Stories by Joanna Hernandez

Curtis “The Grandyman” Granderson spent 16 seasons playing Major League Baseball. Now he’s passing down those years of experience to the next generation of players and inspiring them to pursue college.

Comedy shows, a French market and dazzling lights usher in the weekend. Here are five things to do in and around Chicago.

A federal judge this week sentenced 51-year-old Ayanna Nesbitt to one year and one day in prison after she entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.

State audits point to troubling conditions in juvenile detention centers, but no agency has strong enough oversight to bring about change.

Abortion rights supporters won an Ohio ballot measure and the Democratic governor of beet-red Kentucky held onto his office by campaigning on reproductive rights and painting his opponent as extremist.

After the blockbuster Cubs signing, the Brewers now must try to keep winning in Major League Baseball’s smallest market without the manager who led them to their greatest run of sustained success.

“I felt like I was back in the South,” said Ald. Emma Mitts, who grew up in Arkansas, during the era of Jim Crow. “I felt like everything in me was shaking.”

City Council votes whether to censure one of its members. Why most paper is now banned from Cook County Jail. And former Ald. Ed Burke’s corruption trial begins.

The end to mayoral control of the Chicago Board of Education could come sooner than expected.

Since the beginning of 2023, Cook County Jail administration has reported 16 deaths in custody, with five attributed to overdoses, according to Cook County Medical Examiner records. To address the uptick in overdose deaths, jail leadership took unprecedented measures, including what some called a facility-wide paper ban. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson said the resolution of the fraught debate is an example of his collaborative approach to governance, and that he would continue to work with Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st Ward) and residents to address any problems that arise.

The Art Design Chicago initiative will work with more than 50 art-focused organizations to showcase the work of hundreds of artists now through 2025.

The upgrade came from Fitch Ratings, the last remaining holdout of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies to advance the state’s status to “A” grade. Collectively, Fitch, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service have given the state nine credit upgrades since 2021.

U.S. public health officials are calling for urgent action to curb an alarming increase in the number of babies born with syphilis. In infants, syphilis can be a severe, disabling and sometimes life-threatening infection.

Supporters say the plan would generate approximately $100 million annually to address the root causes of homelessness by building new permanent housing that offers wraparound services.

The selection process, which began slowly Monday morning, has continued at a leisurely pace throughout Tuesday. No jurors have yet been officially seated to hear the case.

During the past couple of weeks, three of Chicago’s most formidable contemporary dance troupes — the Hubbard Street Dance Company, Giordano Dance Chicago and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater — have turned in terrific performances.

Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said manufacturers, who are making the immunization for the first time, underestimated demand.

The reversal occurred days after officials in Calumet City mailed several citations to Hank Sanders, a Daily Southtown reporter whose job includes covering the suburb, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday. The Southtown is owned by the Tribune’s parent company,

Since the Protect Illinois Communities Act became law in early 2023, the sale of numerous types of guns, cartridges and accessories has been illegal in Illinois. People who owned the covered guns prior to the law can keep them but are required to register them with the state.

Under the version approved, Chicago employers would have to give workers five sick days and five days of paid time off for any reason.

The father of the alleged Highland Park gunman pleads guilty. Jury selection begins in the corruption trial of former Ald. Ed Burke. And debating the paid leave ordinance.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first spending plan eliminates a $538 million shortfall and prioritizes new investments in affordable housing, mental health services and environmental justice.

According to a statement from the Chicago Police Department, the shooting occurred just before noon Monday in the 7300 block of South Dante Avenue.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa said in a statement that he allowed tensions at Thursday's special City Council meeting “to get the better of me and act in a way unbecoming of a leader.”

The Chicago Cubs hired manager Craig Counsell away from Milwaukee on Monday in a surprising move, replacing David Ross after the team slipped out of a playoff spot in the last part of the season.