Stories by Patty Wetli

The tally could continue to rise as survey crews are still in the field investigating damage at numerous additional sites across the region.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is asking voters to approve a 0.035% increase in property taxes when they head to the polls on Nov. 5.

Brookfield Zoo Chicago is planning an expansion that, over the next 15 years, will see traditional exhibit spaces transformed into multi-species “eco-regions” designed to mimic natural environments.

The National Weather Service has so far confirmed 11 tornadoes on Monday, and 17 total between Sunday and Monday.

Multiple tornado warnings were issued throughout the region, and the weather service will send out survey teams to confirm how many tornadoes actually touched down Monday. 

These are not your “ordinary run-of-the-mill winds,” the weather service said.

The chicks have seemed healthy, but then become lethargic. Necropsies have been performed to help determine the cause.

The 3.4 magnitude tremor struck just before 3 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Less than two weeks after celebrating the hatching of four endangered piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach, Chicago is mourning the loss of two of the little ones.

The swim had been planned for Sept. 22, billed as the first such event in nearly 100 years.

Bird-friendly window film is being installed on the convention center’s approximately two football fields’ worth of glass. Work on the $1.2 million project began in early June and is expected to take approximately three months.

The nearly 20-acre parcel will expand the existing Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve.

Chicago’s piping plover monitors are mourning the loss of one of the recently hatched chicks at Montrose Beach. Parents Imani and Searocket are watching over the remaining three.

The boil order had been in place since Tuesday night following an outage at the Roseland Pumping Station.

Residents of several Chicago South Side neighborhoods are under a boil order following a service disruption at the Roseland Pumping Station Tuesday night.

The Chicago Park District board approved the deal Wednesday, along with an option to extend the contract another five years.

From emergence holes in the parkway to molted shells on trees to ear-splitting mating calls, cicadas have very much arrived in Chicago. Just not the ones everybody was obsessing over a month ago.

The remnants of Beryl are expected to sideswipe northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

On Monday, the Chicago Park District announced that Myetie Hamilton, president of the district’s board of commissioners since February 2022, will step down from the role following Wednesday’s board meeting.

After another shortened race weekend that was by turns thrilling and soggy, NASCAR is packing up its Chicago street course and heading out of town.

Submissions are being accepted online through July 11. People can suggest up to four names, which should reflect Chicago’s heritage, culture and diversity.

A 34-year-old man was killed while handling a firework Thursday night, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Don’t know a “spoiler” from a “splitter”? We’re here for you with a beginner’s guide to stock-car racing and what to look for during Saturday and Sunday’s events.

After months of negotiations, Illinois has finally signed onto a project partnership agreement with the state of Michigan and the Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with construction of what’s largely viewed as the last line of defense against invasive carp entering the Great Lakes.

A long holiday weekend is a great opportunity for Chicagoans to play tourist in their hometown, but with the NASCAR Street Race set to circle Grant Park July 6-7, what’s even open to visit?

Piping plover chicks have also recently hatched at Illinois Beach State Park.