Stories by Kristen Thometz

On Friday, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reported two new cold-related deaths in the county, including those of a 47-year-old man and a 71-year old woman. 

Regular physical activity is vital for your health, but a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds nearly a quarter of Illinois residents aren’t getting any exercise at all.

For the past several weeks, Puerto Rico has seen more than two dozen high-magnitude earthquakes. One Chicago-based group has teamed up with people on the island to provide funding for resources, doctors and mental health aid.

Why the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Board of Education are still at odds over the teacher’s contract.

Chicago aldermen have proposed a ban on single-use plastics and Styrofoam containers in an effort to cut down on plastic pollution. We learn more from Abe Scarr of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, which helped craft the proposal.

A close associate of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani is claiming Trump was directly involved in the effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden.

House Speaker Michael Madigan has shelled out big money from his campaign fund to pay attorneys – and he isn’t the only public official to do so.

Come summer, people buying cannabis in Chicago will pay 6% in local pot taxes, in addition to the state tax on pot, which ranges from 10% to 25%, depending on the potency of the product being purchased.

Dozens of old glass negatives found in the attic of a North Side home lead to a surprising discovery, just days before the house was scheduled to be torn down. 

How did a Lincoln Park statue wind up standing in cities all over the world? Geoffrey Baer goes south of the border for the answer. 

Author Dan Egan had sobering words for Chicagoans at a One Book, One Chicago event this week.

Watch the Jan. 16, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Three CTA Red Line stations in Edgewater that were scheduled to be shut down this weekend will remain open after construction work was canceled due to a high wind advisory, according to the office of 48th Ward Ald. Harry Osterman.

Sheila O’Brien, who successfully petitioned for a special prosecutor to take over the Jussie Smollett investigation, is now seeking to bar the Cook County state’s attorney from using taxpayer dollars to pay for her own outside counsel.

The impeachment of President Donald Trump is the Senate’s challenge now. Look Thursday for a series of striking ceremonial matters to set up the Senate as a court of impeachment. 

Just weeks into 2020, fresh headlines are shining light on politicians behaving unethically. Our politics team digs into those stories and more in our weekly roundtable.

A new book and sign campaign points out daily inequities in some of Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods. We speak with Jahmal Cole, CEO and founder of the nonprofit My Block, My Hood, My City.

Undocumented immigrants stand to gain more protections in Chicago after City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday. The meeting also featured a tense debate over contracting for LGBTQ business owners.

After nearly a month of delay, the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to transmit articles of impeachment for the trial of President Donald Trump to the Senate. We discuss the latest and look ahead.

For fans of comics and graphic novels, he is a superstar. But the artist Chris Ware lives a low-key life just outside Chicago. At his home studio, we meet the engaging comic book artist with an unusual eye for everyday life.

It’s a temporary job, but a big one: Chicago’s interim police superintendent talks about restructuring the police force, parallels between LA and Chicago and the search for the city’s next top cop.

Advocate Medical Group is closing immediate care clinics at seven Chicago-area Walgreens stores next month.

Chicago is getting tough on plastic waste. A new city ordinance would, if passed, ban Styrofoam to-go containers and reduce single-use plastic utensils.

A monthslong E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce harvested in Salinas, California, appears to be over. The outbreak sickened 167 people in 27 states, including Illinois, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

A Chicago man from the South Side is facing felony criminal charges after he allegedly carjacked a Porsche and another vehicle that had two children in it on the Near North Side.

Tributes to Martin Luther King Jr., hot jazz, theater festivals and dumplings usher in the weekend. Here are a dozen things to do in and around Chicago.