Stories by Joanna Hernandez

Chrys Carvajal, 19, had graduated from National Guard training and was set to be stationed at a military base in Riverside. Last summer, he was shot dead over the Fourth of July weekend.

“Tagged” follows a street artist named Lex who gets caught up in a murder investigation after the vape shop owner who hired him to create a mural suddenly disappears. The film was released June 27 by Kernel Productions, a grassroots film production company based in Bucktown. 

The future of abortion rights is uncertain after the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision has led to ongoing protests nationwide as states swiftly enact abortion bans and restrictions. Questions remain about how the bans will be enforced and the impact on people seeking safe abortions.

On this week’s show: A crossover discussion with Black Voices on abortion rights. A family seeks answers about their son’s killing. And the city’s street art takes the lead in a new film.

A total of 29 people graduated from Cook County’s Restorative Justice Program in Englewood. County leaders say the program lasts an average of six to nine months and focuses on education, accountability and job training designed to address non-violent crime and prevent recidivism.

A Black / Latino Voices crossover discussion on the impact of the Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade decision. And how journalist Natalie Moore’s new play, “The Billboard,” tackles the issue.

A Black Voices/Latino Voices crossover conversation on what the future holds for abortion access in the U.S. Leaders of women’s rights organizations worry about how this decision will specifically impact people of color and people with lower incomes.

“The Billboard,” a book-turned-play, follows a fictional health clinic in Englewood at the center of a political race and fight for reproductive rights. It was written by WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore.

Darren Bailey routs the Republican field to take on Gov. Pritzker in the general election. Recapping all the other winners and setting the scene for November. Plus, could Google buy the Thompson Center?

AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.

Data published Friday by the Chicago Police Department shows there have been 310 homicides and 1,255 shootings in the city through the end of June. Both those figures are below the pace set through the first six months of 2021 and 2020.

The officer was shot multiple times and was rushed to Stroger Hospital, police said.

The first lawsuits have been filed only days after an Amtrak train collision and derailment in rural Missouri that left four people dead and injured up to 150 others.

More and more communities are turning to private security to help combat higher crime. In the Morgan Park community on the city's far south side, a new pilot program employs private security guards to watch over local businesses. Morgan Park is located just south of Beverly and just north of suburbs like Blue Island on the southern edge of the city.

Live from Morgan Park for “ In Your Neighborhood.” How restorative justice works. Meet one of the country's top teachers. The state's attorney general joins us. And to the theater with Hedy Weiss. 

Local stages are heating up this summer. While there may be plenty of worthwhile options, Hedy Weiss joins “Chicago Tonight” to give a rundown of some of her must-see productions.

Incumbent Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. In November, he will face Republican Tom DeVore, an attorney who successfully fought against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandates in public schools.  

Participants in the the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Restorative Justice Community Court spent six to nine months learning conflict resolution and job skills, as well as receiving emotional support.  

Thousands of educators from across the country are coming to Chicago to discuss and debate public education policies. The National Education Association is holding its annual meeting here. Amanda Vinicky spoke to the union president about her plan for the future of schools, including emotional learning, standardized testing, and addressing mass shootings in schools. 

Illinois environmental groups were quick to condemn the Supreme Court’s limits on the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and placed the state in opposition to the justices’ stance. 

A day after R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison following his racketeering conviction in New York, a federal judge has denied a request to throw out additional charges against the R&B singer ahead of his upcoming trial in Chicago.

Climate change and the alarming trends of species extinction and habitat loss demand that conservation organizations think big. So The Land Conservancy of McHenry County stepped up its game.

By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.

Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal judge since 2013, is joining three other women — the first time four women will serve together on the nine-member court. President Joe Biden nominated Jackson in February, a month after Stephen Breyer, 83, announced he would retire. 

President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But lower courts ordered it reinstated in response to a lawsuit from Republican-led Texas and Missouri. The current administration has sent far fewer people back to Mexico than did the Trump administration.

The Illinois Child Care for All Coalition is calling for publicly-funded universal child care, saying it is unavailable and unaffordable for many in the Prairie State.