Stories by Andrea Guthmann

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently issued a warning that social media presents a “profound risk of harm” to kids’ mental health. He’s calling on families to set limits on social media use and for lawmakers to issue tougher standards on technology platforms to protect kids.

Conversations about alternate locations for a new Bears stadium have also reignited the possibility of the team sticking with the city, with a source telling WTTW News that talks between the city of Chicago and the team could resume as early as this week.

Those impersonating licensed drivers can easily order counterfeit rideshare company stickers or magnetic taxi labels online. Other tactics include claiming their payment system is malfunctioning so that the ride must instead be charged on third-party payment platforms.

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 46 people were shot in 31 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

For the U.S. to transition to clean energy, it will take technologies beyond wind and solar to fuel airplanes, generate electricity and power industry. And the Biden administration is increasingly looking towards hydrogen to meet the demand – a source of energy that burns without pollution and that can be derived from water.

GluzmanGuest conductor David Afkham led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Vadim Gluzman, the extraordinary guest violinist, in a riveting performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s fiendishly difficult, emotionally intense “Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor.” Perfomances of works by Ravel and Debussy rounded out the program. 

Mike Pence, the nation's 48th vice president, will formally launch his bid for the Republican nomination with a video and kickoff event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, which is his 64th birthday, according to people familiar with his plans. 

The number of incarcerated women in the United States dropped by tens of thousands because of COVID-19. But as the criminal justice system returns to business as usual and prison populations creep back to pre-pandemic norms, more children are being separated from their mothers.

A plan to provide $51 million in migrant care passed by a comfortable margin at this week’s Chicago City Council meeting. But the lead-up to that vote was met with upheaval and racist remarks from audience members.

Chance the Rapper’s nonprofit is trying to make sure Chicagoans have access to mental health care in an initiative called My State of Mind. It has offered nearly 3,000 different wellness programs since its 2019 inception.

The Treasury Department had warned that the country would start running short of cash on Monday, which would have sent shockwaves through the U.S. and global economies.

Openlands is hosting guided paddling trips through the African American Heritage Water Trail on the Far South Side. It’s a way to experience how Black history and nature intersect.

The celebration kicks off with a Community Day on June 8 and continues through the weekend with a parade, carnival, musical and dance performances, arts, workshops, and of course, plenty of good food.

In “The Shoemaker’s Magician,” Cynthia Pelayo blends film history and Chicago history into a genre-crossing journey into the occult. The story opens with the discovery of a gruesome murder in a downtown theater.

The Illinois state budget passed this week included increased funding for higher education. That was welcome news to Northeastern Illinois University, which has seen some financial and institutional turbulence in recent years.

Ruth Carter is a groundbreaking costume designer known for her long collaboration with Spike Lee and her work on the “Black Panther” movies. She is the only Black woman to have two Academy Awards.

After allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, the Chicago Board of Education voted to revoke Urban Prep’s charter. The state school board denied an appeal, and a CPS takeover looks imminent.

What the future holds for Urban Prep Academies. Chance the Rapper talks mental health. And paddling through history along the African American Heritage Water Trail.

City Council members debate over funding for migrants. Some welcome funding news for NEIU. And a new horror story set in Chicago.

The Bears look beyond Chicago and Arlington Heights. Emotions run high over aid for asylum seekers. And back from the brink on a debt ceiling.

Another week, another wildlife sensation. This time it’s a pair of protective peregrine falcon parents who are dive-bombing pedestrians downtown in order to steer them away from their nestlings.

Federal officials failed to conduct a required civil rights review to determine whether the deal would meet the Chicago Housing Authority’s obligations under the federal Fair Housing Act, according to the lawsuit.

Yep, it’s the annual appearance of cottonwood fluff, and if you were thinking this year’s showering seems excessive, you’re right. It is.

Building a stadium on the former Arlington Heights racetrack “is no longer our singular focus,” said Scott Hagel, the Bears senior vice president of marketing and communications.

David Dejesus, 16, and Yahir A. Torrecilla, 17, have each been arrested and charged as adults with first-degree murder stemming from the fatal May 6 shooting of 23-year-old Niolis Collazo.

The compromise package leaves neither Republicans nor Democrats fully pleased with the outcome. But the result, after weeks of hard-fought budget negotiations, shelves the volatile debt ceiling issue that risked upending the U.S. and global economy until 2025 after the next presidential election.