Stories by Kristen Thometz

Who should be wearing masks? Is the virus seasonal? A local infectious disease physician answers these questions and others about COVID-19.

For the first time, gamblers will be able to legally wager on sports games in Illinois starting at noon Monday, when Rivers Casino in Des Plaines opens its BetRivers Sportsbook.

In a 23-page report filed Friday, the city of Chicago highlights the steps it has taken in the last six months to make progress on implementing a court-ordered consent decree.

Starbucks said it is “pausing” the use of personal cups in its stores as a precautionary response to the coronavirus epidemic.

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead an hour on Sunday.

Lawyers began presenting evidence Thursday as the Illinois Commerce Commission weighs a petition to double the throughput of the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, which runs through the state.

R&B singer R. Kelly on Thursday pleaded not guilty to an updated federal indictment that includes child pornography charges and allegations involving a new accuser, while prosecutors said more charges alleging yet another victim are upcoming.

The only Illinois Supreme Court seat held by a person of color is up for grabs, and Cook County voters will decide who wins the 10-year term.

A team of doctors and researchers based in Chicago has discovered that a protein in the coronavirus could be treated with drugs that had been in development for SARS. We get an update on their work.

We preview the exhibition “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance” at the Art Institute of Chicago, which partnered with the Louvre and the Grand Palais for the show, and learn about the man behind the masterworks.

Chicago’s dance card is full to bursting. And one of the city’s most beloved “visitors” – the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – is now drawing its usual huge crowds to the Auditorium Theatre.

Watch the March 5, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Art Van, one of the largest furniture retailers in the Midwest, announced Thursday it will shut down all of its 180 stores, including the two dozen it currently operates in Illinois.

Remember those endangered piping plovers that captured Chicagoans’ hearts? They’re back — as the stars of the documentary “Monty and Rose,” screening this month during the One Earth Film Festival.

When it comes to revivals of Henrik Ibsen’s plays in this era of neo-feminism, “A Doll’s House” attracts the most attention. But it is the title character in “Hedda Gabler” who takes the cake. And in this new production, she has never been more compelling and convincing.

A man in his 20s has tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling to Italy, marking the fifth case of the virus in Illinois. The patient is hospitalized in isolation at Rush University Medical Center, where he’s reported to be in stable condition.

Handwashing. It’s something we’ve all be doing since we were toddlers and, as it turns out, we’ve probably been doing it wrong. The World Health Organization shows us how it’s really done.

Chicago’s interim police superintendent stripped two officers of their police powers pending the outcome of the investigation into their roles in the non-fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect inside a Red Line L station last week.

Prehistoric creatures, a costumed shopping cart race, thousands of flowers, and an environmental film festival usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Abortion rights activists rally downtown as the Supreme Court considers a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana.

Chicagoans may never agree about sports teams or local politics, but if there’s one thing that unites the city, it’s our elevated train lines — known, of course, as the “L.” Geoffrey Baer has this preview of the highly anticipated show.

United Airlines aims to trim flights, freeze hiring and halt merit pay raises as it grapples with a swift drop in travel demand because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Watch the March 4, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Taxidermy – the process of preserving animals – isn’t usually classified as fine art. But the Field Museum is challenging that idea by shining a light on the artist behind many of the museum’s own examples. 

The long-awaited expansion of Chicago’s Divvy bike-share program on the Far South and Southwest sides is set to kick off this spring — and some new bike lanes and pedal-assist bikes are on the way too, according to city officials.

There have been four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois, but health officials expect that number to rise as the state expands its capacity to test for the virus. Still, the immediate risk to the general public remains low, they say.