Stories by Patty Wetli

The spotted lanternfly, oak wilt, gypsy moth and boxwood blight are among the latest threats in the plant world. And citizen scientists have a role to play when it comes to stopping the next plague.

You’re washing your hands countless times a day to try to ward off the coronavirus. You should also wash that extension of your hand and breeding ground for germs — your phone. But cleaning your phone improperly can damage it. 

Lawyers for a short-order cook shot by Chicago police trying to arrest him for using a subway train’s gangway doors filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging officers used excessive force in violation of policies laid out in court-monitored police reforms.

Healthy students should still go to school, but for the next 30 days there should be no more parades, professional sports game, rock concerts and no banquets anywhere in Illinois as officials seek to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus.

If it hasn’t already, an invitation should be arriving in the mail any day now – an invitation to participate in the 2020 U.S. Census. And for the first time, it’s possible to respond to the census over the internet.

The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is being felt by industries and businesses in Chicago and across Illinois, from large hotel chains and restaurants to independent movie theaters and music venues. 

U.S. stocks on Thursday recorded their biggest single-day fall since the notorious Black Monday crash of 1987 as coronavirus fears accelerated.

United Airlines is already reeling from the coronavirus impact on travel to Asia. It’s getting another abrupt shock Thursday from President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend travel from Europe.

Political ads have been flooding the airways for months in the race for Cook County state’s attorney. And they have been getting increasingly nasty.

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

A committee of Chicago City Council members on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution calling on state lawmakers to take action on Peoples Gas rates, calling out the company for its multibillion-dollar System Modernization Program.

Southwest Side residents are mobilizing to pump the brakes on MAT Asphalt’s application for a 10-year permit from the Illinois EPA, and say they don’t trust the agency to put people over profit.

Board games and binge-worthy shows and books – you don’t have to go out (and risk getting sick) to have a fun-filled weekend. Here are 10 things you can do from the comfort of your own home.

In a surprise twist Thursday, Shomari Legghette’s defense attorney closed his case after questioning just one witness. Legghette was expected to testify that he shot Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer in self-defense.

Amid all the fears, quarantines and stockpiling of food, it has been easy to ignore the fact that more than 60,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus spreading around the globe.

Taking drastic action Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he is cutting off travel from Europe to the U.S. and moving to ease the economic cost of a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the daily lives of Americans.

Peoples Gas, the private utility company that delivers natural gas to the entire city, is in the midst of a massive infrastructure upgrade – and consumers are paying for it. 

As city officials plan a second round of the electric scooter pilot program, meet a company that hopes its seated scooter will make the cut.

With violent crime in Chicago of huge concern to voters, we hear from the two GOP candidates aiming to be the next Cook County state’s attorney.

In August, Dorothy Brown announced she would not seek reelection as clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, opening up her seat to four Democratic hopefuls. They join “Chicago Tonight” for a candidate forum.

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

With the prosecution’s case concluded, the defense attorney for Shomari Legghette will begin calling witnesses Thursday morning. The case is expected to conclude by Friday.

Major weekend events celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago have been postponed due concerns over the novel coronavirus. To date, 25 people have tested positive for the virus in Illinois.

Lookingglass Theatre’s dazzlingly performed world premiere production is a theatrical and sociological gem of a work that should catapult its writer-director, ensemble member J. Nicole Brooks, to genuine fame.

Expressing alarm both about mounting infections and inadequate government responses, the World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic but added that it’s not too late for countries to act.

A coalition of health care institutions and professionals awarded dozens of businesses on the city’s West Side $500,000 in small business grants last year, doubling the goal it had set to achieve by 2021.