Stories by Associated Press

Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing at least six people overnight as a storm system tore through a candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon facility in Illinois and a nursing home in Arkansas. The Kentucky governor said he feared dozens more could be dead.

Two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, were tried on murder charges about a month after Emmett Till was killed, but an all-white Mississippi jury acquitted them. 

We've introduced you to a couple of local artists receiving cash grants from the Chicago-based nonprofit 3 Arts to help pursue their careers. This week, we're featuring another winner: Cat Mahari, a street dancer and visual artist who identifies as autistic.

Sexual assault in hockey is just one topic explored in “Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It.”  It was written by Chicago author Evan Moore, who is now the press secretary for Chicago Public Schools.

A South Side football coach is making history as the first Black woman to lead a boys' football team in the Chicago Public League. And she’s making a difference on and off the field.

In Chicago, predominantly Latino communities often bear the environmental burden of heavy industry, and residents of those communities say they have a hard time making their concerns heard.

Southeast Side native Jorge “Chico” Perez says there’s plenty of dough to be made in his neighborhood. He’s using the bakery his parents closed in 1994 — and the recipes his father taught him — to do it.

The majority of Latinos entering higher education are the first in their families to attend college. This means they don't always have access to mentors or role models in their community to help usher them into professional careers. 

How Black developers are getting in on the city’s investment in affordable housing. A football coach is the first woman to drive a CPS team. And hockey’s toxic culture in our Black Voices Book Club.

Chicago will invest a billion dollars into the creation and preservation of 24 development projects, as a result of federal pandemic recovery money and the Mayor’s 2022 budget. The move not only aims to bring more affordable housing to the city but also looks to support developments led by people of color.

Minnie Miñoso, “the Cuban Comet” broke the color line for the White Sox when he joined the team in 1951. He was selected for induction by the Golden Days Era committee on Sunday, and University of Illinois professor Adrian Burgos Jr says, it’s an honor that was long overdue.

Combatting depression around the holidays. Celebrating Minnie Miñoso. Helping Latino college grads find their dream jobs. And a bakery fires up its oven after almost 30 years.

It’s the time of year that Latino families across the country get their homes, churches and communities ready for holiday celebrations. This season is a joyous time for many, but for some, holiday gatherings can bring feelings of sadness, isolation, and anxiety.

The Love and Nappyness Hair Care Drive collects unused natural hair care, skincare and personal hygiene products. Anyone can drop off items at six locations across the Chicago area. The products will then be donated to Ignite, a shelter for youth facing housing insecurity, and Saint Leonards.

Two different concerts by the ever-remarkable Chicago Symphony Orchestra arrived on the Orchestra Hall stage. Each came with a fascinating CSO-commissioned new work, a superb visiting conductor, and breathtaking performances by the phenomenal virtuoso violinists.

A 20-year extension of the dump, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers to hold toxic sludge dredged from Lake Michigan, is still under review. The dump was supposed to be retired in 2022 and turned over to the Chicago Park District for redevelopment.

Cook County jury convicts Jussie Smollett for faking a hate crime. Business leaders blast the mayor for downtown crime. High-stakes debate over sports wagering. And omicron is here in Chicago.

The rallies before and during the Jan. 6 riot are a major focus of the committee’s investigation. Committee members have said they want to know who financed the events and whether organizers were in close touch with the White House and members of Congress as they planned the events.

The court acted more than a month after hearing arguments over the law, which makes no exceptions for rape or incest.

No appointment necessary. All three approved vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – will be available for adults who can mix-and-match their booster. Only the Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for 16- and 17-year-olds.

Displaying a bipartisanship rare in modern government, politicians in office and out came together to pay homage to Bob Dole’s hard-scrabble rise from wounded war veteran to Senate stalwart to three-time, unsuccessful presidential candidate.

One of the country’s longest-running community science projects is about to get underway. We’ve got all the details on Audubon Society’s 122nd annual Christmas Bird Count, including how to join the effort. 

A jury’s guilty verdict that Jussie Smollett faked a racist and homophobic attack isn’t the end of legal proceedings for the former “Empire” actor or others.

Economists are now voicing a more discouraging message: Higher prices will likely last well into next year, if not beyond.

“Everyone is always welcome downtown, everyone is welcome to enjoy all our city has to offer,” Police Superintendent David Brown said. “Chicago belongs to all of us, but if you come downtown or anywhere else, you engage in disorderly conduct or other crimes, you will be arrested.”

A strong storm system is moving into the Chicago region, bringing an “out-of-season” threat of thunderstorms and even tornadoes, with the worst expected to hit after 9 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said.