Stories by Patty Wetli

Chicagoans are raising chickens, growing food and experimenting with all sorts of sustainable-living practices — all in their urban backyards. See how it’s done during this weekend’s annual Windy City Coop and Eco-Yards Tour. 

While initial demand is lower than last year’s pilot program, city officials say they are encouraged by data and anecdotal accounts that the lock-to-cable requirement has reduced the number of instances of scooters blocking sidewalks. 

Citing a lack of widespread safety protocols and limited COVID-19 testing capacity, the governor on Wednesday doubled down on his stance that it’s not yet safe for youth athletes to begin playing football or other fall sports.

Watch the Sept. 16, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The EPA has completed cleanup of the Hegewisch Little League Field after discovering alarming levels of lead and arsenic in the soil. 

Less than five weeks after pushing football and other fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the pandemic, the conference changed course Wednesday and said it plans to begin its season the weekend of Oct. 24. 

Going to a bar. Dining at a restaurant. Sending children to school. What’s the risk of these activities in terms of COVID-19 exposure? In a new survey, more than 100 physicians weigh in.

A conversation with Kwame Amoaku, director of the Chicago Film Office.

In the November election, Illinoisans will be asked whether or not to change the state’s income tax system to a graduated tax — but there’s still a lot of confusion about the proposal.

Tuesday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates of the cultures and honors the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. We discuss the varied and vast impact of Latinos on business, art and politics in Chicago.

Commuter rail agency Metra has seen the largest passenger decline of any of the Chicago-area transit systems. How the agency is working to reverse the slump.

For thousands of Illinois renters who are out of work during the pandemic, the threat of eviction is getting closer to reality.

Nestled between computers, tape dispensers and staplers in a public relations office in Lakeview sits the latest collection by anonymous Chicago artist Dont Fret. We go for a look.

The revamped Open House Chicago features walking and biking trails and celeb-led virtual tours of the architecture and history of more than 20 city neighborhoods. 

Indigenous artist Santiago X showcased Serpent Mound, a group of effigy mounds in a Cook County forest preserve, as part of the county’s Racial Equity Week on Tuesday.

Watch the Sept. 15, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The city asked for creative winter outdoor dining ideas, and Chicagoans delivered, offering 643 submissions ranging from the practical to the ridiculous. 

The agency charged with investigating allegations of police misconduct has failed to promptly release video and audio recordings of use-of-force incidents, as required by city law, according to a new audit by Chicago’s watchdog.

As MLB sprints through two months, the businesses in the neighborhoods surrounding the stadiums that rely so heavily on thousands making their way through the turnstiles 81 times a year are struggling, their futures murky at best.

The Midwest is now the center of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday, but Chicago has begun making “definite progress” against a surge of infections among young adults and Latinos.

Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked, retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday warned of looming cuts to state government, including potential layoffs, without help from the federal government.

They’ve been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Now they’re on the picket lines. Why University of Illinois and UIC health care workers, including about 800 nurses, are on strike.

Cook County’s second annual Racial Equity Week began Monday. This year’s theme: acknowledging past harm, its impact today and a vision for the future. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle tells us more.

Matt Sparapani and Alison Newberry weren’t planning to be in Chicago this summer. But like many of us, they had to rethink their plans. What the local teachers have learned about the natural areas of Chicago.

Amid uncertainty in Chicago and across the nation, a ray of hope: Chicago’s baseball teams are in first place, and the city’s beloved Bears pulled off a miracle comeback. Can professional sports actually be a tonic for tough times?