Stories by Patty Wetli

Aleksandra Plewa and Peter Proctor's startup, EcoShip, collects used shipping materials and redistributes them to small business owners – for free. 

From pioneer professional baseball players Roberto Clemente and the White Sox’s Minnie Miñoso to “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz, Afro-Latinos have made a significant impact on American history. Our latest community conversation dives into Afro-Latino history in Chicago, while touching on the nuances of multi-racial identities.

Facing disquiet at home and danger abroad, President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address at a precipitous moment for the nation, aiming to navigate the country out of a pandemic, reboot his stalled domestic agenda and confront Russia’s aggression.

There were 43 homicides in Chicago last month, bringing the 2022 total up to 92 through the end of February, according to data published Tuesday by the Chicago Police Department.

An embattled Ukraine moved to solidify its bond with the West on Monday by signing an application to join the European Union, while the first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no immediate agreements.

Illinois and Chicago go maskless. Plus, the latest on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and heightened nuclear tensions, inside the local effort to unionize Amazon workers, and a local study connects better sleep with weight loss.

New reports from insurance company State Farm signal just how much the pandemic has upended the auto insurance industry; the Old Post Office welcomes another tenant; and the St. Regis tower sees its highest-priced sale so far.

In Chicago, a group of workers called Amazonians United Chicagoland says it’s seen success from its organizing efforts. 

Getting a full night’s sleep could help one lose weight, according to a recent study by University of Chicago and University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court has launched what Democrats hope will be a quick, bipartisan confirmation process for the court’s first Black woman.

Under the big top, Teatro ZinZanni presents a performance that is Cirque du Soleil meets cabaret, with a little circus action in between.

As expected, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday issued a new executive order that lifts the requirement for masking in most indoor public settings, citing a “vast improvement” in COVID-related hospitalizations and transmissions. 

This past week, in a chillingly prescient way, a rescheduled visit of English National Ballet’s production of Akram Khan’s “Creature” arrived on the Harris stage, and it could not have been more ideally timed. 

The first trial for one of the hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions begins this week, with jury selection starting Monday in the case against Guy Wesley Reffitt. The trial may be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases.

A man who spent $8.50 apiece in 1984 for a pair of tickets to Michael Jordan’s NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls has sold one of them at auction for $468,000.

The Supreme Court is hearing a case its conservative majority could use to hobble Biden administration efforts to combat climate change.

Fourteen people were shot in 12 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, according to the Chicago Police Department.

The City Council’s Subcommittee on Reparations has met only once since it was formed in June 2020, and Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward), the chair of the subcommittee, told WTTW News that her efforts to schedule additional meetings have been unsuccessful.

Indoor mask mandates for the city of Chicago and state of Illinois are ending Monday. But don’t leave home without one – you’ll still need it in some places. Here’s what you need to know.

After 182 days, Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted the statewide mandate on Monday as confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations continued to drop precipitously after the surge driven by the omicron variant. 

Many Americans, including parents of school children, have been clamoring for an end to masking while others remain wary that the pandemic could throw a new curveball. Now, states, cities and school districts are assessing Friday’s guidance to determine whether it’s safe to stop mask-wearing.

The directive to put Russia’s nuclear weapons in an increased state of readiness for launch raised fears that the crisis could boil over into nuclear warfare, whether by design or mistake.

Students protest racial slurs at a suburban high school. How a Chicago journalist uses her own experience to address trauma. Helping students pay for college. And our Black History Month Spotlight.

Students at Niles West High School in Skokie have led two walkouts in the last two weeks to protest what they call a culture of racism on campus. 

Getting to the why is the theme of the book in the latest installment of our Black Voices Book Club Series. “Hood Healing: Interviews With Some of Chicago’s Most Prolific Voices In Media and Black Culture” unpacks the generational trauma Black people experience and how that impacts communities.

On a mission to make education accessible to everyone, one man started a program that has grown dramatically over the years.