Stories by Acacia Hernandez

Tax relief coming to Illinoisans. The first domino falls in the Chicago mayor’s race. A temporary defeat for the mayor’s gas tax proposal. And three casino finalists get a public airing.

Former Ald. Danny Solis was charged with taking money from an unidentified real estate developer when he was chair of the City Council Zoning Committee in 2015.

Crews have restored power to some 650,000 customers out of nearly 1.5 million, but people in several neighborhoods have complained that the electricity went out once again as the island struggles to emerge from the blackout that also left more than 160,000 clients without water.

Soaring inflation. The war in Ukraine. Yet another rise in COVID cases. With so much going on this year it’s hard to focus on things like filing your taxes. Nevertheless, the IRS still expects you to file your 2021 return and pay whatever you still owe by the filing deadline, which is April 18 for most taxpayers.

A missile hit a train station where thousands of people had flocked to flee in eastern Ukraine, killing 50 people Friday, Ukrainian authorities said, while warning they expect to find more evidence of war crimes in areas abandoned by Russian troops.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will join a Supreme Court that is both more diverse than ever and more conservative than it’s been since the 1930s.

For the hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students kicking off their spring break Friday, it’ll look more like a snow day.

It’s getting down to the wire for state lawmakers. They’re supposed to finish their work for this session Friday. And just before the deadline, Democrats are out with a deal.

One-on-one with the newest candidate for mayor of Chicago: Ald. Ray Lopez. Plus, two local doctors return from helping Ukrainian refugees in Europe. And Amanda Vinicky has the latest from Springfield.

In his bid to oust  Mayor Lori Lightfoot from her 5th floor suite of offices, Lopez will give up his seat on the City Council representing Brighton Park, Back of the Yards and Gage Park and West Englewood.

Two retired Skokie doctors have recently returned from volunteering in Eastern Europe, helping refugees escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Methane is a big contributor to climate change, leading to about a 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 degrees Celsius) increase in temperature since the 19th century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Carbon dioxide has caused about 50% more warming than methane.

The program got the green light from the Chicago City Council in October after two pilot programs in 2019 and 2020 convinced city officials that the motorized two-wheelers will reduce congestion and encourage the use of public transportation throughout Chicago.

Alexis Del Toro, 23, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in the December 2021 killing of Baghirov Gurban, who was fatally shot while driving in the 5500 block of North Kedzie Avenue.

The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic, her spokesman Drew Hammill said Thursday in a tweet. He said she had tested negative earlier in the week.

Why do some people experience long-term effects after having COVID-19? And what can be done to speed recovery and prevent it? Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are part of a national effort to answer those questions and more. 

The Edgewater location brings the total to eight area Starbucks coffee shops seeking representation. Those workers are part of a rapidly expanding nationwide effort that organizers now say numbers 176 locations, 10 of which have voted in favor of joining a union.

WTTW’s latest investigation finds a company getting tax incentives from Aurora hired Mayor Irvin’s ex wife. A local take on Ken Burns’ new Ben Franklin doc. And the latest on three casino finalists.

Skeptical members of the Chicago City Council blasted the proposal as an election-year stunt that would benefit oil companies without offering Chicagoans real relief from the pain at the pump.

Democrats, who control the General Assembly, and therefore the budget process in the House, Senate and governor’s office have each offered different proposals with various forms of tax breaks. They aim to have their differences reconciled before Friday’s end, when the spring session is scheduled to adjourn.

The new Ken Burns documentary “Benjamin Franklin” looks at the life of one of the founders of the United States. Of course, Benjamin Franklin’s scientific achievements are a big part of the story. But how do they resonate with today’s students of science?

Liz Ahearn opened her Rogers Park business, 7301 N. Sheridan Road, seven months before the pandemic hit. Like many other shop owners, she’s had to get creative. Despite the challenges, she has managed to keep her business growing. 

International artwork, poetry, historic homes and craft brews usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

NextEra Energy subsidiary ESI Energy pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act during a Tuesday court appearance in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was charged in the deaths of eagles at three of its wind farms in Wyoming and New Mexico.

Amir Locke, 22, was staying on a couch in his cousin’s apartment when authorities entered it on Feb. 2 without knocking as part of an investigation into a homicide in neighboring St. Paul.