Stories by Patty Wetli

The chorus frog has been filling forest preserves with the sound of its mating calls. Here’s why that’s such good news.

Missing that chatty CTA conductor from your morning commute? Have a hankering for an old fashioned mixed up by your favorite bartender? So are we. Join us as we pay tribute to the everyday folks who make Chicago great.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s choice for the next superintendent of the city’s police department still has to be confirmed by the City Council and he’s got no official start date, but David Brown is “at your service,” Chicago. 

The novel coronavirus is believed to more severely impact those who are elderly, immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions. But demographic data points to another group that appears to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Just over two weeks into a mandatory stay-at-home order, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he is considering additional steps to curb the spread of COVID-19. Cases across the state now stand at 11,256.

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday.

Joe Biden said Sunday that the Democratic National Convention, already delayed until August because of the coronavirus, may need to take place online as the pandemic continues to reshape the race for the White House.

How is the coronavirus impacting neighborhoods across the city? Paris Schutz reports from Uptown, South Shore, Chinatown, Highwood and more communities across Chicago.

The U.S. surgeon general offered some of the starkest warnings yet Sunday as he braced Americans for the worsening fallout from the new coronavirus, warning “this is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly.” 

The number of coronavirus cases in Illinois has surpassed the 10,000 mark with nearly 250 deaths. Given those numbers, Gov. J.B. Pritkzer said anyone flouting his stay-at-home order is “either not paying attention to the news, or they’re stupid.”

Illinois saw its largest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Friday, with an additional 1,209 people testing positive for the virus. A growing number of Chicago cases prompts the creation of a field hospital at McCormick Place.

President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines Friday recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public to help fight the spread of the new coronavirus. The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself, saying, “I’m choosing not to do it.”

Illinois health officials on Friday reported the largest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state – 1, 209 cases and 53 deaths – as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot toured the alternate care facility at McCormick Place.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. 

The job loss of 701,000 reported Friday by the government — the worst since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009 — is still just a small indication of what’s to come.

Ed Farmer rooted for the White Sox growing up on Chicago’s South Side and went on to become an All-Star reliever for them.

Water and sewer work across Chicago is going forward as planned. That means water shutoffs are possible, even as many city residents follow a statewide stay-at-home order.

Coronavirus-related shutdowns have had a dramatic impact on communities all across Chicago, but north suburban Highwood has felt the squeeze on two fronts.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Illinois, more than half of the families the social service agency works with are now facing unemployment or underemployment. We speak with the group’s director of Latino and youth services. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is being felt by just about every segment of American society, but for those already facing difficult circumstances, the pain can be even sharper. 

Lyric’s canceled productions of “42nd Street” and “Blue” are now slated to run in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Meanwhile, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is partnering with WFMT on a series beginning next week.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday named former Dallas police Chief David Brown to head the police force in the nation’s third largest city, touting his humility and calling him “a leader who commands respect.”

Paolo Palazzi-Xirinachs was about four weeks into his post-retirement studies at the University of Florence when Italy went into full quarantine. Now he’s stuck in a country with the highest reported coronavirus death toll in the world.

Ridership on city bus and train lines is down, but the CTA is still operating its regular schedule. What the agency is – and is not – doing to protect riders and operators during the pandemic.

It’s estimated that roughly two billion people around the globe are now under some form of stay-at-home order. This significant slowdown in economic activity has also led to an environmental impact, particularly in the air.

Street sweeping season usually kicks off April 1, but with so many Chicagoans (and their cars) staying put, the city decided to improvise.