Stories by Erica Gunderson

As parents begin returning to the office amid the coronavirus pandemic, a glaring problem awaits them: child care. And for many Illinois families, COVID-19 made an already difficult situation even worse.

Whether it’s Johann Sebastian Bach on the banjo, or an original work with a Cuban-style rhythm, Michael Miles is Chicago’s go-to banjo man.

Car owners have been getting a pass in 2020 when it comes to ignoring street sweeping signs, but that ends Wednesday.

Most Chicago workers who earn the minimum wage will see their paychecks rise — and get more notice before they are expected to clock in for a shift, as two of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s top priorities take effect this week.

The U.S. is “going in the wrong direction” with the coronavirus surging badly enough that Dr. Anthony Fauci told senators Tuesday some regions are putting the entire country at risk.

Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported.

Using state and federal funds, the local nonprofit will hire 600 people to conduct community-level contact tracing efforts to stamp out the coronavirus.

“Business owners throughout Chicago saw their hopes and dreams go up in flames with these fires,” Police Superintendent David Brown said of dozens of arsons that took place during recent protests in Chicago.

Watch the June 30, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Taking a phased approach, the conservatory is reopening its outdoor grounds to neighbors on July 1, members on July 8 and everyone else starting July 15.

Flying can increase your risk of exposure to infection, but airlines are taking some precautions and you can too. 

Americans make up a big share of Europe’s tourism industry, and summer is a key period. More than 15 million Americans travel to Europe each year, while some 10 million Europeans head across the Atlantic.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Tuesday issued a new policy instructing prosecutors to dismiss cases involving a handful of misdemeanor charges tied to recent protests, including disorderly conduct and curfew violations. 

Scores of Chicagoans have planted milkweed — the monarch’s host plant — in their yards and other green spaces, but how effective are those efforts? The Field Museum is recruiting citizen scientists to find out.

Come Wednesday, Rivers Casino and others across the state will once again be able to open their physical doors to gamblers, although with COVID-19 precautions in mind, like masks and social distancing.

Chicago has 77 official community areas. Over the past three months, Paris Schutz and our news team have visited 42 of them, as well as suburbs, cities and towns in Illinois and four other states. Why we did it. And what we learned.

The video and documents come more than eight months after the encounter between police officers and the former superintendent, who was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV after a night of drinking. 

The Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub and the North Lawndale Surgical and Ambulatory Care Center will address structural disparities in health care, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. 

“As a dad ... I struggle to make sense of the reckless gun violence that continues to take the lives of our young people throughout the city,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said after 14 people were killed over the weekend.

Watch the June 29, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

A divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era.

Black Lives Matter is a burgeoning cultural and political movement — and it appears that people are ready to cash in on it.

The Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are investigating hundreds of complaints filed against officers for their response to recent protests, records show.

By the time parents notice anything out of the ordinary – their baby is “floppy” or isn’t able to roll – it’s too late to reverse the damage done by spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA.

They’ve become a nightly nuisance ringing out from Connecticut to California, angering sleep-deprived residents and alarming elected officials. All of them want to know: Why the fascination with fireworks?

President Donald Trump on Sunday tweeted approvingly of a video showing one of his supporters chanting “white power,” a racist slogan associated with white supremacists. He later deleted the tweet.