Stories by Heather Cherone

The Get Stuff Done PAC has raised $1.74 million since early December, including $1 million from Michael Sacks, one of Chicago’s richest men and a frequent donor and adviser to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The staffing shortfall is one of a plethora of issues plaguing the CTA in recent months. Frustrated riders and alderpeople have slammed agency leadership for late or missing buses and trains, inadequate cleaning, safety issues and not providing social services to unhoused people.

From Ida B. Wells to Barack Obama, Chicago’s Black history is rich. Two new initiatives are working to share that history with a broader audience, making sure it’s not forgotten.

For young Black book lovers, it can be tough to find books that reflect the readers and their worlds. In 2018, the local nonprofit Young, Black & Lit took it upon itself to make sure that Black children have plenty of options for their bookshelves.

At Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern in Hyde Park, Chicago chef Erick Williams serves up classic New Orleans-style po’boys. “This will be our first Mardi Gras season. … We’re going to serve a lot of hurricanes and a lot of great food and play the music loud and have a lot of fun.”

A 2018 report found 43% of those released from prison in Illinois will be convicted of another crime and return to prison. About a quarter of those re-offenses are for so-called “technical violations” like violating curfew or missing a meeting with a probation officer.

Research shows formerly incarcerated people who maintained employment for one year after release had only a 16% recidivism rate, compared to a 52% rate for those who did not stay employed.

Roadblocks the formerly incarcerated face when looking for jobs. A new watchdog report on the smokestack implosion in La Villita. And it’s Carnivale season.

Carnivale is getting underway with festivals bursting with dance, music and food. All are invited to see, hear and taste some of the international Carnivale traditions in a free multicultural event at Chicago's Navy Pier.

Mental health professionals are continuing to bridge the gap on mental health care in Latino communities by offering more culturally competent care and normalizing conversations about mental health.

Efforts to support people reentering their communities after prison — and keeping them from going back. Preserving and sharing some of Chicago’s rich Black history. And Mardi Gras po’boys.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was back on the stage at Orchestra Hall on Thursday. Klaus Mäkelä, the wonderfully graceful yet powerfully dynamic 27-year-old Finnish conductor, was on the podium to lead a stunning program.

When you don’t get enough good sleep, the short-term consequences are noticeable — maybe you’re distracted at work or snappy with loved ones. But in the background, irregular and poor-quality sleeping patterns could increase your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

The Chicago-area connection to one of the balloons Biden shot down. Big changes proposed to help Cook County homeowners struggling with property tax debt. And an illegally built museum in Humboldt Park.

It’s been months since the Chicago Park District discovered the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture started construction on an unauthorized building in Humboldt Park. The half-finished cement box is still there. Is there an end in sight?

If homeowners are delinquent more than a year on making property tax payments, they’re at risk of owing large interest payments to private investors who buy up that debt. “It’s the poorest people paying the richest people,” Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said.

While the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade has not blamed the U.S. government for taking out one of its 32-inch-wide “Pico Balloons,” the group of hobbyists notes in a blog post that its last transmission was near where an unidentified object wash shot down.

Dark money flows along with the attacks in the mayor’s race. Florida Gov. DeSantis’ visit to the area draws rebuke. The Bears close on the Arlington Heights property. And Pritzker’s budget spends big on education.

A San Francisco-based tech startup has announced the launch of the latest tool in the fight to stave off the worst of climate change: genetically modified trees.

The nine enforcement actions – an unprecedented number for the board to take at a single meeting – were approved at a special meeting of the Chicago Board of Ethics approximately two weeks after Chair William Conlon sent a warning to all candidates: Do not use images of uniformed Chicago police officers, firefighters or city personnel in campaign advertisements.

On Thursday, the office of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat who was elected to the Senate after a bruising campaign during which he suffered a stroke, announced he had checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression. 

The performance is a fascinating hybrid of ballet technique, modern drama and evocative projection design. Bringing the show fully to life is both the technical polish of the Joffrey dancers and their exceptional gift for acting that so vividly captures the difference between love and passion.

“Plain and simple, Kelly does not comprehend that what he did was wrong," federal prosecutors said in a sentencing memo this week.

We're live in Evanston as neighbors fight back against a redevelopment plan for Ryan Field. Which guns would be affected by the state's proposed assault weapons ban. And artists fight back against AI technology.

Saxophone player Jim Gailloreto with the Metropolitan Jazz Octet arranged some of the songs on the group’s new album, saying their lyrical interpretation of Bowie’s music informed their musical “adjustments.”

Powerful AI models that can realistically simulate the style of virtually any artist have many in the art world worried. In fact, some artists believe the technology has for them become an existential threat.