Stories by Kristen Thometz

More than 20 residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities in Chicago contracted COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated. But a new report shows the majority of those who got sick had no symptoms – and did not spread the virus to others.

The big reveal is still nearly a year away, but the city has shared teaser images of the work in progress on the Tiffany glass dome and decorative finishes in the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall.

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would help combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Deandre Binion, 25, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery stemming from the April 6 shooting on the busy thoroughfare that struck 22-month-old Kayden Swann in the head.

President Joe Biden convened leaders of the world’s most powerful countries on Thursday to try to spur global efforts against climate change.

Just as the guilty verdict was about to be read in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, police in Ohio shot and killed a Black teenager in broad daylight. And out of the thousands of deadly police shootings in the U.S. since 2005, about 140 officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter.

Experts are still studying vaccinated people to see when protection might wear off. How well the vaccines work against emerging variants will also determine if, when and how often additional shots might be needed.

City Council resumes in-person meetings. What’s next in the push for civilian police oversight. A look at Chicago’s gang problem. And making pot licensing equitable in Illinois.

The Illinois legislature has just over a month left in its spring session. On the docket is a fix for how the state awards licenses to operate in the legal cannabis industry. Consumers may not notice it, but the licensing process has been plagued with issues.

Federal prosecutors defended their decision to hit Ald. Ed Burke (14th Ward) with a 14-count corruption indictment in a court filing released Wednesday, saying Chicago’s longest-serving aldermen is “thoroughly corrupt and worthy of prosecution.”

The 42-8 vote was a victory for Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who promised during the campaign to overhaul the city’s laws to reduce the affordable housing gap of nearly 120,000 homes in Chicago. 

In Chicago, some are calling for new limits to the police department’s foot pursuit policy after an officer shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo last month. And a coalition of groups are pushing an ordinance that would establish broad civilian oversight of Chicago police.

Former real estate agent Dina Lewis moved from New York City to Chicago in 2018. Soon after, she decided to pursue a professional endeavor that was personal to her: designing clothing for kids with special sensory needs. We visited the design studio of Minor Details to learn more.

As gangs were targeted by police and federal authorities using anti-racketeering laws from the 1970s onward, many gang leaders were incarcerated in federal prisons. That left behind a more fractured and anarchic gang culture, say gang experts.

Black and Latino residents of suburban Cook County, who are more likely to contract COVID-19 and experience severe illness and die, are getting vaccinated at a slower pace than whites and Asians, according to public health officials.

After celebrations were scratched in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Earth Day is back in 2021 with in-person events designed to raise awareness of environmental issues.

One of the largest reports on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy bolsters evidence that it is safe although the authors say more comprehensive research is needed

More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures around the city, Chicago Public Schools says it is planning to resume in-person learning full time for students this fall.

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled legislation that would invest $25 billion to convert the nation’s fleet of gasoline- and diesel-powered school buses to electric vehicles, building on a component of President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan to improve children’s health.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced new employer tax credits and other steps to encourage people reluctant to be inoculated to get the COVID-19 vaccine as his administration tries to overcome diminishing demand for the shots.

The fatal police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, a Black teenager seen on video charging at two people with a knife, came within minutes of the verdict in George Floyd’s killing — causing outrage by some over the continued use of lethal force by Columbus police.

President Joe Biden said the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. But he declared that “it’s not enough.”

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in suburban Cook County just got a little easier. Mass vaccination sites in Tinley Park and Matteson will accept walk-in appointments through Saturday in an effort to remove barriers to vaccination, according to officials.

At numerous natural areas across the forest preserve district, low-lying “spring ephemeral” plants are flowering in the kind of sunlight they haven’t enjoyed in decades, thanks to ecological restoration projects.

A sense of relief was palpable across the United States on Tuesday after a jury found former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in killing George Floyd. But when it came to what’s next for America, the reaction was more hesitant. 

Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.