Stories by Joanna Hernandez

Novel Pizza Cafe is putting a modern twist on an Italian classic. The Pilsen spot is decked out with ‘90s-inspired throwbacks, and the food embraces a fusion of the owners’ Mexican and Filipino cultures.

Election results are being disputed in Venezuela — what it could mean for folks here. Efforts to document Latino history. And a new pizza spot serving up a fusion of ingredients.

Since 2018, the Dixon Brotherhood Reunion has brought together formerly incarcerated men. The event was born out of a need to network for jobs and housing and to build social connections that weren’t centered around funerals.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who has all but sealed the Democrats’ nomination after President Joe Biden last month abandoned his bid for reelection, has to choose her running mate before Aug. 7 when the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to confirm the ticket on a roll call vote.

While parts of the U.S. experienced record-breaking heat, July in Chicago was actually slightly cooler than normal.

A total of eight people including Krasikov were swapped back to Russia in exchange for the release of 16 people who were held in Russian detention, including four Americans. 

In a call, Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, reports that her daughter is suffering a “mental breakdown” and tells the dispatcher, “I don’t want you guys to hurt her.” She adds that she fears the police and asks that no officer who is “prejudiced” be sent.

After analyzing data from a community science project on urban milkweed patches, Field Museum researchers have identified common milkweed as the species most attractive to monarch butterflies. 

Trump’s visit to Chicago quickly turns contentious. Growing calls for justice in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey. And COVID-19 cases are on the rise.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases started to rise the week ending May 18 and have seen a steady incline since. With the start of the new school year right around the corner — just what is the latest COVID-19 guidance?

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law Wednesday that forbids employers from disciplining or penalizing workers who don’t participate in meetings “if the meeting or communication is to communicate the opinion of the employer about religious matters or political matters.”

The Republican nominee for president mentioned Chicago only once during a panel discussion at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue.

A Chicago music venue will soon host a karaoke blowout like no other. It’s a rare chance to step onto a big stage and sing in front of … 5,000 people. In other words, it may be your wildest dream or your worst nightmare.

“Right now, there’s over 420 residents at Stateville who are at risk of dire injury due to the structural vulnerabilities, degradation and deterioration of those buildings that put them at risk of serious physical injury,” said Heather Lewis Donnell, a partner at Loevy and Loevy.

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention will officially select their nominee for president in a process that begins Thursday. But unlike in past years, they won’t do so in the raucous party atmosphere of the convention floor or even during the convention itself.

Wednesday’s event marked former President Donald Trump’s second appearance in Chicago since 2016, when massive protests forced him to scrap a rally on the University of Illinois Chicago campus.

Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, a former CEO at aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins, will succeed David Calhoun, 67, as CEO and president effective Aug. 8, the company said.

The lawsuit filed by John Velez, who spent 17 years in prison before his conviction in the murder of 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village was overturned, is set for trial for July 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Edmond Chang ruled Tuesday.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined the family of Sonya Massey in West Garfield Park on Tuesday, demanding justice for the woman who was shot and killed by police in her Springfield home earlier this month.

Biden is expected to deliver a primetime speech during the opening night of the Chicago convention, according to three sources familiar with the planning, with the evening’s programming centering on Biden’s legacy and achievements. 

The National Weather Service in Chicago has so far reported 31 tornadoes in one storm event — surpassing the previous daily record of 22 measured just last year. While there’s debate over how these storms should be defined — researchers are looking into the factors leading to extreme weather and how to protect communities.

Pushback after former President Donald Trump is invited to speak at a convention for Black journalists in Chicago. And what could be behind the recent severe weather across Illinois. 

Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, appears intent on making a choice that she’s comfortable with personally and that can expand her electoral appeal in a matter of days.

Guzmán López, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, stood with feet shackled as federal prosecutors in Chicago detailed a five-count indictment that also includes money laundering, conspiracy and weapons charges.

An eruption of solar particles is headed toward Earth and the impact could be strong enough to make the aurora borealis visible in the lower Midwest, including northern Illinois, through Thursday.

Republican nominee for president Donald Trump is set to take questions about the “most pressing issues facing the Black community” at noon Wednesday at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue.