Stories by Heather Cherone

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday he would extend the ban on evictions in Illinois past Friday, when the latest version of his stay-at-home order is scheduled to expire.

Watch the May 26, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Illinois appears to have passed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, with the rate of confirmed cases of the coronavirus dropping significantly, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.

Southeast Side residents have created guidelines for the types of development they want to see in their neighborhoods, outlining their priorities in a blueprint for developers. 

Contact tracing is “one of the most important weapons that we have in this fight” against the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday.

Chicago fishermen are adjusting to COVID-19 regulations keeping them off Chicago's lakefront, a popular fishing spot.

Chicago saw its most violent Memorial Day weekend in five years, despite a stay-at-home order meant to keep people inside during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

There are roughly 175,000 immigrants in U.S. meatpacking jobs. The industry has historically relied on foreign-born workers, but now that reliance and uncertainty about a virus that's killed at least 20 workers and temporarily shuttered several plants fuels concerns about possible labor shortages to meet demand for beef, pork and chicken.

Black Chicagoans are almost six times more likely to die from the new coronavirus than white residents, according to state and city health officials. We talk about the city’s ongoing health disparities with the Rev. Marshall Hatch of New Mount Pilgrim Church.

Memorial Day is traditionally a time to honor dead members of the armed forces. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a new war for many veterans.

Public pools will look very different this summer if they open at all with the coronavirus threat still looming.

On Monday, Illinois recorded its fewest number of deaths linked to the coronavirus since early April, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Statewide, 4,884 people have died across 100 counties.

Americans marked a Memorial Day like no other Monday as the coronavirus pandemic upended traditional commemorations. In Chicago, a neighborhood group that’s been holding a parade for more than a half century moved its event online.

Watch the May 25, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Eid al-Fitr — the feast of breaking the fast — marks the end of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Just like they did during Ramadan, many are resorting to at-home worship.

Before this week’s whirlwind four-day emergency session of the General Assembly, Mayor Lori Lightfoot rolled snake eyes twice in her bid to shape the rules for a Chicago casino. What her victory means for the city.

With restrictions set to be lifted in all four regions of the state on Friday, another 2,508 people tested positive for the respiratory virus, officials announced Sunday, and nearly 70 died.

A condensed special session that began on Wednesday centered on passing a budget and responding to the pandemic. Democrats and Republicans have different interpretations of how ably those goals were achieved.

Bars, restaurants and other businesses that welcome customers in defiance of Illinois’ stay-at-home order will not immediately face punishment after the General Assembly declined to heed Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s call to take action.

During a 90-minute town hall Saturday, Chicago residents questioned officials about plans to demolish what’s left of the Crawford Coal Plant and Hilco Global’s commitment to the neighborhood.

Nearly two weeks ago the White House urged governors to ensure that every nursing home resident and staff member be tested for the coronavirus within 14 days. It’s not going to happen.

Illinois has had its share of financial troubles in the past, but a pandemic has complicated the budgeting process this year — and the state’s answer is to rely on borrowing up to $5 billion from the federal government.

Illinois casinos may be closed due to the coronavirus, but Chicago hit the jackpot as both chambers of the General Assembly narrowly gave approval to redo the tax structure for the planned Chicago casino.

Thirsty Illinoisans who wish they could get premade cocktails for takeout can get their martini (or quarantini) glasses ready.

President Donald Trump played golf at one of his courses Saturday during the Memorial Day weekend as he urged U.S. states to reopen after coronavirus-related lockdowns. Yet many Americans remained cautious.

Illinois remains on track to enter the next phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data, which shows 722,247 coronavirus tests have been conducted to date.