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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Thursday that makes feminine hygiene products available for free at homeless shelters and at public universities and community colleges throughout Illinois. 

The COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness and death from the coronavirus, but some people do get infected after the shots. Researchers are looking at whether those “breakthrough” cases could lead to long COVID-19.

Masking will be universally required in Illinois schools, and some state employees must get vaccinated for the coronavirus, according to mandates handed down Wednesday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker — a move that immediately drew rebuke from friends and foes alike.

It is expected to provide up to 2,000 jobs, but a new Target warehouse in Little Village — on the site of a botched coal plant demolition in April 2020 — has sparked protests among some community members.

Some photographers explore cities through their neglected places. At personal risk and sometimes legal jeopardy, they look for beauty in forgotten and faded locales. Meet Jerry Olejniczak, one such photographer in search of “Abandoned Chicagoland.”

For many of us, social media is a convenient way to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues. But sharing false information on platforms like Facebook during a global pandemic can have life or death consequences.

After a federal eviction moratorium was allowed to lapse this weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new moratorium Tuesday on evictions that would last until Oct. 3.

A mask mandate for all pre-K through 12 Illinois schools. A local study on the effects of COVID-19 misinformation on social media. A new ban on evictions. And a classic Chicago building on the move.

With classes for students in pre-K through 12th grade set to resume across Illinois in the coming weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced a mask mandate for all students and staff at public and private schools.

A Black family is suing the Chicago police department, saying officers broke down their door and pointed guns at two small children while searching the place and then tried to cover up that they had no evidence to justify the raid.

Asian carp, jam bands, a garden walk and vintage finds usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Ten people from the city and suburbs face the potential of decades behind bars after they allegedly used counterfeit U.S. Postal Service money orders to fraudulently obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars from area banks.

Cook County officials said every hospitalization and death at this point “is entirely preventable” and again urged residents to roll up their sleeves. “Please, get vaccinated,” said Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar. “You will make a difference.”

As the world staggers through another summer of extreme weather, experts are noticing something different: 2021’s onslaught is hitting harder and in places that have been spared global warming’s wrath in the past. 

R&B star R. Kelly gained weight and lost money while he awaits a sex-trafficking trial that starts in earnest next week, his lawyers said Tuesday at a court hearing.

If you thought your last move was a hassle, CTA has got you beat: The agency just relocated an entire building.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium that would last until Oct. 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism from progressives that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic.

Nearly 600 million birds are killed annually in North America due to collisions with buildings. A new Illinois law mandates bird-friendly design for state buildings.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said vaccinations in tens of thousands of pregnant women over the past several months have shown the shots are safe and effective during pregnancy.

The industrial history of Chicago’s Southeast Side has drawn criticism for its impact on the environment and residents’ health. Some say it also makes it difficult for residents to get around by foot or bike. How one South Deering program is working to change that.

Each year, 22 million pounds of plastic finds its way into the Great Lakes – the source of potable water for more than 30 million Americans. We take a look at what can be done to limit plastic pollution.

COVID-19 infections are again rising in Chicago following Lollapalooza, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to Grant Park last weekend. But the city’s top doctor says the four-day event is not to blame.

Is a vaccine passport in the works for Chicago? A call for pregnant people to get the vaccine. The lights are flickering on a renewable energy bill. And “Hamilton” is back in Chicago — sort of.

Miguel Cervantes joins us in conversation ahead of a performance this week at The Metropolitan Club and the reopening of “Hamilton” on Broadway next month.

With possibly just a few weeks left before Exelon shutters a nuclear reactor in Byron, feuding and politically powerful interests have failed to reach a deal that would keep the plant open and otherwise move Illinois toward its renewable energy goals.

A Cook County man in his 80s who became ill in mid-June is the first person known to have contracted the West Nile virus in Illinois this year, according to state health officials.