Stories by Heather Cherone

The 29-21 vote is the closest in recent City Council history, as tensions between aldermen and the mayor continue to rise during the pandemic that forced the meeting to take place virtually.

Too many visitors are flocking to the most popular forest preserves and ignoring social distancing rules, prompting weekend parking lot closures through the end of May, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Friday.

The Lincoln Square mainstay closed in 2017 and filmmaker Matt Richmond set out to learn why. The documentary will stream for free on April 30.

Even though state parks are set to reopen May 1 with restrictions, Chicago’s lakefront will remain closed, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

The 15th Ward alderman says COVID-19 has strained already scarce resources in his ward, which is home to many essential workers and undocumented immigrants.

As governors grapple with the question of when to reopen their states, the need for a wide-scale contact tracing effort is at the top of many experts’ lists. Help may be on the way, but it’s getting a lot of scrutiny.

The Brighton Park Neighborhood Council provides a wide range of social services and programming on Chicago’s Southwest Side. We learn how it’s adjusting to community needs sparked by the pandemic.

As part of our series on the local impact of the coronavirus, a report from the Southwest Side, where a troubling situation has gotten worse as the pandemic has intensified.

For 29 years one small but significant place has been a showcase for visionary artwork. The art center called Intuit had to close a new show last month, and we got a look at what you’ll see when it one day reopens. 

As Chicago baseball fans hunker down and hope for the return of their favorite summertime sport, a viewer wonders how Chicago sports soldiered through the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

After much anticipation, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces the stay-at-home order will not be lifted at the end of the month. But changes are coming. What to expect from the modified order on May 1.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced the creation of a task force to lead the city’s eventual recovery from the coronavirus pandemic — even as she reminded residents the virus is still running rampant.

Concerns about the new coronavirus have unleashed a cleaning frenzy and, along with it, a rise in reports of exposure to household cleaning products.

Face masks and eyeglasses don’t mix. Here’s how to keep your glasses fog-free while you cover up to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A federal judge will decide whether social distancing and other preventive measures ordered at the Cook County Jail are being properly instituted following calls from criminal justice advocates for additional precautions.

Watch the April 23, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that he had signed an executive order “temporarily suspending immigration into the United States.” But experts say the order will merely delay the issuance of green cards for a minority of applicants.

Passengers riding the CTA Red Line toward 95th won’t be able to get on or off at the Granville, Thorndale or Bryn Mawr stops this weekend.

Since the late 1980s, residents from Hegewisch, the East Side and nearby neighborhoods have organized as part of the Southeast Environmental Task Force to push for better environmental conditions.

Last Friday, Frank Paulus turned 100. Viola “Blondie” Paulus turns 97 on Wednesday. And Thursday, the couple — who moved to Chicago in the late ‘90s — will mark 76 years of marriage.

Things were starting to look up in Hegewisch when the pandemic hit. The community spent years trying to recover from a massive loss of manufacturing, and has regularly dealt with pollution from nearby industry. 

About 70% of Illinois’ COVID-19 deaths are in Cook County. As a result of the pandemic, the medical examiner’s office opened an off-site morgue to deal with a surge in deaths.

The monthlong celebration of Ramadan begins this week. What’s supposed to be a month of fasting and reflection while surrounded by family is instead marked by social distancing. How one local mosque is celebrating.

Chicago art institutions are closed indefinitely, so we’re opening them — virtually. First up in our series of virtual tours: an art center dedicated to one of Chicago’s most celebrated artists, Ed Paschke.

Located in the Hegewisch neighborhood, Ford Motor Company’s Chicago Assembly Plant employs close to 6,000 people, most of them hourly workers. Will they be headed back to work soon?

The coronavirus pandemic has brought much of the world to a screeching halt, but it hasn’t been able to stop the NFL’s draft clock. We get a preview with former Bears offensive lineman James “Big Cat” Williams.