Stories by Patty Wetli

Brookfield Zoo has really big news to share: It’s on baby watch for a new giraffe. Arnieta, a 16-year-old reticulated giraffe, is due to deliver sometime between mid-July and late August, according to zoo officials.

The governor scales back health care for undocumented immigrants. What’s behind worsening drought conditions. New monuments being built in Chicago. And art meets sustainability on the West Side.

It starts with an assembly line of sorts: washing and drying detergent bottles that have been collected from different laundromats. The plastic is then shredded into small granules, heated and made into a solid beam to create benches.

Illinois is one of the few states that provides Medicaid-style health care benefits to undocumented immigrants, but that coverage is proving costly and the state is scaling back. It’s causing a political rift.

Chicago officials will use a $6.8 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to build eight new public monuments, including a monument to the more than 100 Black men who were tortured by Chicago Police officers trained by Jon Burge, a disgraced Chicago police commander.

Thunderstorms are as much a part of the rhythm of summer in Chicago as cookouts, baseball and street festivals. And they’ve been missing in 2023.

Adults ages 19 to 64 in the U.S. should be screened for anxiety disorders, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of independent medical experts whose recommendations help guide doctors’ decisions and influence insurance plans.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 75 people were shot in 51 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday, which marks one of the most violent weekends of the year to date. That included three separate mass shootings.

Classes may be finished, but beginning Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools will offer free meals to students at hundreds of school buildings throughout the city during the summer months.

Mass shooting in Willowbrook leaves one dead over the weekend. Recommendations for managing the city’s finances. Chicago celebrates Juneteenth. And making faux fish.

A group of students is countering violence on Chicago’s West Side by planting a peace garden and creating peace corners in classrooms in honor of Juneteenth. But this isn’t something out of the ordinary for them. They’re known as Peace Warriors — born out of North Lawndale College Prep almost 15 years ago.

The world’s oceans and marine life are under threat. Two Chicago-area women have made it their mission to tackle the issue, with a new business venture billed as the “future of seafood.” They’ll soon supply restaurants and grocers with a new spin on the plant-based trend: faux fish.

The working group formed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to tackle Chicago’s acutely underfunded pensions is set to meet for the first time this week to confront one of the major fiscal challenges facing Chicago’s new leader.

Next time you attend a parade, there might be an eye in the sky. A new law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker expands local police departments’ authority to use drones to surveil certain events, respond to certain 911 calls, inspect buildings and participate in public relations events.

Gunfire broke out after midnight in a parking lot in Willowbrook, Illinois, as an “unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the crowd,” according to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.

Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War.

The tuba may be one of the largest instruments in a symphony orchestra and an important source of the brass sound, but it is rarely celebrated in a work that puts it front and center by way of a masterful composer and musician.

For refugees, the road to resettlement is often far from smooth. Not only is the journey to the U.S. often dangerous, but once refugees arrive, they can face language barriers, legal challenges and financial difficulties.

In her new book, DePaul University professor Francesca Royster describes the process of becoming a mother and building a family as a queer Black woman.

A touring exhibit is aimed at helping children understand the tragedy and legacy of Emmett Till’s life. Through photographs and artifacts, the exhibit shows how young Till’s lynching and his mother’s subsequent actions fueled the civil rights movement.

Community leaders say recognition, support and mentorship for fathers is critically important — not only for the dads themselves but also for the kids they’re raising.

Albany Park on the city’s Northwest Side is one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods, and as such, it’s also home to an incredible variety of restaurants.

Educator Ernest Crim III believes learning Black history saved his life — and now, through anti-racism workshops and TikTok videos, he wants to do the same for others.

Chicago-based visual artist Dwight White II curates cultural events. From June 19-25, he’s celebrating Juneteenth with a mural activation, gala evening and artist celebration day party.

Celebrating fatherhood in the Black community this Father’s Day weekend. Our Black Voices Book Club this week: choosing family. And learning Black history with a TikTok historian.

Taking the pulse of Chicago's refugee community ahead of World Refugee Day. A family-owned record label in Brighton Park. And a taste of the city's biggest restaurant crawl.