Stories by Acacia Hernandez

The future of the Chicago Reader is at stake as a dispute drags on between staff members and one of the paper’s current owners. 

Crain’s Chicago Business Editor Ann Dwyer joins us to go behind the headlines.

None of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s allies on the Chicago City Council met the 10 a.m. Monday deadline to ask City Clerk Anna Valencia to put it on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, meaning the measure will remain in limbo at least until May.

A New York judge found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and set in motion $10,000 daily fines Monday for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday announced it has learned about three suspected cases of severe hepatitis in children under 10 that are potentially linked to a strain of the adenovirus. 

"Energy Revolution," a new exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center, looks at climate change through the lens of architecture, with an emphasis on energy consumption. When it comes to energy efficient insulation, less is not more.

From 2019 to 2020, life expectancy in Chicago dropped almost two years – one of the sharpest single-year decreases on record, according to city officials. Latino and Black Chicagoans experienced the steepest declines, with life expectancy for the latter falling below 70 years for the first time in decades.

According to Chicago police, 42 people were shot in 32 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, when temperatures jumped into the 80s for the first time in 2022.

COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus — even though it’s not clear if changes are needed.

Neutralizing environmental racism in a crossover edition of Voices, on this Earth Day weekend. Diagnosing autism. A story of freedom told through opera. And the city’s oldest Black camera club.

Autism affects about one in 44 children, and while therapists say early intervention is key to treating it effectively, Black children are five times more likely to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed later in life.

Chicago’s environmental justice advocates are working to address the systematic structures that created these inequities. They say a greener future is possible as long as the city and industry are willing to do the work.   

A second five-year term for the centrist Macron spares France and its allies the seismic upheaval of a wartime shift of power to Macron’s populist challenger Marine Le Pen, who quickly acknowledged her defeat Sunday night but still appeared on course for a best-ever showing for her fiercely nationalist far-right policies.

Washington Park Camera Club members are combining their passion for pictures with early Chicago history to celebrate Frederick Law Olmsted. 

When it comes to the stories told about Black people in theater, 18th century London might not be the first time and place that comes to mind. But composer Errollyn Wallen is hoping to change that with “Quamino’s Map,” a new opera being staged at Chicago Opera Theatre.   

A special Voices crossover: we look at the fight against environmental racism in Chicago and the suburbs. Plus, a labor update at a local tortilla factory. And an event by teens, for teens. 

Workers at El Milagro tortilla factories are declaring some victories. They say they’ve seen wage increases totaling more than $1 million this month — in addition to the installation of air conditioning in lunchrooms.

A week’s worth of workshops, programs and events include everything from learning how to make your own zine, to a mystery improv game to conversations with authors, podcasters, and local musicians. Some events require pre-registration.

When it comes to industrial pollution, it’s often Chicago’s Latino and Black communities who bear the brunt. In those communities, past industrial abuses still cast a shadow with the air, water, and soil pollution resulting in higher rates of asthma, cancer, lead poisoning and other health issues.

Golden-Con: Thank You For Being a Fan, which lasts through Sunday, is giving those who adored the NBC sitcom a chance to come together. More than 2,000 attendees are expected to converge. 

Pennsylvania on Saturday becomes the first major fossil fuel-producing state in the U.S. to adopt a carbon pricing policy to address climate change. It joins 11 states where coal, oil and natural gas power plants must buy credits for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit.

Budding plants and blooming trees signal the return of spring, triggering congestion, coughing and sneezing for the millions of seasonal allergy sufferers. With COVID-19 still circulating, how can you tell if your stuffy nose is just a case of hay fever and not something more? Here’s what you need to know.

Lightfoot lays out her case for a possible second term. Gubernatorial candidates spending big before primaries. Mask confusion as the transit mandate goes away. And does Com Ed need that rate hike?

The enthusiasm for the beloved duo is heartwarming but it’s also overwhelming and potentially dangerous for the birds, according to plover monitors. People should keep a distance of at least 30 feet from the plovers. 

The lawsuit filed by 22-year-old Esael Morales claims that he was sitting in his car with his girlfriend watching Netflix and eating takeout wings near her home when Officer Joseph Cabrera pulled up in his personal vehicle and confronted the couple, according to Morales’ lawsuit.

Several dozen more criminal convictions tied to Ronald Watts have been tossed out, bringing the total number of dismissals tied to the disgraced ex-Chicago police sergeant and his team in recent years to more than 200.