their voter information online, where voters can verify their voter registration, locate their polling place, view a sample ballot and check the status of a vote-by-mail ballot.

Homewood residents and supporters gathered at Homewood Brewing Company, 18225 Dixie Highway, to attend a ribbon-cutting celebration for the brewpub, which is holding a soft opening Friday and Saturday before operating at extended hours next week.

The Secretary of State’s office is deploying 15 kiosks located in Chicago, the suburbs and downstate in Mariano’s, Jewel-Osco, Kroger and Meijer grocery stores. The kiosks will print vehicle registration stickers for customers immediately on site. Customers seeking a driver’s license or state ID card renewal will receive a temporary document at the kiosk to use while their new card is mailed to them.

The milestone comes over one year since an Illinois law went into effect requiring public schools to provide a plant-based lunch for students who have, or whose parents have, requested a plant-based lunch option in advance. The plant-based school lunches meet the same federal nutrition standards as non-plant based lunch options.

The Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival coincides with Filipino American History Month in October. Performances and readings will be held Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 11-26 at PrideArts and Rizal Center.

The conversation was the final installment of a three-part series, “Ending Gun Violence in Chicago: Connecting Policy, Practice and Community,” hosted by philanthropic group The Joyce Foundation in collaboration with WTTW and City Club of Chicago.

The race, which transformed the streets of downtown into a 2.2-mile street course, is already set to make its return to Chicago next summer.

Attendees of the outdoor concert venue the Salt Shed might have been exposed to a bat during a Sept. 12 concert for the band Goose, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Early voting is now available at a voting supersite at 191 N. Clark and the Chicago Board of Elections offices at 69 W. Washington, 6th floor. Early voting in all 50 wards begins Oct. 21.

The CDC recommends people ages 6 months and older get the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccinations to get the best protection from current circulating COVID-19 variant strains and flu viruses.

Chicago-based health care workers who provided humanitarian aid in Gaza gathered Wednesday to raise awareness around the ongoing crisis in Palestine and the deaths of civilians.

Readers of the lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler voted Chicago as the best big city in the U.S. for the eighth year in a row, as part of the magazine’s annual readers’ choice awards. Chicago has been named best big city in the U.S. every year since 2017.