Stories by Patty Wetli

Studies show temperatures of -30°F will kill 98% of ash borer beetle larvae. Guess when Chicago was last that cold.

Chicago students are set to return to their classrooms this week after several days at home as the city and Chicago Teachers Union have reached a compromise on new COVID-19 mitigations inside schools.

The latest on the standoff over in-person learning at Chicago Public Schools. Will there be school this week? The Bears chart a path forward. What local leaders plan to do about homelessness during the winter months.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike breaks down the latest Illinois COVID-19 numbers and says the debate over the safety of in-person learning is nuanced. 

The leader of a Chicago nonprofit focused on homelessness says the demand for their services has skyrocketed. "We are getting inundated with calls, emails and walk-ins from people that never imagined they would ever need help like this before.”

A common indicator of COVID-19 is the loss of taste and smell, which can last for months after infection, according to recent research.

The Bears’ head coach and general manager are out. James “Big Cat” Williams, former offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, gives us his thoughts on the offseason challenges the team and the incoming new coach and general manager face.

Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. 

The “musical film” is a fascinating look at the creation of “The Marriage of Figaro,” the first of the composer’s three major operas in Italian.

The man who bought an AR-15-style rifle for Kyle Rittenhouse pleaded no contest Monday to a reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in a deal with prosecutors that allows him to avoid prison. 

According to a federal report released Monday, the U.S. experienced 20 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2021, including hurricanes, wildfires and out-of-season December tornadoes.

It can be hard to tell one tree from another in winter, but there's a simple trick to identifying invasive buckthorn. 

Matt Nagy's fate seemed sealed as the Bears struggled through a 6-11 season that ended with a loss at Minnesota on Sunday. But it was not clear if Ryan Pace also would be let go or retained in either his current role or a different capacity.

Adam Gross will help launch the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability after serving as the director of the police accountability program area for BPI, a public interest law firm.

“Although we have been negotiating hard throughout the day, there has not been sufficient progress for us to predict a return to class tomorrow,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted Sunday.

Talks between Chicago school leaders and the teachers' union resumed Sunday amid a standoff over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety measures that canceled three days of classes. 

Skokie Lagoons may look like an oasis of green but a lot of that lush vegetation is actually an invasive species called European buckthorn. WTTW News tagged along as a group of volunteers charged into the thicket and tackled this enemy. 

Advocates for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center were optimistic when President Joe Biden took office. Many are now increasingly impatient.

Illinois officials are seeking answers after the killing last week of a state child welfare worker during a home visit — the second such tragedy to occur in less than five years.

In a major announcement this week, longtime Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush announced he will not be seeking another term.

The exhibit titled “African Diaspora: Chicago” features 20 collage and acrylic mixed media pieces, all related to Chicago.  It opened in May, and a new collection of pieces just went up in November.  The current exhibit will run until May 22.

 Students briefly returned to class for the first two days of this week, but since Wednesday, classes have been outright canceled as teachers refused to work in person and CPS refuses to go remote, leaving families in limbo once again.

The Chicago Domestic Workers Contract Mandate covers jobs like nannies, home care workers, and home cleaners. It requires their employers to give them a written contract with mutually agreed-upon terms.

The pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the physical, emotional, and financial health of restaurant workers, especially those in the Latino community. Three years ago, a group of hospitality workers created a nonprofit aimed at getting mental health care for struggling workers.

Parents react to this week’s shutdown of Chicago Public Schools. The story of civil rights legend Mamie Till Mobley gets told on the small screen. Plus, a downtown office building partners with a Black-owned art gallery.

In the early days of the pandemic, many Chicagoans used social media to learn new skills and hobbies. One of them is Juan Lopez, a lifelong East Sider who used TikTok videos to teach himself a new skill that he turned into a small business last summer.