Stories by Acacia Hernandez

Logan Square residents watched the WTTW News mayoral forum live Tuesday. Some in the audience said they felt a disconnect from candidates, while others said candidates were giving talking points — not real answers.

The candidates for Chicago mayor take on critical issues facing the city in our WTTW News forum. And we're live from the community as residents pose questions to the candidates.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, animal rights advocates are asking the Cook County Forest Preserve District to have a heart and release “Rocky” the coyote.

The UIC United Faculty on Tuesday announced its members had voted in favor of the new deal, which applies to all 1,500 members of the tenure and non-tenure bargaining units.

His speech before a politically divided Congress comes as the nation struggles to make sense of confounding cross-currents at home and abroad — economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China among them — and warily sizes up Biden’s fitness for a likely reelection bid.

Why some former Lightfoot allies are backing other candidates. The latest on the deadly earthquake in Turkey. Previewing Tuesday’s WTTW News mayoral forum. And remembering a civic giant who died this weekend.

The race for mayor is heating up and the attack ads are beginning to fly but in a nine-candidate field, how do you stand out from the crowd? Political analyst Jason DeSanto says math, message and money should be the focus. 

Aid organizations say the next few days are crucial when it comes to rescue operations. One local organization is leading its own emergency response team in Turkey. 

Crews released toxic chemicals into the air from five derailed tanker cars that were in danger of exploding  and began burning it after warning residents near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line to leave immediately or face the possibility of death.

The true magic of the opera “The Factotum” is rooted in its seamless interweaving of countless musical styles that take operatic voices into the realm of funk, rap, hip-hop, gospel, R&B, barbershop quartet and even electronic.

Authorities feared the death toll would climb as rescuers searched through tangles of metal and concrete for survivors in a region beset by more than a decade of Syria’s civil war and a refugee crisis.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 20 people were shot in 18 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

It is nearly unprecedented for City Council committee chairs to urge the defeat of the mayor that hand-picked them for their high-profile positions, which comes with power at City Hall and an annual budget of nearly $200,000.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) recently hosted a meeting Tuesday with vendors to reassure them he will be fighting to keep the retail hub open. Novak Construction, the mall’s owner, extended vendors’ leases until the end of March.  

Proposed changes to the race and ethnicity boxes on government forms. Welcoming refugees in a new sponsorship program. And giving wellness some Latino flavor.

The federal government’s standards haven’t been changed since 1997, two decades after they were created as part of an effort to collect consistent race and ethnicity data across federal agencies when handling censuses, federal surveys and application forms for government benefits.

The controversy over an Advanced Placement African American studies course for high school students. Architecture writer Lee Bey gives us a South Side tour in his new documentary. And a woman hits a home run for the Negro Baseball Leagues.

The College Board this week released its updated curriculum for an Advanced Placement African American studies course after receiving criticism from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Goodman Theatre's “Toni Stone” tells the story of the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues.

There’s more to Chicago’s architectural legacy than its gleaming downtown skyline. All throughout the city, there are buildings that inspire — you just have to know where to look.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has launched its first major bilingual exhibit. The museum plans to present everything, from its website to wayfinding signs, in both Spanish and English by 2024.

Fitness instructor NK Gutierrez and juice bar owner Anabelle Martinez are helping people meet their wellness goals.

Refugees to America often find themselves starting from scratch, but a new program is offering everyday Americans a way to give refugees a softer landing.

Did the mayor retaliate against a private citizen for voicing an opinion at City Council? Why CPD solves far fewer crimes involving Black men. Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park. And a profile of a Grammy-nominated Chicago producer.

South Side native Terry Hunter is up for a 2023 Grammy Award for his remix of Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul.”

For the past several years, the Chicago Police Department has solved an average of 50% of the city’s homicides per year. But that number, known as a clearance rate, is even lower for Black victims.