Stories by Amanda Vinicky

“As the mayor of this city, I want to assure you that from day one in my time as mayor public safety has been, is, and will continue to be my highest priority,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday in a special speech to show she’s taking crime seriously. 

Many, including doctors, are still searching for treatment for people whose symptoms continue more than a month after being infected and answers about persistent symptoms.

Amtrak trains now run at speeds up to 90 miles per hour. Ann Dwyer has details on that story and more.

From February to May, Megan Williamson made one portrait a day. She recreated living rooms across the country and even a few guests seen on “Chicago Tonight.” 

Finger-pointing, misleading statements, “substantial abuses of discretion” and a “major failure" of operations were among the findings included in a special prosecutor's investigation into Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and her office's handling of the Jussie Smollett case.

Late last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a deal to sell the love-it-or-hate it state building downtown to the Prime Group for $70 million. The development firm plans to overhaul the Helmut Jahn-designed structure rather than demolish it and start anew, as others had proposed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week.

NASA prepares to launch the most powerful space telescope ever. Local astronomers share some up-close details. 

Following the long pandemic shutdown, many theaters came back in the fall only to pivot once again in the face of the omicron threat. 

Moderna said lab tests showed the half-dose booster shot increased by 37 times the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies able to fight omicron. 

Celebrate the winter solstice Tuesday at a solar gazing event on the 606 Bloomingdale Trail, which boasts a solstice “notch” to frame sunsets.

New details on the Cook County State’s Attorney’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case. Inside the sale of the Thompson Center. Mayor Lightfoot addresses violence. A $10 billion telescope that could unlock secrets of the universe.

At least 45 tornadoes have been preliminarily confirmed in the Dec. 15 storms that crossed the Great Plains and Midwest amid unseasonably warm temperatures.

Manchin told “Fox News Sunday” that after five-and-half months of negotiations among Democrats in which he was his party’s chief obstacle to passage, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”

Chicago has never gone this late in the year without a measurable snowfall, and there's no sign of the white stuff in sight.

For more than a year antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been the go-to treatments for early COVID-19, thanks to their ability to head off severe disease and keep patients out of the hospital.

Vicente Fernández was known for hits such as “El Rey,” and “Lástima que seas ajena,” his command of the ranchera genre and his dark and elegant mariachi suits with their matching wide-brimmed sombreros.

The Metropolitan Planning Council just hired its first Black president and CEO. The nonprofit, which began in 1934, is an independent planning and policy organization that seeks to build a more sustainable and equitable Chicago.

As we celebrate the holidays, many people in need come to rely on local food banks. One food pantry in West Englewood has been around for more than 20 years.  It was started by Samella McKenzie who passed away last year. One of her final wishes was for her 10 children to continue her work and serve people.

In Illinois, farming is big business. The Illinois Farm Bureau estimates that Illinois’ agriculture industry and related activity contribute more than $50 billion to the state’s economy. But the nature of farm work and the structure of our nation’s migrant labor program make the people who perform long hours of labor in Illinois’ over 72 million farms vulnerable to abuse.

Parishioners of St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church are observing Las Posadas. It’s a Catholic tradition that commemorates the journey Joseph and Mary made seeking refuge where Mary could give birth to the Christ child. The parish adapted the tradition with a procession through the church’s neighborhood.

If you’ve still got a few names to cross off your holiday gift list, you’re not alone. There’s still plenty of time to find handmade gifts that do good for artists and artisans not only in Chicago but also in countries all over the world.

Resale is a multi-billion dollar industry and shopping secondhand is growing in popularity as an affordable and eco-friendly way for young fashionistas to carve out a style niche for themselves. Two shops in Logan Square are hoping they can capitalize on that trend.

Officers left Anjanette Young handcuffed and naked while they raided her home in February 2019, only to find out later they had the wrong home in the first place. The case and video of the raid sparked outrage across the country and once again raised concerns and questions around how police handle incidents in Black communities.

Agricultural labor trafficking is on the rise. Last-minute holiday gift ideas? We’ve got you covered. And a Mexican Catholic tradition takes to the streets of Buena Park.

We dissect the nearly $3 million settlement for Anjanette Young from a police raid gone wrong. New leadership for the Metropolitan Planning Council. And a West Englewood food pantry has the Last Word.