Stories by Patty Wetli

A quartet of penguins from the Shedd Aquarium paid a visit to Soldier Field. Could this be the secret weapon the Bears need to take down the Packers during Sunday’s showdown?

In the midst of what feels like the cancellation of everything, Chicago’s biggest outdoor holiday light displays are still happening — albeit in a socially distanced way. Want wattage? We’ve got the scoop on where to go. 

With tighter mitigations in place due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Chicago Park District and surrounding forest preserve districts have suspended programs indefinitely.

Customers won’t be able to board the Holiday Train or Holiday Bus but the CTA’s festive fleet will still spread holiday cheer across the city.

Chicago’s Justice of the Pies was one of 31 businesses named to the Office of Tourism’s Illinois Made program, which boosts the profile of the state’s makers, creators and artisans.

Traveling more than 2,000 miles every year, the migration journey of monarch butterflies links the United States and Mexico in a way no trade agreement or cultural exchange ever could.

Chicago's museums are facing a second shutdown and an uncertain future. Many closures are open-ended or will last at least through the remainder of 2020.

With the city and Cook County under stay-at-home advisories due to COVID 19, the Shedd Aquarium has decided to close its doors through the remainder of the year, targeting Jan. 2 for reopening, the aquarium announced.

General Iron’s parent company has applied for its final permit to operate its metal-shredding operation on the Southeast Side, but federal officials have asked the city to hold off on making a decision.

“Black Friday has been around for a long time, but what has been missing is the Blackness,” said the creators of the program, which encourages people to support Black-owned businesses in Chicago this holiday season.

Hundreds of poinsettia plants were grown for the annual holiday flower show at the Lincoln Park Conservatory, and they need homes now that the event has been canceled.

On the promotional trail for his new memoir “A Promised Land,” the former president sat down with “60 Minutes” for an interview that aired Sunday.

In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases, health officials are now warning Chicagoans about possible exposure to another infectious disease.

From a sociological perspective, we rake because no one wants to be the neighbor with the messy lawn, but ecologically speaking, the benefits of a little mess outweigh the merits of a pristine yard.

On Wednesday, Illinois set a new single-day record of COVID-19 cases as state health officials reported 145 virus-related deaths. Officials are urging residents to work from home and limit non-essential activity in the coming weeks.

The former Woodlawn home of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, is now in the hands of the nonprofit Blacks in Green. Founder Naomi Davis shares the group’s vision for the historic site.

A strong cold front is moving toward Chicago, bringing fast-moving thunderstorms, plunging temperatures and the threat of damaging wind gusts and tornadoes.

The transportation agency’s first-ever Bike Car makes its debut Saturday on the Milwaukee District North Line as part of a pilot program that will run through spring 2021.

Pumpkin Smash events are taking place Saturday throughout the Chicago area as part of an effort to keep the hefty Halloween jack-o’-lanterns out of landfills. 

The holidays are shaping up to be quite different in 2020, but Chicago is still officially putting on a festive face. 

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated Chicago’s cultural landscape, and that pain is likely to continue into 2021, Mark Kelly, commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, said during Thursday’s budget hearings.

Chicago tied a record Wednesday for high temperature when the mercury hit 74 degrees at O’Hare Airport, and more records could fall in the coming days.

An upcoming virtual tour will offer insights into the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s inner workings and will revisit the reversal of the Chicago River. 

After being hit with a dozen citations from city inspectors in the past year, General Iron has agreed to pay a penalty. Meanwhile, environmental activists continue their fight to block the scrap metal recycler’s move.

While a record number of Chicagoans have already voted, plenty of others are set to cast their ballots on Tuesday. Have questions about where or how to vote? We’ve got answers. 

We gain an hour this weekend when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday.