Stories by Nick Blumberg

Chicago’s lakefront trail has been battered by winter storms this year and closed down by the mayor. But there is some good news on horizon: the long-awaited Navy Pier flyover appears to be close to completion.

The crisis across the country is pushing medical centers to the breaking point and leaving staff members and public health officials burned out and plagued by tears and nightmares.

An average of 1,729 Chicagoans have been diagnosed each day with the coronavirus during the past week, a 30% increase from the previous week, according to Chicago Department of Public Health data. 

“Chicagoans are only as safe as they feel, and this tool gives the Department an actionable metric to measure the health of the relationship between the city’s residents and its police department,” Police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement. 

Watch the Dec. 10, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, among multiple candidates in the running for the Cabinet position, appeared to slip down the list in the last two weeks after progressive leaders criticized the prospect of nominating him for the post.

Though Thanksgiving pleas to stay put were ignored by thousands, many around the world are gleefully looking forward to spending the December holidays at home without the expense, drama and travel headaches they normally endure.

Who will be the next speaker of the Illinois House? For the first time in decades, there’s no clear answer. Longtime Speaker Michael Madigan still wants the job — but at least 19 of his fellow Democrats say they won’t support him. We check in with some of the first to defect.

With the failure last month of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax amendment, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan floats an income tax hike while making his pitch to the Black Caucus.

Lyric Opera of Chicago has plans for a virtual concert Sunday unlike anything it has done before: a Spanish-language concert. We meet some of the artists involved with the premiere of “Pasión Latina.”

A jury on Wednesday convicted the leader of an Illinois anti-government militia group of several civil rights and hate crime charges in the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque.

Area businesses along commercial corridors like 63rd Street and Ashland Avenue experienced extensive damage in late May and early June. Business owners and community organizers talk about what’s next. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she was “deeply disappointed” that Lakeview Ald. Tom Tunney allowed diners to eat inside his restaurant in defiance of a ban imposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A proposal backed by Mayor Lightfoot to give the Cubs a four-year break on a $250,000 city bill advanced Wednesday, along with a package designed to help businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic.

With suburban Cook County on track to exceed 2,000 opioid overdose deaths this year, officials announce a program to address the “silent epidemic” that will connect people with treatment.

“I urge people to postpone the normal ways that you’re used to celebrating. We are advising people to postpone travel during the holidays,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Wednesday.

Great Kiskadees don’t normally roam north of Texas, so the first-ever sighting in Illinois caused quite a commotion, attracting birders from across the state to Will County.

The airline industry has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, but with vaccines seemingly on the brink of approval, airlines are hopeful that 2021 could see the beginnings of a recovery for air travel.

Commercial flights with Boeing 737 Max jetliners resumed Wednesday for the first time since they were grounded worldwide nearly two years ago following two deadly accidents.

Britain’s medical regulator warned Wednesday that people with a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. The advice was issued on a “precautionary basis.”

Watch the Dec. 9, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Officials with the Chicago Department of Public Health are expecting the first vaccine shipment to Chicago to include 23,000 doses. Weekly shipments of vaccine are expected to follow, said Dr. Allison Arwady.

A Cook County judge on Wednesday granted an order from prosecutors amending the bail of Adam Hollingsworth, who now must turn over any horses he owns to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office while his criminal case plays out.

Lake County Forest Preserves is launching an ambitious conservation research project to determine whether it’s possible to preserve natural areas by proactively preparing for climate change. 

Tired of politics as usual? A pair of lawmakers say there’s a way to keep officials on their toes: allow voters to recall them. 

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is preparing to meet Thursday to discuss Pfizer’s vaccine. Dr. Archana Chatterjee, dean of the Chicago Medical School and a member of that committee, talks about that process.