Stories by Associated Press

Leaders of several major U.S. airlines met online Friday with White House officials to press their case against requiring coronavirus tests for passengers on domestic flights, saying it would undermine the already fragile industry.

Chicago Public Schools on Friday announced it will open four school-based COVID-19 vaccination sites next week so it can begin distributing 1,500 first-dose vaccines to teachers and employees each week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its long-awaited road map for getting students back to classrooms. But the agency cannot force schools to reopen, and agency officials were careful to say they are not calling for a mandate that all U.S. schools be reopened.

There’s a misperception that birds such as geese and ducks need help finding food when it snows. If they couldn’t cope with Chicago’s winters, they wouldn’t be here, experts say. 

The turnaround in total wages underscores how disproportionately America's job losses have afflicted workers in lower-income occupations rather than in higher-paying industries, where employees have actually gained jobs as well as income since early last year.

Just 37% of the 600 doctors, nurses and support staff at Roseland Community Hospital have been vaccinated even though health care workers are first in line. Many holdouts come from the mostly Black, working class neighborhoods surrounding the hospital.

Sea shanties are suddenly all the rage thanks to TikTok but Chicago’s long been a hub for shanty singing. We explore the city’s connection to the musical tradition — and its undeniable staying power.

Last summer, three Christopher Columbus statues were removed after violent altercations between police and protesters. For months, the sites sat empty. But last fall, a display of Italian American pride banners appeared in place of the former statue in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood.

Chinatown celebrations for the Lunar New Year look different amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a normal year, festivities include a parade, banquets and family meals spanning from the eve of the Chinese New Year until 15 days after. This year, nearly all celebrations will be virtual.

A new film airing this weekend on WTTW draws parallels between the fight against apartheid in South Africa and injustice in Chicago.

A group of hunger strikers is protesting metal recycler General Iron opening up on the Southeast Side. We hear from opponents and a company representative.

Chicago’s oldest hospital is closer to shuttering this spring after filing for bankruptcy. What that may mean for patients.

Dire harm from Donald Trump’s false and violent incitements will vex American democracy long into the future unless the Senate convicts him of impeachment and bars him from future office, House prosecutors insisted Thursday.

Since the city earmarked approximately $180 million in 2020 for overtime costs for all city departments, the final bill is more than double what the city budgeted, according to city data.

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder also rejected prosecutors’ request for a $200,000 bail increase for Kyle Rittenhouse, who came to Kenosha in August as hundreds were protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man.

With dangerous subzero wind chill temperatures forecast for the upcoming weekend, officials offered timely reminders of ways to stay safe in extreme cold. 

A variant of the coronavirus first discovered in South Africa and believed to be more transmissible is present in Illinois, state health officials announced Thursday.

Bicycle sales in Chicago have surged over the past year as the pandemic has forced more and more people outside for exercise and recreation. But it’s hardly the city’s first “bike boom.” Geoffrey Baer takes us back to when Chicago was called “the Detroit of bicycles.” 

An analysis of nearly 3 million Chicago Police Department patrol assignments found that compared to white officers, Black and Hispanic officers made far fewer stops and arrests — and used force less often — especially against Black civilians. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said if the city and county were to follow the plan laid out by the governor, it would add additional stress to a vaccination effort that has left many scrambling to find an available appointment.

Watch the Feb. 11, 2021 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The airline said it will help electric-aircraft startup Archer develop an aircraft capable of helicopter-style, vertical takeoffs and landings. Archer hopes to deliver its first aircraft in 2024, if it wins certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Now that Chicago Public Schools has reached an agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union over a safe reopening plan, CPS CEO Janice Jackson said she’s committed to using the framework of that deal to get high school students back into their schools.

The numbers point to a still-elevated number of layoffs. Before the virus erupted in the United States in March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession.

Prosecutors unveiled chilling new security video in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Wednesday, showing the mob of rioters breaking into the Capitol, smashing windows and doors and searching menacingly for Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as overwhelmed police begged on their radios for help.

Powerful video evidence is presented at former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. Our politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone takes on that story and more in this week’s roundtable.