Stories by Associated Press

Doctors have known it for a long time, well before the resounding cries of “Black Lives Matter”: Black people suffer disproportionately.

Nine musicians from the Syrian diaspora in Europe are playing Sunday in the 24th friendship concert conducted by Riccardo Muti, this year at the Paestum archaeological site in southern Italy.

A loose network of Facebook groups that took root across the country in April to organize protests over coronavirus stay-at-home orders has become a hub of misinformation and conspiracies theories that have pivoted to a variety of new targets.

President Donald Trump has a vision for his second term, if he wins one, of establishing a “National Garden of American Heroes” that will pay tribute to some of the most prominent figures in U.S. history.

As coronavirus cases spike, public health officials are pleading with Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations, but subdued is not President Donald Trump’s style.

Nursing home residents are among the Americans getting $1,200 checks as part of the U.S. government’s plan to revive the economy. But what are the rules around how the money is handled?

Vice President Mike Pence has long played the straight man to Donald Trump, translating the president’s bombast into more measured, calming language. 

With a rise in homicides and shootings in June, Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls for an “all-hands-on-deck approach” to stopping violence. And she orders a 14-day quarantine for travelers from states where COVID-19 is surging.

Saturday will be unlike any Independence Day in recent memory. From Atlanta to San Diego, hundreds of fireworks shows have been canceled as officials restrict large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, especially as infections surge across the U.S.

State health officials are urging businesses and residents to comply with public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, which has now been detected in all of Illinois’ 102 counties.

Dodger Stadium’s 40-year wait to host the All-Star Game is going to last even longer. The game scheduled for July 14 was canceled Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Be safe in all the ways that you can, protect yourself from the heat and protect yourself and all of Chicago from further spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Friday morning.

Openlands’ searchable guide to parks, preserves, prairies, woodlands and more is a great resource for nature lovers. 

With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they were told to keep their backyard cookouts small.

Watch the July 2, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, the Auburn Gresham neighborhood was considered a hot spot for cases of COVID-19. It has recently become a hot spot for some of the city's increasing violence, too.

Standardized college entrance tests like the ACT and SAT may soon be a thing of the past. More than half of all U.S. colleges and universities have dropped the requirement for ACT and SAT scores due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes a win and a loss in court, as separate judges make opposite rulings on his executive actions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Geoffrey Baer shares the story of a clash between women’s suffragists and anti-lynching activists.

Chicago officials failed to act after the city’s watchdog found significant problems with the program that allows Chicago police officers to patrol schools, and used a federal judge’s order requiring reforms to delay any changes, the city’s watchdog told aldermen.

“What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a livestream with the American Medical Association. 

When it comes to Midwest brewing, Chicago tends to get overshadowed by neighboring cities. The revival of a popular early Chicago beer aims to prove the sudsy beverage has always been a vital part of the city’s economic and social life.

Chicago’s pension debt soared by approximately $1.7 billion in 2019, according to the city’s audited annual financial report released Thursday.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot had clear words for bar and restaurant owners who refuse to follow the city’s coronavirus guidelines during the Fourth of July weekend: You will be shut down and you will not reopen soon.

AMC Theaters, the nation’s largest chain, is pushing back its plans to begin reopening theaters by two weeks following the closure because of COVID-19. 

Millennium Park’s Great Lawn is open to visitors again, with painted-on circles in place to emphasize social distancing guidelines.