Stories by Kristen Thometz

New restrictions for Chicago begin Friday. “For a time in late summer, Chicago seemed to have this more under control than other regions in Illinois, but that’s no longer the case,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.

The coronavirus pandemic has given rise to a cycling boom in Chicago, but many riders face on-street bike lanes that are blocked or in disrepair. An advocacy organization wants to combat the problem with its new mobile app.

According to a new report, Chicago police officers who fired their weapons have been returning to regular field duties before completing necessary training requirements aimed at helping them process trauma.

City officials added Florida to Chicago’s COVID-19 quarantine order as confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue to surge in Chicago, Illinois and throughout the nation.

After refusing requests to wear face masks or use hand sanitizer inside a North Lawndale neighborhood store, two sisters allegedly attacked a male employee, stabbing him more than two dozen times Sunday evening.

Watch the Oct. 27, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Parents and activists are calling on Chicago Public Schools to answer critical safety questions about in-person learning before some of the district’s most vulnerable students return to their classrooms.

Community organizers on Chicago’s Southeast Side are marshaling their forces and looking for solutions to address what they see as yet another environmental threat to their already beleaguered neighborhood.

As Chicago experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases, data shows the city’s 2020 homicide rate outpacing 2019. We speak with Jamal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, as part of our series.

Newly confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett recently dodged questions about how she’d weigh cases dealing with abortion. Advocates on both sides view her leanings as a primary reason she was picked for the nation’s high court.

Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court late Monday by a deeply divided Senate, with Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s nominee days before the election.

She’ll be the first woman and the first Black American to be president and CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry when she starts her new job in January. Chevy Humphrey joins us in discussion.

A trailer for the film uses only handmade animation – not scenes from the movie – to set up the story of a supernatural killer in a Chicago housing project and his horrifying backstory. We meet the artists behind the work.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to close a projected $1.2 billion budget gap by hiking property taxes and laying off employees got a cool reception Monday from aldermen, who pleaded for other options amid a raging pandemic.

It’s one of the most contentious races on the Cook County ballot. Former Cook County judge and prosecutor Patrick O’Brien talks about his campaign to unseat Democratic incumbent Kim Foxx.

Illinois moves up in a technology and innovation ranking as skilled workers move into the state. Crain’s Chicago Business Editor Ann Dwyer takes us behind the headlines of that story and more.

Starting Wednesday, indoor service at bars and restaurants will be suspended in suburban Cook County and the Metro East region of the state due to rising coronavirus positivity rates.

“The Batman” continued filming stunt sequences in Chicago over the weekend, rewarding onlookers with a sighting of the new batsuit.

The latest television ad from the Republican challenger running for Cook County State’s Attorney uses a statement from Chicago police Superintendent David Brown to blast incumbent Kim Foxx.

With just over a week to go until Election Day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has launched a hotline for residents in Chicago and the surrounding areas to report any complaints of voter fraud or intimidation.

Watch the Oct. 26, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

A year after the fanfare-filled launch, city officials said the program had begun to show results — with $70 million in public funds attracting $300 million in private investments.

Chicago recorded its first official trace of snow of the season at O’Hare Airport on Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Oct. 30 is the “normal first date” for snow.

In a surprise announcement from his studio window to faithful standing below in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on Nov. 28. 

As Chicago grapples with a second wave of the pandemic, a Wall Street ratings agency fired a shot across the bow as aldermen prepared to start a month of hearings on Mayor Lightfoot’s spending plan.

A vibrant mural taking shape on North Michigan Avenue honors former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her pioneering support of gender equality.