Stories by Blair Paddock

With a global pandemic and ongoing protests against police brutality, LGBTQ organizations are returning to their revolutionary roots as they celebrate Pride Month.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she supports neighbors being vigilant but that she won’t tolerate people taking up arms. “We’ve seen that end with tragic results across the country,” she said.

You can camp, golf and — starting next weekend — even go zip lining, but plenty of closures and restrictions remain in effect. Here’s a look at what you can and can’t do in the preserves, and when.

According to a new study, cycling through Cook County Jail — a facility once dubbed the “largest-known source” of COVID-19 in the U.S. — is associated with roughly 16% of all documented cases of the virus in Illinois and Chicago through mid-April.

Caravans of burglars have capitalized on chaos, communicating with each other via messaging apps during heists and using both the protests over the death of George Floyd and other tactics to throw police off their trail. 

These days, buying flowers might seem like the very definition of a nonessential luxury purchase. But dozens of struggling nonprofits are in fact relying on flower sales to fund the vital social services they provide.

The placenta provides nutrients and oxygen to a developing fetus, among other things. In a small study, researchers found the placentas from pregnant women with COVID-19 showed signs of injury.

The mural of George Floyd projected above his golden coffin, where mourners knelt and cried, paused and prayed at his memorial service Thursday had a simple message: “I can breathe now.”

Watch the June 4, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Efforts to put an elected board of Chicago residents in charge of the Chicago Police Department — stalled by the coronavirus pandemic — could get new life amid a renewed nationwide push to hold police officers accountable for misconduct.

We get a taste of what some restaurant industry players experienced Wednesday as Chicago moved info phase three of its reopening plan.

How Chicago communities came together to push past tensions that were feeding a racial divide. 

There was a message of unity Wednesday as solidarity marches replaced fears of racially motivated violence. We visited Pilsen, Little Village and the suburb of Cicero for a view from the ground.

Despite days of protests, some which turned destructive, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the message from business owners is clear: they want to reopen. 

Chicago has officially moved into phase three of its reopening plan. We discuss the public health implications of reopening with Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

A conversation with the Rev. Martin Hunter, the great uncle of Laquan McDonald, whose fatal shooting by a Chicago police officer in 2014 sparked widespread calls for police reform.

An increasing number of complaints that Chicago officials decided to protect downtown at the expense of neighborhoods on the South and West sides are “not true and illogical,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday.

Cook County prosecutors claim Michael Mangan, 36, broke a total of 82 windows at a Northwest Side elementary school, valued at $16,400, and did so because “the school ruined his life.”

Looting and unrest has largely subsided in Chicago as large peaceful protests against police misconduct continue, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told reporters Wednesday.

Watch the June 3, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Dancers, perhaps more than any other group of performing artists, have been hit hardest, both artistically and financially, by the fallout from the coronavirus. So this year’s Dance for Life 2020 event will feature a new virtual format.

Neighbors are taking care of each other, grabbing brooms, raising money and distributing food. “I’m cleaning up my community on behalf of my people,” said one volunteer.

The protests have come just as communities across the nation loosen restrictions on businesses and public life that have helped slow the spread of the virus, deepening concern that the two factors taken together could create a national resurgence in cases.

Peaceful protests through the North and South sides on Tuesday marked the fifth consecutive day of protests in Chicago in response to the killing of George Floyd.

Next time you order takeout food, you can pair it with a premade to-go cocktail, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday. 

The mercury soared to 94 degrees on June 2, topping the previous record of 92 degrees set for the date back in 1944.