Stories by Amanda Vinicky

A reprieve from having to pay a hefty tax bill sounds like a gift, but a monthslong delay in Cook County property tax bills could instead cause headaches for taxpayers, governments and elected officials alike.

The South Side neighborhood once had a bustling economy and much larger population. But despite challenges over the decades, local residents and organizations are working to make sure the community has what it needs to thrive.

What’s behind delays in your property tax bill. Grading the state’s infrastructure. A proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. A live report from Englewood. And last call at a beloved bakery. 

Menthol accounts for more than a third of cigarettes sold in the U.S, and the mint flavor is favored by Black smokers and young people. Menthol’s cooling effect has been shown to mask the throat harshness of smoking, making it easier to start and harder to quit.

A report from the Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers has graded the state on everything from roads to drinking water. The last time the report was released was 2018.

Holocaust survivors across the world have united to deliver a message on the dangers of unchecked hate and the importance of remembrance at a time of rising global antisemitism.

The four-day global challenge runs Friday through Monday and encourages people to record their observations of local plants and wildlife in what’s known as a “bioblitz.” Chicago just missed out on a Top 20 finish in 2021.

Three separate lawsuits, filed by the states and environmental groups Thursday ask judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the next-generation delivery vehicle program.

A trio of measures introduced at Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting would allocate a total of $2.5 million toward habitat and open space improvement projects.

CPS and Lurie announced Thursday they’ll ensure every district-run school can participate in the program, which helps identify and address students in need of mental health support.

In Illinois, there’s an added layer of intrigue (or skepticism) about electrical costs given that in 2020 ComEd admitted to federal prosecutors it spent nearly a decade using bribery to get laws passed that were  favorable to the utility company’s bottom line.

While weighing a bid for mayor, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley said a poll he conducted showed he would force Mayor Lori Lightfoot into a runoff and beat her by 10 percentage points.

The western collar county is once again the healthiest in the state and has ranked in the top 6 healthiest counties since 2011, according to a comprehensive report comparing counties’ health statewide. 

The fate of the mayor’s gas giveaway. Will Com Ed customers see big rebates? A local author calls for more community support for parents. And the Joffrey Ballet takes on a classic piece of literature.

The Joffrey Ballet’s latest production is John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men.” It’s a story that ends in tragedy — but the artists hope to highlight something else in their rendition.

Charles Sikanich is accused of trying to sell an MP-40 fully automatic machine gun, which is illegal to possess in Illinois, to an undercover ATF agent while on the clock in a city vehicle, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. 

A patchwork child care system, a lack of paid family leave and millions of busy and stressed parents — a new book argues the current model of raising children isn't always the best for kids' brain development. In that book, the author writes society should give all parents more time and tools to optimize the growth of young minds.

Chicago Public Schools said it expects to begin publishing student discipline and safety data in the coming weeks, a year after dozens of high schools voted to reduce or eliminate their school resource officer (SRO) programs.

The program was narrowly approved after several members blasted Lightfoot’s plan as an election-year stunt that would benefit oil companies without offering Chicagoans real relief from the pain at the pump.

The $31.5 million program has enough funding to send just 5,000 Chicago families $500 per month for 12 months, officials said.

A unique craft show, sudsy beverages, classical music and an alfresco art fair usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

More than 1 in 5 species of reptiles worldwide are threatened with extinction, according to a comprehensive new assessment of thousands of species published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Work on the reptile study – which involved nearly 1,000 scientists and 52 co-authors – started in 2005.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday sent a “Hazard Alert Letter” to the Seattle-based e-commerce giant on Tuesday following the agency’s investigation into the deadly collapse of a company warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois in December. Six people died and another was critically injured in the tornado strike.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has given an upbeat assessment of the current state of the coronavirus in the United States, saying the country is “out of the pandemic phase” when it comes to new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, but that it appears to be making a transition to COVID-19 becoming an endemic disease — occurring regularly in certain areas.

His campaign said Darren Bailey’s stance on masking has been “consistent” despite a policy at his family business that could be viewed as contradictory to his public anti-masking message. According to federal documents, face coverings are required for certain workers at the Bailey Family Farm, of which he is registered as a trustee.  

Fewer than half of Illinois’ 102 counties are participating in a statewide program that monitors the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater. But state health officials say the participating 68 wastewater treatment plants in 48 counties covers more than 80% of Illinois’ population.