Stories by Patty Wetli

A red-tailed hawk, stoically perched atop a chain-link fence, was spotted Saturday outside a Jewel-Osco in Roscoe Village. Raptors are more common in the city than most people think, said a local hawk expert.

“These actions are needed to protect public health, as we continue to monitor this pandemic,” Chief Judge Timothy Evans said. “Our system of justice has continued to hear all necessary and urgent matters, and today’s order does not change that.”

Restaurants and cafes could continue to serve customers outdoors through next spring under a proposal set to be introduced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The growing number of coronavirus infections has some area hospitals on edge. We visit the Illinois Medical District to see how hospitals are coping with the surge — and how they’re prepping for more cases.

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is urging aldermen to support the plan she crafted to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit in 2021. Four aldermen sound off the plan.

“We are looking for individuals from all walks of life to participate in this study,” said Dr. Habibul Ahsan, trial leader for the UChicago study. “We want to be sure that the community our hospital serves is well represented in this trial.”

Researchers at UIC get over $1 million to develop an early warning system to detect COVID-19 outbreaks. Rabiah Mayas of the Museum of Science and Industry has details on this story and more science news.

The Archdiocese of Chicago has announced schools will have the option to transition to remote learning after Thanksgiving, but says it’s not yet clear how many schools will choose to do that. 

With many pandemic-related unemployment programs funded by the federal government set to expire within weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker called on Congress to act. “People are hurting and people need help,” he said.

Delivery services such as Postmates, Grubhub, DoorDash and UberEats can charge fees totaling no more than 15% under a measure approved unanimously Monday by the Chicago City Council.

The country’s 44th president gave all Chicago public high school students digital access to his new book, “A Promised Land,” during a surprise appearance at a virtual assembly on Monday.

Public health officials are sounding alarms and urging Americans not to travel and limit gatherings this holiday season amid a new surge in coronavirus cases. But that isn’t stopping the White House.

A newly released five-year plan to invest in Chicago’s roads, bridges, bikeways and other infrastructure needs is a welcome shift away from short-term, less comprehensive projects, some analysts and city officials say.

The underutilized Foxconn plant that President Donald Trump once called “the Eighth Wonder of the World” gets a new customer. Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Danny Ecker has details.

A quartet of penguins from the Shedd Aquarium paid a visit to Soldier Field. Could this be the secret weapon the Bears need to take down the Packers during Sunday’s showdown?

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective.

Watch the Nov. 23, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, is poised to become the first official “day of observance” in Chicago as part of the agreement that will approve a $12.8 billion spending plan for 2021.

Friends, family members and former students gathered virtually on Sunday to remember longtime Chicago yoga teacher and therapist Catherine Ashton, who died Nov. 14 as a result of pancreatic cancer.

TV host Dr. Ian Smith on the pandemic and his latest book. Making health care anti-racist. A mural brings health care providers closer to their patients. And the last word on Black businesses.

Dr. Ian Smith has been covering the COVID-19 pandemic from just about every angle. He joins us to discuss the pandemic and the importance of equitable distribution of a vaccine.

As 2020 comes to a close, the events of this unprecedented year have devastated Chicago’s small businesses. Why it’s more important than ever to support neighborhood shops.

A new mural on the city’s Northwest Side bridges the gap between health care providers and the community they serve.

The doors of Chicago’s Symphony Center may be closed to its audiences until the pandemic has been conquered. But its stage is still very much alive.

Since January, more than 656,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Illinois and 11,506 people have died as a result of the virus, according to state health officials.

Typically, Thanksgiving is deemed the beginning of the celebratory holiday season. But this year will be different amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic. Will Mother Nature cooperate with your plans?