Stories by Heather Cherone

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Friday the number of new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Chicago had begun to drop, putting the city “on track” to cautiously reopen in early June. 

President Donald Trump said Friday that he has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend despite the threat of spreading the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump on Friday turned an early Memorial Day remembrance of fallen U.S. service members into a quasi reelection campaign rally with bikers on the White House lawn.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said officers will be “visible and present” in neighborhoods throughout the summer and will be “on the lookout” for large gatherings.

The Millennium Park at Home series will deliver concerts online via YouTube and Facebook, kicking off Memorial Day weekend with a virtual version of the House Music Festival.

The city fined General Iron $6,000 after two explosions on Monday rattled the North Side metal shredder, officials announced. The fines are a result of two citations issued by the city late Thursday.

People have been spending a lot of time in their yards, and it seems that’s led to plenty of folks jumping on the native plant bandwagon, if a sold-out series of webinars is any indication.

As Illinois’ economy begins to reopen, Dr. Ngozi Ezike said she’ll keep close watch on people who go to the emergency room with COVID-19 symptoms. And if she has time, she may even dine outside once that’s allowed.

While often operating as a singular community, differing approaches to how each state is managing the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an economic rift in the Quad Cities region.

Iowa has begun to partially reopen restaurants and other businesses, while Illinois remains mostly shut down. As part of our series, we bring you stories from both sides of the Mississippi River.

While Chicago is in phase two of its plan to reopen, churches are allowed to have 10 or fewer people inside the building during services. But some churches are defying that rule, and want to reopen immediately.

The city will expand mental health treatment for people struggling to cope during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Thursday.

Amid uncertainty over the coronavirus — and how long public gatherings will be restricted — legislators on Thursday swiftly moved to approve new voting procedures for the 2020 general election.

A day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker loosened the rules for the third phase of his reopening plan, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago will not be ready for restaurants to reopen with outdoor seating next week.

The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are trimming payroll while they await word on the fate of the Major League Baseball season.

Record high unemployment spotlights the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Gov. J.B. Pritzker says his administration is focused on safely restarting the economy and shoring up the unemployment insurance system.

The Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. J.B. Pritzker aren’t doing enough to protect elderly and medically vulnerable inmates from COVID-19 inside state prison facilities, according to a lawsuit.

They must remain closed to the public under the governor’s stay-at-home order, but live music venues in Illinois can now allow small numbers of musicians and staff inside to record and livestream performances. 

Watch the May 21, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

There’s a cowboy riding through Chicago’s South and West side neighborhoods, introducing residents young and old to what is likely an unfamiliar animal — at least on their residential streets: horses.

One of the city’s new testing sites is about to open in Englewood. It’s a community that has been hit hard by disinvestment and high rates of crime over the years.

Amid all the dire warnings that live performances might not start up again until 2021, the news that the richly creative company plans to begin its three-production season in November comes as an enormous spirit-raiser.

Tyler Saladino had some exciting moments on the South Side when he spent parts of four seasons with the White Sox. Now he’s on the field in South Korea.

Among the measures approved by the City Council is one that makes it illegal for workers to lose their jobs if they become ill with COVID-19. “Employees should not have to choose between keeping their jobs or saving their lives,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

As we enter the third month of Illinois’ stay-at-home order, a look at how the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute is getting “extra creative” as it moves its classes online.

We check in with Asiaha Butler, executive director of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.) as part of our series, COVID-19 Across Chicago.