Stories by Nick Blumberg

For more than a year, documentary filmmaker Steve James and his collaborators fanned out across Chicago at a pivotal moment. James tells us about the resulting five-part series that premieres this week on NatGeo and Hulu.

The coronavirus pandemic has given rise to a cycling boom in Chicago, but many riders face on-street bike lanes that are blocked or in disrepair. An advocacy organization wants to combat the problem with its new mobile app.

COVID-19 rollbacks hit Chicago and the collar counties. Tax hikes, borrowing and layoffs are in Mayor Lightfoot’s budget. A state supreme court race gets political. A recap of the final presidential debate.

Lake Shore Drive is iconic, but with that status comes aging infrastructure. Transportation officials have come up with potential ways to overhaul the Drive and they’re looking for feedback.

With a heated election drawing to a close and concerns about possible post-election unrest, transportation advocates are calling on the Lightfoot administration and Chicago-area transit systems to pledge they’ll continue operations during protests.

For the first time in decades, a candidate with a name other than Lipinski will represent Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District in Congress. We hear from Republican Mike Fricilone and Democrat Marie Newman.

Perhaps the most hotly contested race on Illinois ballots this year isn’t between two candidates. It’s a fight over income tax rates. We hear from both sides of the hotly contested measure.

After the president refuses to participate in a virtual debate, it is canceled by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The city faces a nearly unsolvable budget problem as federal stimulus talks break down. And the “fair tax” fight heats up.

Chicago officials on Tuesday announced $8 million in grants for expanded mental health care services across the city, including for some of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents: those experiencing homelessness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has many Americans rethinking how they’re going to vote this year, with huge numbers applying for mail-in ballots. Emmerson Buie Jr. talks about the FBI’s priorities, and what steps they’re taking in Chicago.

Jimmy Carter, who served just a single term in the White House, is widely seen as a model ex-president but largely unsuccessful president. Now, the 96-year-old is the subject of a full-length, independent biography.

Fallout from the shocking announcement that President Trump tests positive for COVID-19. Michael Madigan gets a challenger for Speaker. Chicago endures a deadly September, and Nick Foles takes over for the Bears.

The first Trump-Biden debate. A fiery hearing on corruption in Springfield. Chicago’s loosening COVID-19 restrictions. Our politics team tackles those stories and more in this week’s roundtable.

After sitting empty for nearly two decades, the old Cook County Hospital building has been given a new life. Leaders are touting the $140 million project as a sign of hope amid an economic downturn.

Community leaders and elected officials have been making a big push to get the city’s and state’s response rates up.

Latinos are easy to spot at movie theaters, but not so much on the big screen. A one-on-one conversation with the director of the Chicago Latino Film Festival.

A federal judge has ordered the 2020 census schedule to continue until the end of October. We discuss efforts to boost response rates and get as accurate a count as possible.

Despite concerns over using public transportation during the coronavirus pandemic, many essential workers and residents without cars have been relying on the Chicago Transit Authority to get around.

Another Illinois politician pleads guilty. The Cook County Democratic Party turns its back on a long-serving judge. Our politics team weighs in on those stories and more.

Commuter rail agency Metra has seen the largest passenger decline of any of the Chicago-area transit systems. How the agency is working to reverse the slump.

We speak with Angela Tovar, the city’s recently named sustainability officer, about a new air quality ordinance and improving Chicago’s environment.

Football is back. The Chicago Bears are set to kick off the regular season Sunday against the Detroit Lions. It’ll be the first time the Bears face an opponent this year, since the NFL skipped the preseason due to COVID-19.

Chicago Public Schools students are back in the classroom this week — virtually, that is. CPS CEO Janice Jackson tells us more about that and the results of the district’s “Learn. Plan. Succeed.” program. 

Inside a 1907 tavern once owned by Schlitz that's being restored by new owners and heading for city landmark status.

U.S. Reps. Danny Davis, Brad Schneider and Rodney Davis talk about the president’s visit to Kenosha and the next round of coronavirus relief from Congress.

Monday is Overdose Awareness Day, an annual event aimed at reducing drug-related deaths and the stigma of substance use disorders. And it comes this year amid a dramatic spike in opioid-related overdoses and deaths in Chicago.