Stories by Patty Wetli

As problematic as invasive plants, pests and pathogens already are, climate change will only magnify the havoc they wreak on habitat, wildlife and even humans.

In her first public remarks on the search for a replacement for former Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, Lightfoot said the five-member search committee charged with reviewing applications from those who want to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and malfeasance by city employees, contractors and vendors was working diligently to recommend finalists.

In all, the plan could be more than $10 billion over time. It calls for members of the Sackler family to give up control of the Stamford, Connecticut-based company so it can be turned into a new entity with profits used to fight the opioid crisis.

A bit of space junk is hurtling toward the moon at 5,800 miles per hour, with impact set for Friday morning.

The Field Museum is diving deep to introduce visitors to underwater wildlife that lived 200 million years ago. We have a preview of the exhibition “Jurassic Oceans – Monsters of the Deep.”

With owners and players unable to agree on a labor contract to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expired Dec. 1, Rob Manfred followed through with his threat and canceled the first two series for each of the 30 major league teams.

So far, Ukraine’s internet mostly works, its president still able to rally global support via a smartphone, and its power plants and other critical infrastructure still able to function. The kind of devastating cyberattacks thought likely to accompany a large-scale Russian military invasion haven’t happened.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle details how an influx of federal funds will be allocated.

What do new federal charges mean for Illinois’ Democratic Party, public trust in state government, and for Michael Madigan himself? Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

A bombshell indictment: former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan facing federal charges. We’re live at the courthouse with the latest, and our Spotlight Politics team has an analysis.

Michael Madigan, who served as speaker of the Illinois House for 36 years, led a criminal enterprise disguised as a political organization that was devoted to enriching himself and his associates, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

A carnivale celebration, polar plunge, neighborhood photographs and concerts usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

Russia reported its military casualties for the first time since the invasion began last week, saying nearly 500 of its troops had been killed and almost 1,600 wounded. Ukraine insisted Russia’s losses were far higher but did not immediately disclose its own casualties.

A rare patch of 8,000-year-old remnant Illinois prairie has been granted a new three-month lease on life, as the Greater Rockford Airport Authority has again delayed demolition of the natural area, pending additional environmental review.

Field studies over the past few weeks — a collective effort known as the “Winter Grab” — were intended to boost knowledge of what happens in the five lakes when they’re covered partially or completely with ice.

“Another child has become the victim of senseless gun violence and it must stop,” the Chicago Police Department said in a tweet Wednesday.

Previewing President Biden’s State of the Union during an international crisis. Plus, the latest from Ukraine, Chicago’s history storing Nike missiles on the lakefront, celebrating paczki day and more.

Russian forces stepped up their attacks on crowded urban areas Tuesday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower in what the country’s president called a blatant campaign of terror.

Geoffrey Baer joined “Chicago Tonight” for this week’s Ask Geoffrey, about old Nike missile bases in Chicago.

A library filled with collections of people’s stories is coming to life in a new podcast series called “Unboxing Queer History.”

Cook County is now at the lowest level of COVID-19 risk, under new guidance set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Both locally and nationally, carjackings are on the rise. In Chicago, they have tripled over the last decade, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. Other cities including New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. have also seen similar upticks.

Dennis Haggerty, 45, of Burr Ridge, pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Chicago to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering after taking millions from an Iowa hospital in exchange for personal protective equipment he never provided.

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday that he would not run for mayor of Chicago in 2023, removing Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s most prominent potential challenger from the growing field of prospective candidates.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois’ top doctor and the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, will step down on March 14, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.

Black Chicagoans were “overwhelmingly disproportionately” stopped by Chicago Police officers across the city, including in parts of the city that Chicago Police consider to be “high crime” areas, according to the report issued by interim Inspector General William Marbeck.