Stories by Blair Paddock

Protestors denounced the second inauguration of El Salvador’s controversial president, Nayib Bukele. He will be entering his second term after an overwhelming victory in February — a move against El Salvador’s constitution, which prohibits presidential reelection.

The egg is the product of a recent pair bond between native-born Imani, who hatched at Montrose Beach in 2021, and Searocket, one of the 5-week-old captive-reared piping plover chicks released at the beach last year.

Javier Galindo and Lidia Galindo Corral have welcomed artists from all over the world to the Apollo’s 2000 Theater in Little Village for nearly 35 years. The building is now being designated a Chicago landmark.

The “Plow the Sidewalks” campaign sought to convince officials that the city has an obligation to ensure people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents can get around safely even in the worst winter weather.

Angel Reese is ensuring some of the glare from the bright spotlight on the WNBA shines squarely on the Chicago Sky. The seventh overall draft pick will remind anyone who will listen that there is a group of rookies helping boost soaring WNBA ratings, attendance and revenue, not just the one who plays in Indiana.

Latinos are starting businesses at over twice the rate of the general U.S. population. But getting there as a first-time business owner comes with its own set of challenges.

For low- and middle-class families feeling the pressures from the rising costs of living, the passing of a state-level child tax credit is a “big win,” said Ameya Pawar, a senior advisor at Economic Security Project and former alderperson of Chicago's 47th Ward.

Donald Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records at his company in connection with an alleged scheme to hide potentially embarrassing stories about him during his 2016 Republican presidential election campaign.

A historic Little Village Theater gets landmark status. A child tax credit passes as part of Illinois’ new budget. And meet a group of Latinos embracing the entrepreneurial spirit.

Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter took the fight to foes of his leadership – including the 29 alderpeople who signed on to a resolution calling for him to be replaced – at a lengthy City Council hearing on Thursday.

Andrew Bird migrated back to Chicago last night, launching his new tour with a pair of shows at the Green Mill Lounge in Uptown. He led a trio of musicians performing jazz standards and a few favorites from his catalog.

Gen Zers, who were born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, have almost never known a world without social media. As adults, they’re now unraveling the effects of having their childhoods documented online.

The end of the outbreak comes after nearly six weeks, or two incubation periods, without any new measles cases, according to a news release. The last measles case was reported April 20.

Mayor Brandon Johnson announced plans to reopen the city-run Roseland Mental Health Center by the end of this year, and open two other mental health service sites at the Legler Regional Library on the West Side and at the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Lower West Side vaccine clinic in Pilsen.

 In declining to step aside from two high-profile Supreme Court cases, Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday provided a rare window on the opaque process by which justices decide to step aside from cases.

Chicago police are better prepared to handle the large protests and crowds expected during the upcoming Democratic National Convention, but concerns still exist around the police department’s ability to put those preparations into action, a new watchdog report found.

The measure is part of a broad package of election-related legislation which also includes a provision loosening restrictions on what political parties can do with campaign funds and a state-level response to a controversy in the south suburbs. 

Residents push back on a proposed trucking hub in North Lawndale. A landmark study seeks to know more about cancer risks and outcomes in Black women. And remembering the founder of a pioneering Chicago theater company.

A major long-term study launched by the American Cancer Society aims to better understand cancer risk factors and outcomes for Black women in the U.S, who continue to face disparities in cancer prevention, detection, treatment and survival.

The life and legacy of Val Gray Ward, founder of a pioneering Black theater company, was remembered this past weekend.

Developers are pumping the brakes on plans for a controversial logistics and distribution hub in North Lawndale. The project would tear down two buildings preservationists said are historically significant to make way for the nearly 250,000-square-foot facility.

While financing for the Chicago Bears’ proposed new lakefront stadium remains in doubt, opponents of the plan have sent an unequivocal “hands off” message regarding any use of lakefront property for private interests.

Sales of delta-8 and other hemp-derived snacks, drinks and products will continue unabated in Illinois despite potential safety concerns, after the state legislature adjourned early Wednesday morning without passing new regulations.

Sedgwick Williams, 47, and Tai Hon La, 34, were each convicted on kidnapping charges this month following a two-week trial in Chicago’s federal court building. Both men face a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach the 60 votes needed to approve more than $1.1 billion in revenue increases, including a tax hike on sportsbooks and businesses, to balance the $53.1 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2025.

The landmark case, the only one of four criminal prosecutions against the former president to reach trial, centered on allegations that Trump and his allies conspired to stifle potentially embarrassing stories during the 2016 presidential campaign through hush money payments.