Stories by Angel Idowu

“Creating Black hair care products is important because I think most of the hair care on the market isn’t catered to us,” Vash Beauty Labs founder Karlene Davis said.

With just days until Election Day, what’s on the minds of voters. Black hair care products popular with non-Black women. And an underground lottery that helped Black Chicago bet on itself.

What issues are driving Latino voters to the polls? One-on-one with labor activist Dolores Huerta. And supporting Los Toros with a new hat by a local fan. 

For the fifth year running, the Chicago Bulls rolled out their BMO Artist Hat Series: six limited-edition hats featuring local artists’ spins on the team’s iconic logo. Among this year’s hats was a Mexican-tinged design created by artist and Chicago native Abel Arciniega.

Neonatologist, professor and magician Ricardo Rosenkranz performs as the "Physician Magician" or “El Mago Medico," offering performances in English and Spanish at a Rogers Park theater.

When the Black-owned hair care company Mielle Organics merged with P&G Beauty earlier this year, it sparked discourse in Black communities about the potential ripple effects that come as Black-owned businesses gain increased attention and support.

It’s a simple sentiment, but the phrase “sí se puede” or “yes we can” has powered demands for justice around the world. The woman behind those words is Dolores Huerta, one of the most influential labor activists in America and the leader of the Chicano civil rights movement.

A new poll conducted by Northwestern University and a coalition of Black and Latino nonprofits found Black and Latino voters have common ground on key issues in the upcoming Chicago mayoral election.

At a recent concert, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played Schumann’s “Violin Concerto in D Minor” and Tchaikovsky’s fiercely dramatic “Manfred Symphony.” The beauty and dramatic energy of both works were wholly captivating, critic Hedy Weiss writes.

The proposal could overhaul the way millions of Americans get some prescriptions after three years of relying on telehealth for doctor’s appointments by computer or phone during the pandemic.

Police and faith leaders warn the community ahead of this weekend’s “Day of Hate.” How the top contenders in the race for mayor are faring. And the FOP zeroes in on City Council races with cash — and flyers.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7’s political action committee made an in-kind contribution of approximately $10,000 to the campaign of Julian “Jumpin’” Perez, who used those funds to pay for the flyers. 

White supremacists and neo-Nazis are trying to make Saturday the “National Day of Hate.” Law enforcement agencies and religious organizations are urging people to be cautious and report any incidents.

While polling on the Chicago mayoral race has been somewhat inconsistent, what appears clear from multiple polls is that incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot and challengers Paul Vallas, Brandon Johnson and U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García have pulled clear from the pack.

Mayor Lightfoot accuses Vallas of dog-whistle politics as Vallas and Johnson surge. Chicago teachers blast their union over big campaign spending. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis takes his anti-woke show to Elmhurst.

It’s National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Think you would know an invasive species if you saw one?

​​Ryan Slaski, 36, will be held on a $10,000 D-bond following his arrest Thursday on the hate crime charge, as well as additional counts of criminal damage to property and possession of a controlled substance.

The curators, both working on the Art Institute of Chicago’s first show dedicated to Salvador Dalí, were researching his painting “Visions of Eternity,” which was dated to 1936 and had been held in the museum since the late 1980s. But red flags were mounting.

A report examining the capacity and condition of Illinois’ response to behavioral health in young people has been in the works for nearly a year. It sketches avenues to help families understand mental illness, then make it easier for them to get required care without wrangling among disparate state agencies.

State labor officials are investigating an Illinois-based pharmaceutical company’s decision to abruptly close all of its operations, including its out-of-state locations in New Jersey, New York and Switzerland, and to lay off hundreds of workers with almost no warning.

R. Kelly is back in court for sentencing on federal child pornography charges. We’re live in Ukrainian Village as the war in Ukraine reaches one year. And Sister Jean is here with her new book.

College basketball’s most famous fan, Sister Jean, is finally telling her own story. At 103 years old, the Loyola University Chicago matriarch is releasing the memoir “Wake Up with Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.”

The “Mom, I Don’t Want War” exhibit compares children’s drawings during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict to Polish children’s art made during World War II and the German occupation.

Friday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Millions of people have since fled the war-torn country, some seeking refuge in Chicago.

Federal prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber to sentence Kelly to 25 years in prison to account for the “indescribable harm” he caused his victims, including his then-underaged goddaughter “Jane.”

Carnivale, flamenco dancing and a polar adventure usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in Chicago.