Stories by Heather Cherone

Chicago and Illinois officials said Thursday they will follow new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and jettison rules that require fully vaccinated people to wear masks indoors. However, masks are not “going away,” according to city health officials.

The Lawrence and Berwyn stations will fully close Sunday while track is rebuilt and new stations are constructed on a 6-mile stretch of the CTA Red Line.

Illinois’ once bleak financial picture has brightened considerably during the past three months, state finance officials announced Thursday. Gov. J.B. Pritzker will use the additional revenue to boost spending on education by an additional $350 million. 

In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

The FBI is offering the reward for information leading to the arrest of Devontay Anderson, who authorities believe has fled the state of Illinois following his alleged involvement in the shooting death of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams last month.

Illinois will enter the next phase of its reopening plan Friday, and is on track to fully reopen June 11, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday. Here’s what you should know about the “bridge” phase.

The attorney for the 11th Ward alderman who is the grandson of former Mayor Richard J. Daley said he was eager “to get to trial and clear Mr. Thompson’s name as soon as that is possible.” 

The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd  will be pushed back to March 2022, in part to allow the publicity over Derek Chauvin’s conviction to cool off, a judge ruled Thursday.

Chicago Public Schools officials say the district will host dozens of focus groups in the coming months to gather community feedback before making any decision about its next CEO. Current CEO Janice Jackson will be leaving the district when her contract expires at the end of June.

Converted CTA buses will visit 15 Chicago Public Schools to provide COVID-19 vaccines to students over the next three Saturdays, city health officials announced Thursday.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a new pandemic low, the latest evidence that fewer employers are cutting jobs as consumers ramp up spending and more businesses reopen.

Pervis Staples, whose tenor voice complimented his father’s and sisters’ in the legendary gospel group The Staple Singers, has died, a spokesman announced Wednesday. He was 85.

Look to the night sky this week for fascinating celestial show: the solar system’s three inner planets — Mercury, Venus and Mars — will all be visible. Use the crescent moon as a guide to find them in the sky.

NASA’S Ingenuity helicopter takes flight on Mars. We get an update on the space agency’s most ambitious mission to date on the Red Planet from local astronomer and space enthusiast Mark Hammergren. 

U.S. Attorney John Lausch was hospitalized Saturday after suffering from stroke-like symptoms, according to the spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois. Lausch, 51, returned to work on Monday, his spokesperson said.

We learn about the new, free showcase with Greg Ward and Jumaane Taylor, the saxophonist and tap dancer with the Hyde Park Jazz Fest who are performing in the series.

The number of local home sales has skyrocketed, driving prices in the Chicago metro area to all-time highs. That’s translated into lightning-fast turnover as people put their homes up for sale — as well as a decline in inventory.

A real estate boom has homebuyers hustling. A trip to Mars — and a fascinating celestial show to watch from Earth. Our Spotlight Politics team on the mayor’s email hack and infighting in the GOP.

Devontay Anderson has been charged in federal court with fleeing Illinois to avoid prosecution for the killing of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams outside a West Side McDonald's last month, according to an FBI affidavit.

It’s illegal to forage in Cook County forest preserves. Every year, 100 citations are issued for poaching, a significant number of which involve ramps, the wild leek that gave Chicago its name.

Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) is one of three Chicago elected officials running for secretary of state in 2022.

There is no gasoline shortage, according to government officials and energy analysts. But there is a problem getting the fuel from refineries on the Gulf Coast to the states that need it, and officials are scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver that fuel.

Stuart Nitzkin, the former head of a suburban nonprofit supporting physically and psychologically challenged children, pleaded guilty to stealing money from the organization and using it to pay for golf, family vacations and tickets to sporting events.

As schools across Illinois welcome back more students for in-person learning, state officials have announced a new investment to increase access to COVID-19 testing “at low or no cost.”

The Enjoy Illinois campaign targets residents of Illinois’ border states and seeks to capitalize on what officials say is an increasing desire from those weary of the pandemic to travel by car.

A Minnesota judge has ruled that there were aggravating factors in the death of George Floyd, paving the way for the possibility of a longer sentence for Derek Chauvin, according to an order made public Wednesday.