Stories by Heather Cherone

The commission, which was formed more than two years ago in the wake of the social justice protests and unrest that erupted after the police murder of George Floyd, also recommended that the city remove the Italo Balbo monument as well as several monuments because of the way they depict Native Americans.

As part of the Green Schools Project, schools engage in project-based challenges to develop and implement creative, low-cost, sustainable practices. Those schools receive resources and support from the Illinois Green Alliance to collaborate on a year-long project which they can present at the end of the school year.

The workers at the coffee shop, located at the corner of Irving Park Road and Ashland Avenue, are seeking to join the seven other Chicago-area Starbucks locations that have so far voted in favor of unionizing. 

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown announced that Tavis Dunbar, 34, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Three men were killed and another injured when a car drove into a crowd of people Aug. 15. 

Vaccinations for babies, toddlers and preschoolers opened in the U.S. in June after months of delay. Only about 6% of youngsters ages 6 months through 4 years had gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-August, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, a swift victory for prosecutors in a foiled plot that was described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists.

The poll by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows 71% of Americans say gun laws should be stricter, including about half of Republicans, the vast majority of Democrats and a majority of those in gun-owning households.

The head of CPS on the first day of school. Plus, teaching Asian American history, pain relief without drugs and the latest on Chicago’s controversial monuments.

In a statement released by her office, Lightfoot thanked Chicago’s Native American and Italian American communities for participating in the commission’s work, but did not address the future of the statues “regarded by many members of the Italian American community as a symbol of cultural pride” but considered “a bitter reminder of centuries of exploitation, conquest and genocide” to members of Chicago’s Native American community, according to the commission’s report.

Starting this school year, every public elementary school and high school in Illinois must include a unit of instruction on Asian American history. Illinois became the first state to implement the requirement when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act into law last summer. 

Ford announces it’s cutting thousands of jobs, two local hotel sales mark some of the biggest in the hospitality market since the start of the pandemic and a new app helps homeowners rent individual rooms.

A new study suggests ant colonies work like a collective brain to make decisions. How racial discrimination could negatively impact brain structure. A surgical implant that could provide pain relief without drugs. And how a quirk of evolution gave humans our voice.

Illinois officials are about to release a draft of the first comprehensive overhaul of the State Water Plan in 40 years, with climate change among the critical issues the document is set to address.

Dr. Anthony Fauci directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and also leads a lab studying the immune system. He has served in federal government for more than five decades.

The single-vehicle crash happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday when the vehicle went off a state highway and struck a tree in the small town of Riley, about 10 miles from the university’s Terre Haute campus.

School, city and state leaders celebrated Sunday with the Catholic nun who became something of a folk hero as chaplain for the Loyola men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2018.

After a week that saw multiple people dead from drownings in Lake Michigan off Chicago’s shoreline, Mayor Lori Lightfoot had words of caution for the city’s residents and visitors.

Monday marks the first day of the 2022-23 school year, as some 300,000-plus students head back to class on one of the earliest start dates in recent memory.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 37 people were shot in 26 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday evening and 11:59 p.m. Sunday night. That included a drive-by shooting in Homan Square that left four people injured and one dead Friday.

In Georgia’s May primaries, a notable number of Democratic-leaning voters cast Republican ballots to help Gov. Brian Kemp trounce his Trump-endorsed challenger. Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams needs those voters in her column.

The lack of Republican presidential hopefuls at the Iowa State Fair speaks to the careful dance that potential candidates are attempting as many Republicans avoid taking on former President Donald Trump.

Advice on staying healthy in the new school year. The history and future of the labor movement in Chicago. A Pilsen block party. And local band Así Así.

As school starts back up, students especially rely on the internet for everything from research to turning in their homework. But for some of those students, reliable internet access is still tough to come by. A few area programs are looking to change that. 

The state of digital equity as kids head back to school. Plus, local Amazon workers allege a hostile work environment. And a homegrown music festival comes to Garfield Park. 

An end of summer celebration is coming soon to the West Side in Garfield Park with the “Purple Block Party” at the Garfield Park Music Circle Center. 

Chicago union organizing has played a big role in everyday life ranging from Labor Day to the eight-hour workday. But it’s not all history, with workers in a variety of fields trying to unionize and change labor laws in the state.