Stories by Heather Cherone

Inspector General Joe Ferguson’s report details several instances when Eddie Johnson got special treatment after being discovered unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle near 34th Place and Aberdeen Street last year.

West suburban Wheaton, home to historic Wheaton College, hasn’t been spared the health and economic hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The election is just weeks away and early voting is in full swing. How ready are voters and election authorities?

The Bears have a 4-1 record after eking out a 1-point win over the Buccaneers on Thursday, but that record may flatter them. Former Bears offensive lineman James "Big Cat" Williams gives us his take.

The exhibit would normally feature authentic artwork from Mexican artists, including traditional ofrendas, or altars. This year, the artwork comes from both the museum’s personal collection and local artists.

“This has not been a good week in Chicago,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, urging people to avoid gatherings, wear masks and keep 6 feet of distance from others. 

Cynthia Donald, who filed the lawsuit Thursday in Cook County Court, claimed that for more than three years, she was subjected to “unwanted and uninvited sexual advances” from Johnson inside his office at CPD headquarters.

Under the district’s plan, pre-K and cluster program students would return for full-day learning, five days a week beginning next quarter.

Geoffrey Baer takes a look at the redesigned event in the latest Ask Geoffrey.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle plans to consolidate two clinics into Provident Hospital and change its full-service emergency room to a stand-by emergency department. “We are strengthening Provident Hospital. It is here to stay. Period,” she said.

Each week, 200 South Side households receive a free delivery of fresh produce, thanks to a collaboration between Star Farm and Experimental Station. To keep the program running through October, organizers need to raise $20,000.

Watch the Oct. 15, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The Deerfield, Illinois-based drugstore chain said Thursday it made $373 million in the final quarter of fiscal 2020 after losing $1.7 billion the previous quarter, when millions of shoppers stayed home to avoid the rapidly spreading pandemic.

Thursday’s report from the Labor Department coincides with other recent data that have signaled a slowdown in hiring. The economy is still roughly 10.7 million jobs short of recovering all the 22 million jobs that were lost when the pandemic struck.

The economic collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic presented an “extraordinarily challenging” set of circumstances to the county’s finance team, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said a day before unveiling her $6.9 billion spending plan.

Billionaire Pritzker cousins are hurling cash at opposing sides of the “fair tax” amendment. Our politics team tackles that story and more — including the battle over the Supreme Court — in this week’s roundtable.

What you need to know about mail-in voting and voting in person as Nov. 3 — Election Day — approaches.

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett faced a second day of questions Wednesday from the Senate Judiciary Committee as Democrats kept up their focus on health care three weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election. 

Dr. William Yates has made public safety through technology his business, first by developing metal detectors to prevent gun violence, and now, by developing no-contact thermal scanners to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

With a heated election drawing to a close and concerns about possible post-election unrest, transportation advocates are calling on the Lightfoot administration and Chicago-area transit systems to pledge they’ll continue operations during protests.

Earth sweltered to a record hot September last month, with U.S. climate officials saying there’s nearly a two-to-one chance that 2020 will end up as the globe’s hottest year on record.

If you plan on voting by mail, election officials say it’s best to do it as early as possible so your ballot gets to its destination well before Election Day, which is Nov. 3.

A federal judge will decide whether “Cheer” star Jeremiah “Jerry” Harris will be held in jail or released as he awaits trial on a single count of producing child pornography.

For the first time in decades, a candidate with a name other than Lipinski will represent Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District in Congress. We hear from Republican Mike Fricilone and Democrat Marie Newman.

Watch the Oct. 14, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

With the holidays fast approaching and positivity rates rising throughout the state, health officials released guidelines to help families celebrate safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.