Stories by Patty Wetli

Let’s hand it to the moon, it makes skywatching easy.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place Nov. 21 in Millennium Park.

Chicago has a number of towering timekeepers, some of them works of art, some of them landmarks, and all of them a reminder that time never stands still.

The city of Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois are joining forces to appeal the Trump Administration's denial of federal disaster relief funds that would have supported the recovery from a pair of severe flooding events this past summer.

Cook County forest preserve police will be increasing their patrols on trails after bikers harassed and assaulted other park visitors in separate incidents last weekend at Busse Woods and LaBagh Woods.

Here’s a look at the history of tear gas and why it remains so controversial.

The scariest thing about Halloween is the number of pumpkins that wind up in landfills every year. Enter the pumpkin smash. Collected gourds will be taken to compost facilities.

Nine plants were just added to Illinois’ exotic weeds list — making it illegal to buy, sell, distribute or plant them in the state.

It's been 125 years since the Chicago River was famously reversed by creating the 28-mile Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Voting is open to give the canal a new, less sewage-adjacent name.

No elevated trains will run in the Loop from 4 a.m. Saturday through 2 a.m. Monday due to track maintenance.

It's been 50 years since Sears traded in its sprawling headquarters campus on Chicago's West Side for a tower in the Loop. But the retail giant's legacy still looms large in North Lawndale.

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus — representing 275 local governments in the Chicago metro area — has kicked off a joint recycling education campaign across six counties.

A pair of newly identified comets are jointly appearing in the October sky, and it’s possible to see both — if you know where to look and when.

The semi-annual Reuse-a-Palooza at The Plant is happening Sunday, a one-stop shop for recycling, repairing and repurposing items that would otherwise go to waste.

The addition of the library locations brings the total number of drop-off options to 33.

The case of mistaken identity was revealed in a scientific paper published Wednesday in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Community members lined the sidewalks outside neighborhood schools Friday afternoon in Lincoln Square, part of a rapid response mobilization following word of ICE activity in the area.

Ever seen a tree that looks like its leaves have sprouted warts or are suffering from a really bad rash? Welcome to the wild, wonderful world of plant oddities known as galls.

Pokemon Go Fest will return to Grant Park in 2026 for the first time since 2019.

The Chicago Park District has shot down a social media rumor that it had received any information about ICE agents targeting Sunday’s upcoming Chicago Marathon for enforcement activities.

There are a number of local fall forecast resources that will point you in the direction of peak color.

September in Chicago felt like a continuation of summer, with above-normal temperatures. But the real story was the lack of rain.

Chicago is famous for its skyscrapers, but landscape architects have played an equal role in shaping the city. Experts will lead tours of dozens of open spaces Saturday and Sunday.

Ground was ceremonially broken Tuesday on the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, a development officials say will bring an economic boom to South Chicago. Neighbors would like to get those benefits in writing.

Harrison Ford is one of the most famous people on the planet. David Willard has spent a career and his retirement cataloguing dead birds. Both will be recognized as conservation superstars during October’s Half-Earth Day event at the Field Museum.

An exclusive vinyl edition of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," will be available at a handful of Illinois' Target stores during a midnight release Friday, including one location in Chicago.