Stories by Erica Gunderson

Food Hero, a culinary school that operates on a social enterprise model, offers instruction on food preparation and entrepreneurship free of charge. Founder Javier Haro says the idea came in part from his own experience as the former owner of a tapas restaurant in Pilsen.

The Illinois State Board of Education is announcing a $4 million grant to cover tuition costs for teachers interested in becoming licensed to teach English-language learners.

Efforts in Springfield to combat retail thefts have some community groups concerned. A culinary school teaching entrepreneurship. And an iconic structure in Humboldt Park is up for landmark status.

In 1995 two 60-foot-high Puerto Rican flags were planted over Division Street, also known as Paseo Boricua, solidifying its identity as the heart of the Puerto Rican community in Chicago. Now, the flags are poised to receive landmark status from the city.

Illinois lawmakers have proposed a new bill that defines organized retail crime for the first time in statute. But some community groups are raising concerns saying the legislation will further harm communities that have been oppressed by the criminal justice system for decades. 

“Die Kathrin” is now receiving its American premiere as part of the ten-day multi-faceted Korngold Festival that concludes on April 10. It is being presented as part of a collaboration between the University of Chicago and Chicago’s Folks Operetta company designed to explore the life and work of Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

Illinois voters may have been asleep from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday morning as members of the General Assembly passed a new state budget, but lawmakers designed it to grab their attention in an election year.

Tax relief coming to Illinoisans. The first domino falls in the Chicago mayor’s race. A temporary defeat for the mayor’s gas tax proposal. And three casino finalists get a public airing.

Former Ald. Danny Solis was charged with taking money from an unidentified real estate developer when he was chair of the City Council Zoning Committee in 2015.

Crews have restored power to some 650,000 customers out of nearly 1.5 million, but people in several neighborhoods have complained that the electricity went out once again as the island struggles to emerge from the blackout that also left more than 160,000 clients without water.

Soaring inflation. The war in Ukraine. Yet another rise in COVID cases. With so much going on this year it’s hard to focus on things like filing your taxes. Nevertheless, the IRS still expects you to file your 2021 return and pay whatever you still owe by the filing deadline, which is April 18 for most taxpayers.

A missile hit a train station where thousands of people had flocked to flee in eastern Ukraine, killing 50 people Friday, Ukrainian authorities said, while warning they expect to find more evidence of war crimes in areas abandoned by Russian troops.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will join a Supreme Court that is both more diverse than ever and more conservative than it’s been since the 1930s.

For the hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students kicking off their spring break Friday, it’ll look more like a snow day.

It’s getting down to the wire for state lawmakers. They’re supposed to finish their work for this session Friday. And just before the deadline, Democrats are out with a deal.

One-on-one with the newest candidate for mayor of Chicago: Ald. Ray Lopez. Plus, two local doctors return from helping Ukrainian refugees in Europe. And Amanda Vinicky has the latest from Springfield.

In his bid to oust  Mayor Lori Lightfoot from her 5th floor suite of offices, Lopez will give up his seat on the City Council representing Brighton Park, Back of the Yards and Gage Park and West Englewood.

Two retired Skokie doctors have recently returned from volunteering in Eastern Europe, helping refugees escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Methane is a big contributor to climate change, leading to about a 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 degrees Celsius) increase in temperature since the 19th century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Carbon dioxide has caused about 50% more warming than methane.

The program got the green light from the Chicago City Council in October after two pilot programs in 2019 and 2020 convinced city officials that the motorized two-wheelers will reduce congestion and encourage the use of public transportation throughout Chicago.

Alexis Del Toro, 23, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in the December 2021 killing of Baghirov Gurban, who was fatally shot while driving in the 5500 block of North Kedzie Avenue.

The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic, her spokesman Drew Hammill said Thursday in a tweet. He said she had tested negative earlier in the week.

Why do some people experience long-term effects after having COVID-19? And what can be done to speed recovery and prevent it? Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are part of a national effort to answer those questions and more. 

The Edgewater location brings the total to eight area Starbucks coffee shops seeking representation. Those workers are part of a rapidly expanding nationwide effort that organizers now say numbers 176 locations, 10 of which have voted in favor of joining a union.

WTTW’s latest investigation finds a company getting tax incentives from Aurora hired Mayor Irvin’s ex wife. A local take on Ken Burns’ new Ben Franklin doc. And the latest on three casino finalists.