Stories by Kristen Thometz

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.

The NBA is in talks with The Walt Disney Company on a single-site scenario for a resumption of play in Central Florida in late July, the clearest sign yet that the league believes the season can continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.

When President Donald Trump doesn’t like the message, he shoots the messenger. A look at recent rhetoric and reality as the pandemic’s death toll approached 100,000 in the U.S.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has an extra day to make a play for tax changes that would allow a city-owned casino to finally get underway as Illinois legislators extend their special session into a fourth day. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker greenlights a partial reopening of the state next week. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago won’t reopen until early June. State lawmakers battle over masks, reopening and the budget.

Medical experts warn that the virus won’t take a holiday for the unofficial start of summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people stay home, avoid crowds and connect with family and friends by phone or video chat.

Residents aren’t supposed to be ticketed for cars parked along street sweeping routes during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, but some have. Those tickets were issued in error, according to the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation. 

A measure designed to considerably expand the number of Illinois voters who cast their ballot in the 2020 presidential election by mail cleared the state Senate Friday and is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.

“I know worship is as essential as food and water for most of us," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday, “and it’s my priority to provide guidance to ensure that it may proceed safely.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Friday the number of new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Chicago had begun to drop, putting the city “on track” to cautiously reopen in early June. 

President Donald Trump said Friday that he has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend despite the threat of spreading the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump on Friday turned an early Memorial Day remembrance of fallen U.S. service members into a quasi reelection campaign rally with bikers on the White House lawn.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said officers will be “visible and present” in neighborhoods throughout the summer and will be “on the lookout” for large gatherings.

The Millennium Park at Home series will deliver concerts online via YouTube and Facebook, kicking off Memorial Day weekend with a virtual version of the House Music Festival.

The city fined General Iron $6,000 after two explosions on Monday rattled the North Side metal shredder, officials announced. The fines are a result of two citations issued by the city late Thursday.

People have been spending a lot of time in their yards, and it seems that’s led to plenty of folks jumping on the native plant bandwagon, if a sold-out series of webinars is any indication.

As Illinois’ economy begins to reopen, Dr. Ngozi Ezike said she’ll keep close watch on people who go to the emergency room with COVID-19 symptoms. And if she has time, she may even dine outside once that’s allowed.

While often operating as a singular community, differing approaches to how each state is managing the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an economic rift in the Quad Cities region.

Iowa has begun to partially reopen restaurants and other businesses, while Illinois remains mostly shut down. As part of our series, we bring you stories from both sides of the Mississippi River.

While Chicago is in phase two of its plan to reopen, churches are allowed to have 10 or fewer people inside the building during services. But some churches are defying that rule, and want to reopen immediately.

The city will expand mental health treatment for people struggling to cope during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Thursday.

Amid uncertainty over the coronavirus — and how long public gatherings will be restricted — legislators on Thursday swiftly moved to approve new voting procedures for the 2020 general election.

A day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker loosened the rules for the third phase of his reopening plan, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago will not be ready for restaurants to reopen with outdoor seating next week.

The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are trimming payroll while they await word on the fate of the Major League Baseball season.

Record high unemployment spotlights the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Gov. J.B. Pritzker says his administration is focused on safely restarting the economy and shoring up the unemployment insurance system.

The Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. J.B. Pritzker aren’t doing enough to protect elderly and medically vulnerable inmates from COVID-19 inside state prison facilities, according to a lawsuit.