Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Illinois’ minimum wage increased from $9.25 to $10 in July, despite a request from business owners to delay the hike during a pandemic. But for employers whose take-home pay is largely dependent on tips, the minimum wage is $6.

Some residents in Kenosha fear a planned visit by President Donald Trump may stir more emotions and cause more violence and destruction in the divided southeastern Wisconsin city after several days of peace.

A Highland Park shop specializing in ukuleles is keeping its music community alive by offering virtual lessons on how to play the “happiest instrument on the planet.”

On top of that colossal shortfall, the city’s financial picture worsened significantly during the past three months because of an “economic catastrophe caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

As summer nears its end, Chicago is seeing COVID-19 cases rise, and suburban Cook County is showing warning signs of increased risk of transmission of the virus, according to state officials. We check in with Chicago Department Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.

Monday is Overdose Awareness Day, an annual event aimed at reducing drug-related deaths and the stigma of substance use disorders. And it comes this year amid a dramatic spike in opioid-related overdoses and deaths in Chicago.

Less than an inch of rain was recorded at O’Hare in the month of August, pushing Chicago toward drought. That’s likely putting stress on trees, so give them a soak.

The coronavirus pandemic, protests, a rancorous election year and a perception that cities are being overrun by violent mobs have brought about a markedly more aggressive stance by some gun owners and widened the divide over firearms in America.

The Chicago Police Department announced the charges Monday against 19-year-old Jeffon Williams, who was also shot and wounded during the incident in the Homan Square neighborhood early Sunday.

Watch the Aug. 31, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Police officers exchanged gunfire during a traffic stop early Sunday on the city’s West Side, according to the Chicago Police Department. Both officers and the suspect are being treated for their injuries.

In 2018, the City Council’s most powerful committee spent approximately $2 million — the most of any of the legislative committees. The following year, the committee spent $1.1 million. The difference? Ald. Ed Burke resigned as chair on Jan. 4, 2019. 

The pandemic has led many cooped-up city dwellers to seek out the companionship of a pet. It’s kept rescue organizations busier than usual — and has led to some unexpected benefits as adoptions go virtual.

Democrats on Sunday accused President Donald Trump of trying to inflame racial tensions to benefit his campaign as he praised supporters who clashed with protesters in Portland, Oregon, where one man died overnight.

Scores of police supporters gathered Sunday in downtown Kenosha where protesters have been demonstrating against police brutality since the shooting of Jacob Blake last weekend.

Those whose deaths were reported Sunday ranged in age from their 30s to their 80s, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. They were residents of Cook, Bureau, Lake and Madison counties.

As the November election nears, there’s an intensifying effort among African Americans to transform frustration over police brutality, systemic racism and the disproportionate toll of the coronavirus into political power.

Roughly a thousand people gathered Saturday in Kenosha for a march and rally against police violence, about a week after an officer shot Jacob Blake in the back and left the 29-year-old Black man paralyzed.

Exactly 65 years after the brutal killing and shocking open-casket funeral of Emmett Till, the red brick two-flat where he lived with his mother is finally on the path to an official city landmark designation.

State health officials on Friday reported another 10 counties, including suburban Cook, are showing warning signs of increased risk for COVID-19. And on Saturday, the state passed a grim milestone: more than 8,000 virus-related deaths.

First Chadwick Boseman slipped on the cleats of Jackie Robinson, then the Godfather of Soul’s dancing shoes. When the former playwright suited up as Black Panther, he brought cool intellectual gravitas to the Marvel superhero.

A man known for his love of skateboarding, a Texas transplant to the state and a college student acting as a volunteer medic were killed or wounded this week by a 17-year-old gunman during a night of protests on the streets of Kenosha.

The Kenosha police union on Friday offered the most detailed accounting to date on officers’ perspective of the moments leading up to police shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back, saying he had a knife and fought with officers.

A norm-busting Republican National Convention comes to an end. Kenosha takes the national spotlight after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. And COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Illinois.

Damage to Chicago’s trees during the powerful Aug. 10 derecho was even more extensive than previously thought.

As more and more schools and businesses around the country get the OK to reopen, college towns are moving in the opposite direction because of too much partying and too many COVID-19 infections among students.