Stories by Heather Cherone

The number of evictions carried out in Cook County dropped from more than 3,300 in the five months before the pandemic to fewer than 1,200 in the five months after the eviction ban was lifted, according to data obtained by WTTW News.

According to the annual list released Tuesday, Walter Payton College Prep was ranked as the No. 5 high school in the country for 2022, once again placing first in both Chicago and across all of Illinois.

The mayor’s controversial gang profits ordinance stalls, what Twitter could look like under Elon Musk and avian flu is on the rise in Illinois. Plus, inside the turmoil at the Chicago Reader and the city’s role in inventing the pizza puff.

Bird flu cases have been identified in commercial chicken and turkey farms or in backyard flocks in 29 states, according to the USDA. Spread of the disease is largely blamed on the droppings of infected migrating wild birds.

The outspoken Tesla CEO, who is also the world’s wealthiest person, has said he wanted to own and privatize Twitter because he thinks it’s not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech.

Chicago has been creeping up the list for a few years. In 2019, the city ranked number 18. Three years later, the levels of pollution landed the Windy City in the 16th spot.

The future of the Chicago Reader is at stake as a dispute drags on between staff members and one of the paper’s current owners. 

Crain’s Chicago Business Editor Ann Dwyer joins us to go behind the headlines.

None of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s allies on the Chicago City Council met the 10 a.m. Monday deadline to ask City Clerk Anna Valencia to put it on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, meaning the measure will remain in limbo at least until May.

A New York judge found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and set in motion $10,000 daily fines Monday for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday announced it has learned about three suspected cases of severe hepatitis in children under 10 that are potentially linked to a strain of the adenovirus. 

"Energy Revolution," a new exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center, looks at climate change through the lens of architecture, with an emphasis on energy consumption. When it comes to energy efficient insulation, less is not more.

From 2019 to 2020, life expectancy in Chicago dropped almost two years – one of the sharpest single-year decreases on record, according to city officials. Latino and Black Chicagoans experienced the steepest declines, with life expectancy for the latter falling below 70 years for the first time in decades.

According to Chicago police, 42 people were shot in 32 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, when temperatures jumped into the 80s for the first time in 2022.

COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus — even though it’s not clear if changes are needed.

Neutralizing environmental racism in a crossover edition of Voices, on this Earth Day weekend. Diagnosing autism. A story of freedom told through opera. And the city’s oldest Black camera club.

Autism affects about one in 44 children, and while therapists say early intervention is key to treating it effectively, Black children are five times more likely to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed later in life.

Chicago’s environmental justice advocates are working to address the systematic structures that created these inequities. They say a greener future is possible as long as the city and industry are willing to do the work.   

A second five-year term for the centrist Macron spares France and its allies the seismic upheaval of a wartime shift of power to Macron’s populist challenger Marine Le Pen, who quickly acknowledged her defeat Sunday night but still appeared on course for a best-ever showing for her fiercely nationalist far-right policies.

Washington Park Camera Club members are combining their passion for pictures with early Chicago history to celebrate Frederick Law Olmsted. 

When it comes to the stories told about Black people in theater, 18th century London might not be the first time and place that comes to mind. But composer Errollyn Wallen is hoping to change that with “Quamino’s Map,” a new opera being staged at Chicago Opera Theatre.   

A special Voices crossover: we look at the fight against environmental racism in Chicago and the suburbs. Plus, a labor update at a local tortilla factory. And an event by teens, for teens. 

A week’s worth of workshops, programs and events include everything from learning how to make your own zine, to a mystery improv game to conversations with authors, podcasters, and local musicians. Some events require pre-registration.

Workers at El Milagro tortilla factories are declaring some victories. They say they’ve seen wage increases totaling more than $1 million this month — in addition to the installation of air conditioning in lunchrooms.

When it comes to industrial pollution, it’s often Chicago’s Latino and Black communities who bear the brunt. In those communities, past industrial abuses still cast a shadow with the air, water, and soil pollution resulting in higher rates of asthma, cancer, lead poisoning and other health issues.

Golden-Con: Thank You For Being a Fan, which lasts through Sunday, is giving those who adored the NBC sitcom a chance to come together. More than 2,000 attendees are expected to converge.