Stories by Kristen Thometz

Grants of $10,000 to $20,000 have been awarded to more than 2,600 small businesses throughout the state that have experienced financial loss or disruptions as a result of coronavirus-related closures.

The Chicago Police Department is struggling to reform the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers. What’s being done to address the slow pace of reforms.

Watch the Aug. 12, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Chicago Public Schools leaders have left it up to local school councils to decide whether they want to continue or eliminate resource officer programs at their respective schools. Here’s where things stand as voting wraps up.

With limited supplies of critical protective equipment, University of Illinois researchers have found a new way to decontaminate N95 masks using a common kitchen appliance. 

After striking two women with his car Monday night in downtown Chicago, Edgar Roman allegedly circled back, targeted them and ran over one of the women a second time, dragging her body down the street and killing her.

Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against three men accused of threatening and intimidating women who have accused R&B singer R. Kelly of abuse, including one man suspected of setting fire to a vehicle in Florida.

After protests forced Mayor Lori Lightfoot to remove the city’s statues of Christopher Columbus, the city will launch an effort to “provide a vehicle to address the hard truths of Chicago’s racial history,” the mayor’s office announced Wednesday. 

A crumbling college football season took a massive hit Tuesday when the Big Ten and Pac-12, two historic and powerful conferences, succumbed to the pandemic and canceled their fall football seasons.

The physical destruction caused by Monday’s powerful storm, which saw a tornado touch down in Rogers Park, was as devastating as a hurricane, according to ComEd. Now some neighbors are leading the charge on helping out.

Businesses and residents are bracing for the possibility of future upheaval following widespread theft and property damage on Sunday night. How police are responding — and what else is being done to address systemic issues.

Colleges and universities are preparing for a semester unlike any other. For many, the welcome back won’t be to campus — but to computers.

Summer is the season for public art, and it seems like every week a colorful new mural blooms. We get up close to a massive new work of public art taking flight along the Chicago Riverwalk. 

Lawmakers on Tuesday approved new rules crafted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reduce the spread of the coronavirus despite opposition from Illinois Republicans and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.

The growing share of city property taxes sent to tax increment finance districts is sure to fuel the argument over whether the districts actually spur redevelopment and eradicate blight or exacerbate growing inequality in Chicago.

A community garden and farmers market in Auburn Gresham is now the venue of an open mic hosted for young Chicago artists. We go for a look to learn more.

Access to downtown Chicago will be restricted “for the foreseeable future,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know.

“We can't have people out on the street interfacing with the public without body cameras,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday, just days after officers responded to a call about a man with a gun that led to a shooting and touched off unrest across the city.

President Donald Trump has ordered sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of popular apps TikTok and WeChat, saying they are a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy and the economy.

Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket.

Watch the Aug. 11, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Rogers Park during Monday’s powerful storm. Thousands of Chicagoans remained without power Tuesday morning. 

Visitors to Chicago from Iowa, Kansas and Utah will no longer have to quarantine for two weeks, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday. The three states are the first to be removed from Chicago’s quarantine order.

Be on the lookout for Perseids on Tuesday night and early Wednesday as the meteor shower hits its peak. Here’s how to maximize your chances of seeing these fireballs streak across the sky.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis says Chicago may have to call the National Guard back to the city if it is unable to prevent further looting. Davis and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, join us in conversation.

A rare storm packing 100 mph winds and with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the Midwest on Monday, blowing over trees, flipping vehicles, causing widespread property damage and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.