Stories by Marissa Nelson

As part of our community reporting series, we visit the home of the South Side Irish Parade — one of several canceled for the second year in a row — to see how neighbors are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and dealing with the economic devastation caused by the pandemic.

One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus, President Joe Biden used his first prime-time address to outline his plan Thursday night to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1 and get the country “closer to normal” by the Fourth of July.

Molson Coors Beverage Co. said Thursday it has been hit by a cyberattack that disrupted its brewing operations and shipments. In a regulatory filing, the Chicago-based company said it has hired forensic information technology experts and legal counsel to help it investigate the incident.

A new exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum is using photography to explore Chicago’s fair housing history and features rare color photos of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Chicago Freedom Movement.

One year ago, the World Health Organization declared the spread of the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic. With that announcement the whole world changed. Now, as the pace of the vaccine rollout quickens, a new fear is emerging for many people who have been able to work from home.

Several aldermen on Thursday called on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to use approximately $50 million from the city’s share of the latest COVID-19 relief package to fund cash assistance payments to Chicagoans struggling to stay afloat. Lightfoot declined to support cash assistance payments to Chicagoans in a statement to WTTW News.

Aldermen on Thursday said they would do more than just talk about whether the city should pay reparations to Chicagoans who are the descendants of enslaved African Americans, but acknowledged that it had taken too long to even begin the discussion.

The 2020 summer festival season was a bust, thanks to COVID-19, but local organizers say they’re feeling hopeful about the return of neighborhood street festivals and art shows this year. Here’s what to expect.

A just-launched program will bring coronavirus vaccines to residents at temporary pop-up sites across suburban Cook County as part of an “equity-focused approach to the vaccine distribution,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Thursday.

Reginald Brown was held without bail during a court hearing Thursday, one day after he was charged with allegedly starting the fire that killed Ieashia Ford, 34, and her 10-year-old daughter Porche Ford in their home in the 8600 block of South Hermitage Avenue.

Watch the March 11, 2021 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Twenty-five more cases of a COVID-19 variant first discovered in the United Kingdom that is believed to be more transmissible have been found in Illinois in the past seven days, according to data released Thursday by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Applications for the new program are being accepted through April 9. Suburban residents can receive up to $15,000 in assistance to cover up to 12 months of missed rent and utility payments and up to three months of future rent payments. 

Since March 2020, city inspectors have conducted more than 8,809 investigations and cited 462 businesses for violating COVID-19 regulations, officials said. The latest round of citations comes as city officials warned residents about St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

About 700 U.S. women die annually because of pregnancy-related problems, and a little over half of those deaths happen sometime after the woman has given birth, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Programs framed by Bach and Beethoven are streaming now as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s virtual series, CSOtv. Here’s a look at Episode #13 and #14.

In the art world and beyond, NFTs – or non-fungible tokens – are all the rage right now. But what are they? Law professor Donna Redel explains.

Rumors that the Minnesota-based retailer Target was sniffing around Water Tower Place on the Magnificent Mile for a potential new store led to some harsh backlash. What does it say about the future of the landmark shopping district as vacancy rates soar?

President Joe Biden’s signature $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package is expected to bring roughly $13 billion in aid to Illinois. We ask four state senators about the American Rescue Plan.

A Congress riven along party lines approved the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Democrats claimed a major triumph on legislation marshaling the government’s spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation. 

The Senate confirmed Merrick Garland on Wednesday to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote, placing the widely-respected, veteran judge in the post as President Joe Biden has vowed to restore the Justice Department's reputation for independence.

Chicago bike shops say they’ve never experienced anything quite like 2020. Sales skyrocketed as the pandemic forced more and more people to exercise and commute outdoors. But the surge in demand, on top of supply chain issues, led to lingering shortages still being felt in Chicago’s cycling community. 

The Chicago Police Department unveiled a new website dedicated to its carjacking prevention efforts following what it called a “successful” mission over the weekend by a joint carjacking task force that resulted in a dozen arrests.

The 17-acre former industrial site in Brighton Park will encompass not only the Park District’s new headquarters, but a field house, nature play space, grand lawn, water features and more. “It’s going to be transformative,” said Park District Board President Avis LaVelle.

The Chicago Transit Authority’s board of directors on Wednesday approved a $1.75 million settlement with Joseph Morgan, who was struck and run over by a CTA bus in June 2019 while riding his bike in River North.

Watch the March 10, 2021 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”