Stories by Reuben Unrau

About 20 people on board an American Airlines flight bound for Miami suffered minor injuries, fire officials said, after the plane caught fire Friday afternoon on a runway at O'Hare International Airport.

Taking the CTA Red Line will be a blast from the past for some Cubs fans heading to the their team’s first World Series appearance in more than half a century.

With less than two weeks until Election Day, more Illinoisans are registered to vote since record keeping began in 1970.

For Chicago’s long-suffering fans to get in on the action of the Cubs’ historic championship run, they’ll have to pony up the big bucks. 

A new partnership between the Chicago Housing Authority and Chicago Public Libraries will put affordable housing and learning centers under the same roof in three city neighborhoods.

Motorists will be without a single testing center within Chicago city limits starting Nov. 1.

The completion of the three-block stretch marks the end of construction on the 1.25-mile promenade, providing pedestrian and bike access along the south bank of the river.

Chicago bumped San Francisco from its number two spot in this year’s ranking of U.S. travel destinations by Conde Nast Traveler.

It's home to an estimated 30 million objects from across the globe, but only about 25 percent of the Field Museum's collection has been cataloged in a digital database. Starting Thursday, volunteers can help grow that percentage.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced on Wednesday a new program that will provide city municipal photo ID cards to Chicago residents.  

Just weeks after Chicago was named the best U.S. city for biking, plans are underway to make the bicycle sharing program Divvy more convenient for CTA riders.

The Illinois Attorney General’s office announced last week a $750,000, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will help fund a new program that aims to improve the state's response to sexual assault crimes.

A pilot program announced last week by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Family and Support Services aims to provide temporary employment opportunities and assistance to 100 homeless individuals.

Shelisa Jones is on a mission from God. Her plan? Rent out Soldier Field next Monday for a citywide interfaith prayer vigil for peace during one of Chicago’s most violent years in decades. 

This week, the university announced that 96 percent of incoming freshman have registered to vote, thanks in part to a new website launched this fall. 

When Oak Park Billiards closed 10 years ago, the vintage Brunswick pool tables remained. But with a new tenant moving in, those iconic tables, along with hundreds of other items, are up for sale to the general public this weekend.

A recent survey of the top 50 Chicago public companies reveals a lack of minority representation among senior leadership positions, with 19 showing no ethnic diversity within their executive ranks.

Readings and discussions with a focus on this year’s theme of diversity will take place in libraries and bookstores across Chicago.

An upcoming photography exhibition at the Gage Gallery at Roosevelt University shines a light on these organic works of art and the stories behind them.

The annual Chicago Ideas Week festival returns next month with more than more than 250 presenters, including U.S. soccer star Abby Wambach, talent agent Ari Emanuel and former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell.

According to a report released last week from real estate company Coldwell Banker, Park Forest is the most affordable market in Illinois and the third most affordable nationwide. 

A study from Roosevelt University titled, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” analyzes the state’s heroin crisis. One of the report’s co-authors pinpoints Chicago’s West Side as the “epicenter” of the state’s crisis.

A new Illinois law mandates that driver’s education instructors teach students how to behave if pulled over by law enforcement.

As homicide rates in Chicago soar, a new street festival looks to highlight the positive side of a South Side community that often makes headlines for crime.

Online behemoth Amazon will open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Lakeview next year. What this could mean for independent bookstores and publishers. 

A new transit facility aimed at improving connections between trains and buses at Union Station is set to open Sunday, city officials announced this week.