Stories by Erica Gunderson

Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the temporary removal of two Christopher Columbus statues in Chicago last week following protests that turned violent. Now, activists are hoping to make their removal permanent — but the debate isn’t over.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned Commonwealth Edison officials Monday that the utility would have to make significant changes if it wants to keep its lucrative city contract following a yearslong bribery scheme.

With Illinois reporting more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the sixth consecutive day, the state’s top public health official says the question of a reopening rollback will be answered by residents.

She broke many barriers as an attorney in a male-dominated arena, but perhaps her greatest battle was as a tough-questioning prosecutor in the Watergate case. We speak with Chicago native Jill Wine-Banks.

For nearly a week, more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Illinois each day. The spike has prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to repeatedly urge residents to wear masks and practice social distancing.

The short film written and produced by Lookingglass Theatre’s J. Nicole Brooks premieres Monday to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the start of 1919 Chicago race riots.

Visitors from Wisconsin to Chicago will soon be required to quarantine for two weeks in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.

Chicagoans who lost their jobs or found their paychecks scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic can apply for a second round of grants of up to $3,000 to help them pay their rent or mortgages.

Watch the July 27, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

City officials fined five businesses and shut down a Beverly bar for violating rules designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Monday.

In any other year, a parking spot near Wrigley Field on a game day would be a mirage or a miracle. But on the third day of the 2020 baseball season, parking spots were easy to find, and the cheek-to-jowl lines were nonexistent.

For cyclists, there’s never a good time for a slipped chain or flat tire, but there might be a good neighborhood for running into those hiccups: Portage Park. Here’s why.

Sunday marks the fifth consecutive day in which the state saw an increase of more than 1,000 new cases. So far, more than 28,000 people in Illinois have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in July. 

With the November election 100 days away, more Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction than at any previous point in Donald Trump’s presidency, putting the incumbent in a perilous position.

Little about this pandemic-delayed season is routine — but for fans looking to see major league baseball live, there are few options besides the rooftops along Waveland and Sheffield avenues.

Several hundred people participated in a march against gun violence as neighborhoods across Chicago deal with a recent spike in violence  — and as the city prepares for an influx of federal agents at the behest of President Trump.

The city outlined a laundry list of rules General Iron would have to abide by in order to start up its metal shredding operation on the Southeast Side, while neighbors continue to push officials to deny the company’s permit application — which has yet to be filed.

A coalition of Chicago-area politicians and community groups issued an open letter Saturday demanding that local officials not cooperate with federal agents being sent to the city by the Trump administration. 

McDonald’s says it will be requiring customers to wear face coverings when entering its U.S. restaurants as the number of new virus cases continue to surge in many states.

A week after revoking sweeping new restrictions on international students, federal immigration officials on Friday announced that new foreign students will be barred from entering the U.S. if they plan to take their classes entirely online this fall.

The Cubs were about to open their season at long last against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, and it sure sounded like a packed house at Wrigley Field. Of course, no fans were allowed inside the famed ballpark. The noise was piped in.

Chicago’s Christopher Columbus statues come down. Mayor Lightfoot and the president go toe-to-toe over federal law enforcement in Chicago. Some COVID-19 restrictions return, and baseball is back.

As public health officials warned Friday that the coronavirus posed new risks to parts of the Midwest and South, enhanced federal payments that helped avert financial ruin for millions of unemployed Americans were set to expire. 

The former United States president is expected to appear on “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on Spotify, the Obama’s Higher Ground and streaming service announced Friday. 

While some aldermen praised Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to take down the statues of Christopher Columbus, others said Friday she should not have acted unilaterally in the middle of the night.

The absence of a clear, publicly available plan has left city leaders, residents and even federal agencies to speculate about exactly what will happen and when. Here's a look at what's known so far.