Stories by Patty Wetli

In a first for the Field Museum, the exhibits staff has outfitted four of its dinosaur replicas (OK, three dinosaurs and one pterosaur) in Santa hats to celebrate the festive season.

In “Art and Faith of the Crèche,” creed and creativity go together like Christmas and cookies, but you don’t have to be a believer to appreciate the beauty of the nativity sets on display at Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA).

Concerns over plans to clear out Humboldt Park’s homeless encampment. And an investigation finds significant privacy violations in Chicago’s migrant shelter system.

Brothers Andy and Fredy Granados opened Grano Panadería and Café in Back of the Yards. The shop combines traditional Mexican flavors with their first-generation Chicago roots.

Last month, Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) announced the proposal to remove all tents from the area before the holidays as part of the Humboldt Park Encampment Housing Initiative. The city plans to start removal Friday morning, but advocates want officials to reconsider and explore other options.

“I was most shocked by the fact that there didn’t seem to be controls on who could access this very sensitive data — we’re talking medical information, immigration details, people’s contact information,” said Emeline Posner, a reporter with the Investigative Project on Race and Equity.

The Blackhawks are 8-16-2, two standings points behind the next-worst team, Nashville. Richardson went 57-118-15 with Chicago.

The disparity — that the smell of unsmoked marijuana is justification for a warrantless search, while the smell of smoked pot is not — “defies logic,” Justice Mary K. O’Brien wrote in her dissent.

The proposed Chinatown land transfer is one of five separate schemes prosecutors have accused former House Speaker Michael Madigan of orchestrating.

On Saturday, Jupiter will shine its brightest of the year and will be visible all night as it travels the sky from sunset to sunrise.

Joseph “JoJo” Mapp promised to serve as a “bridge” between community organizations working to help those returning to Chicago from jail or prison and the city.

The 533 homicides recorded across Chicago through the end of November mark a nearly 9% decline compared to the same time last year, according to CPD data. That total is also nearly 19% below 2022’s pace and 29% below 2021’s pace.

SmileDirectClub, once a publicly traded company known for selling clear dental aligners, shut its doors in December 2023. In an abrupt move, the company canceled outstanding orders and announced that its “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” would no longer exist.

The message left on the ammunition echoes the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by attorneys and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims. It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions. 

Some neighbors are pushing back on a new quantum computing development on the Southeast Side. And how a basketball league is working to reduce violence one championship at a time.

The plan is to transform the former U.S. Steel South Works site into the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Officials are calling the campus “history-altering,” but some neighbors want the process to slow down and are raising environmental and displacement concerns.

One City Basketball League encourages young men and boys to build inter-community relationships as they pair basketball with programming to help them create a future that’s not defined by violence. Participants learn about financial literacy, trauma-informed conflict resolution and career readiness.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the first construction contract for the barrier designed to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

That agreement must be approved by the Chicago City Council by Feb. 10, according to a joint filing from the lawyers representing the city and Reed’s mother, Nicole Banks. That indicates the settlement agreement calls for Chicago taxpayers to pay Reed’s family more than $100,000.

The justices’ decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use.

The November ballot included a referendum asking some downstate residents whether they support exploring how to break away from Illinois and form their own state. Seven counties were added to the growing list, signaling their dissatisfaction with what’s happening in Springfield and Chicago.

The Pennsylvania-based beer company, founded in 1829 and touted as the oldest brewery in America, made the announcement as part of the company’s broader efforts to expand in the Midwest.

This weekend brings an ensemble of enticing musical choices, and it’s not just holiday songs and show tunes. OK, much of it is, but the hardest part will be deciding what to see — and hear.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on health and his stated policy initiatives could have far-reaching effects on public health, including on policies in Illinois. Kennedy has often encouraged healthier food consumption for Americans — a goal Illinois Democrats could support. But Kennedy holds other views at odds with science.

Pat Hughes, a play-by-play broadcaster, will celebrate his 30th season as the radio voice of the Cubs next year. Ron Coomer, an analyst, will be alongside Hughes in the booth for his 12th season.

The suspect, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and carrying a distinct gray backpack, fled on foot down an alleyway before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away. The shooter was at large, sparking a search that included police drones, helicopters and dogs.