Stories by Erica Gunderson

History buffs are big fans of historical markers, those often-overlooked plaques that tell the tales of site-specific events from years past. Geoffrey Baer tells us about some unusual historical markers around Chicago.

Dave Odd, a professional forager in Chicago, says the COVID-19 pandemic is shaking up how we obtain food and will perhaps force people to pick their own. We go for a look at edible plants in Gompers Park.

With schools and many businesses closed, the coronavirus has taken an unparalleled financial toll on Illinois residents, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday afternoon.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Chicago’s Latino communities has skyrocketed in recent weeks, according to city data. Cristina Pacione-Zayas of the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago says the pandemic has caused a “huge scare” in Humboldt Park.

This weekend, people around the world will report their bird sightings as part of a massive citizen-science project. Here’s how it works.

Many moms have been feeling the brunt of the pandemic, managing child care and home-schooling on top of full-time jobs. One local mom’s ability to care for her daughter while helping families across the state has gotten special notice.

Chicago businesses would not have to renew their licenses — or pay late fees if those licenses expire — under a measure that cleared a key city panel on Thursday. 

Since the city shut down lakefront parks and other public spaces in March, there have been calls for more open spaces. But some advocates say that push overlooks the priorities of communities of color, which have been hardest hit by the coronavirus. 

The African painted dog was born in January and still needs a name. Brookfield Zoo has four options, with voting open to the public through May 20.

Watch the May 7, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades.

Jahquez Scott, 21, should be considered “armed and dangerous” after he allegedly used the personal information of another detainee who was set to be released from the jail, according to the FBI.

The federal government has fined Sinclair Broadcasting Corp. $48 million, largely because of actions the TV broadcaster took in its failed attempt to acquire smaller rival Tribune Media.

Illinois restaurants and bars have been closed since mid-March to dine-in customers, and the governor’s newly unveiled reopening plan means they won’t be permitted to reopen any time soon.

The Hyde Park-Kenwood area is the home of former President Barack Obama, and in many ways it is the intellectual and academic heart of the city, with the University of Chicago laid out along the midway. 

As with many other local governments, COVID-19 is hurting Cook County’s bottom line. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says the county could be facing a projected budget shortfall around $260 million. 

As part of our series COVID-19 Across Chicago, we check in with the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful on everyone, but health care workers on the front lines are dealing with incredible mental health challenges.

Across the state, Latino residents are testing positive for the coronavirus at a rate three times higher than the state’s average, health officials said Wednesday — and those figures could be even higher.

The pandemic has laid bare how existing inequalities can magnify the impact of the virus on low-income workers, who are disproportionately women and people of color. And now, many of those workers are being designated as essential.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Chicago’s Latino community has more than doubled in the past four weeks, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday, calling the data “no less breathtaking” than the rate of infection in Chicago’s African American community.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says an expected summer spike in the jail’s detainee population could “upend the delicately balanced housing arrangements currently in place.”

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, 70, has been moved from the Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia where she has been serving her 4.5-year sentence. Her attorney confirmed she will serve the rest of that sentence under home confinement.

The number of cars on the road in recent weeks has dropped dramatically, but officials and analysts say those who are on the road may not be driving safely.

Watch the May 6, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

There hasn’t been a lot to get excited about in 2020, but one bright spot has been the moon, specifically the string of supermoons we’ve enjoyed this spring.