Stories by Patty Wetli

The Chicago Commission on Landmarks unanimously approved preliminary landmark status for Emmett Till’s former home, calling the red brick two-flat a “modest home that is monumentally important.”

DANK Haus is offering all the fixings for a classic German feast this weekend, in lieu of what would have been the 100th anniversary of Chicago’s annual German Day celebration.

In a bid to keep restaurants open once cold weather hits, the city has launched a competition aimed at generating creative, yet feasible, ways to extend outdoor dining into Chicago’s winter. 

Of Illinois’ 183 native tree species, nearly 140 are represented on the Illinois Big Tree Register as a state “champ,” leaving 46 species still in need of a big discovery. Here’s how to nominate a tree for inclusion on the list.

Make the most of the three-day weekend by exploring the Chicago region’s abundant hiking and biking trails.  

Chicago’s bright lights lure birds from their migratory path. With hundreds of thousands of birds passing overhead this weekend, the city needs to dim its glow. 

The latest selection for the citywide reading program is “Exit West” by Moshin Hamid. Events and discussions will be centered around the theme of “Beyond Borders.”

The conservatory has transformed its Artist’s Garden into a reflection of Monet’s vision, featuring plants that inspired some of Impressionism’s most memorable paintings. The exhibit opens Saturday in tandem with “Monet and Chicago” at the Art Institute. 

Restaurants, bakeries and other food- and beverage-related businesses have banded together to encourage customers to support enterprises run by women, starting Tuesday.

Less than an inch of rain was recorded at O’Hare in the month of August, pushing Chicago toward drought. That’s likely putting stress on trees, so give them a soak.

Damage to Chicago’s trees during the powerful Aug. 10 derecho was even more extensive than previously thought.

Development of DuSable Park, stalled for more than 30 years, is finally inching forward. Advocates say Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable set an example for multicultural harmony we’ve yet to follow.

Oak trees, once abundant in the Chicago region, have been struggling to reproduce in recent decades. A grant from the U.S. Forest Service will help fund a restoration project at Greene Valley in Naperville.

The Shedd announced the birth of a baby boy beluga, and is expecting a second beluga arrival any day. A Pacific white-sided dolphin is also due to give birth.

The weeklong social media campaign coincides with the 104th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service on Aug. 25.

Rafts loaded with plants floated down the Chicago River last week, a strange sight that in decades past might have been the result of some sort of bizarre garbage spill but these days is a sure sign of the waterway’s ongoing “re-wilding.”

Jeanne Gang’s Studio Gang firm is one of three finalists competing to design the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. The firms just unveiled images of their proposals.

Chef and restaurant winners were to have been announced in September, but the industry’s “dire situation” prompted the James Beard Foundation to cancel its annual presentation.

City crews are still clearing debris from last week’s powerful derecho. Thousands of trees were lost, which has renewed the call by some for an Urban Forestry Advisory Board to manage Chicago’s green infrastructure. 

An asteroid the size of an SUV buzzed past Earth over the weekend, coming closer to the planet than any other on record, according to NASA. 

The yet-to-be-named foal was born Friday. Grevy’s zebras are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting. 

With Chicago’s beaches closed, Evanston has been a lakefront refuge for many city dwellers, but now even that option is becoming limited as summer nears its end.

The National Weather Service is warning people to steer clear of Lake Michigan due to high waves and strong currents. That doesn't just apply to beachgoers and swimmers. Shoreline structures can be dangerous too.

Ines Sommer’s documentary “Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm” shows that climate change is knocking on the door. But that’s not what the movie was supposed to be about. 

In a move prompted by the controversy surrounding Douglas(s) Park, the Park District Board of Commissioners voted to begin the process of amending its code in order to establish a clearer two-step policy for renaming parks.

The physical destruction caused by Monday’s powerful storm, which saw a tornado touch down in Rogers Park, was as devastating as a hurricane, according to ComEd. Now some neighbors are leading the charge on helping out.