Stories by Patty Wetli

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Chicago area and much of northern Illinois from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 3 a.m. Thursday.

Freezing mist and drizzle could turn sidewalks into treacherous sheets of ice on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

Shedd Aquarium’s 6-month-old baby beluga is hitting key development milestones, and now it needs a name.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.

Adler Planetarium announced Wednesday that Michelle Larson is stepping down as president and CEO after more than a decade on the job.

Wildlife professionals and advocates are grappling with an avian influenza outbreak that seems to be growing more virulent among Chicago's wild birds.

Illinois officials announced $60 million in funding for improvement projects at five parks and historic sites, with the lion's share being funneled to Starved Rock.

Three new species of king cobras have recently been identified, and the Field Museum’s collection has been harboring one of the rarest for nearly 80 years.

Snowy owl sightings have been thrilling people across northern Illinois this winter, but these occasional visitors from the Arctic face a lot of hazards — including humans and cars — when they venture outside their normal isolated tundra environment.

Four Chicago teens have been charged with conservation-related violations in the killing of a coyote earlier this month near the Mount Greenwood neighborhood, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The screenings will take place at parks in communities where residents have some of Chicago's lowest life expectancies.

According to Streets and Sanitation, thousands of people voted in the contest, now in its third year.

If there were snow pack on the ground, Tuesday's temperatures could be closer to approaching record lows.

On the evenings of Jan. 17 and 18, the planets will appear virtually side by side, in what's called a “planetary conjunction.”

A Chilean flamingo died Jan. 8 and a harbor seal died Jan. 9, with testing confirming highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as the cause, Lincoln Park Zoo officials said.

Allie, one of Brookfield Zoo’s bottlenose dolphins, is expecting a calf in late spring/early summer.

The certification is a validation that the forest preserve district is providing an appropriate home and care for its ambassador animals, officials said. Some animal rights activists disagree.

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors has been responding to an increase in calls for help in rescuing wild birds suffering from avian influenza.

On Monday morning, Chicago Animal Care and Control responded to a report of a coyote at the Humboldt Park Aldi store.

Voting is open online through Jan. 21. Chicago residents can vote for as many as six names, and the top vote getters will represent one snowplow in each of the city’s six snow districts.

On Monday night, the year’s first full moon will pass in front of Mars and cause the planet to momentarily disappear from view.

According to recently released information, bird collision deaths have dropped by as much as 95% at McCormick Place Lakeside Center after bird-friendly window film was installed on the convention center’s glass.

It’s time to un-deck those “live” balsams, Fraser firs and pines. But instead of sending real Christmas trees off to a landfill, there are plenty of recycling options.

More than 3,000 bald eagles make their home in Illinois during the coldest months of the year, the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the continental U.S., according to state wildlife officials.

Admission to Brookfield Zoo is free through Feb. 27 on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The primary reason rats continue to survive and thrive in places like Chicago is because humans provide an endless food buffet.