Stories by Patty Wetli

If crack-of-dawn birding isn’t your thing, maybe give under-the-cover-of-darkness moth-watching a try this weekend at Indian Ridge Marsh. 

Chief Judge Timothy Evans issued an order allowing nearly all domestic violence proceedings to go forward by videoconference or teleconference, saying it’s being done “in order to better serve victims” in these cases.

Nostalgia has never been so expensive. Baseball celebrates the myth of its rural roots Thursday when the New York Yankees meet the Chicago White Sox in a game adjacent to the field in rural Dyersville, Iowa, where the iconic 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed.

Just over 200 people who attended the four-day music festival have tested positive during the 14 days since the event kicked off in Grant Park on July 29, said Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Public Health.

A crowd of Chicago residents gathered Wednesday evening to remember of Ella French, a Chicago police officer fatally shot during a traffic stop.

The city has been testing alternatives to open-trench digging and tree removal during pipe replacement and repair projects. Failure of one new technique spelled the end of the line for a slew of trees in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood.

Tension between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department exposed by the fatal shooting of Officer Ella French widened Wednesday, as the mayor defended the decision by a high-ranking officer to cut short a ritual meant to honor the fallen officer.

From starting a fire to pitching a tent, some Chicago teens are learning what it takes to camp in the great outdoors. We visit the Lincoln Park neighborhood to learn more about the program.

The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan that advanced Tuesday in the Senate includes $15 billion to replace the lead service lines responsible for contaminating the tap water in approximately 10 million homes across the country.

The mayor unveils the city’s projected budget deficit for 2022. Alderpeople talk policing in Chicago. What’s in the federal infrastructure bill for Illinois? Chicago teens learn about outdoor camping.

Chicago’s revenue remains stunted by the pandemic. Meanwhile, City Council disclosed millions in investments using federal stimulus funds. And tension heightens between the community and police in the wake of Officer Ella French’s killing. Three alderpeople weigh in on these topics and more.

Promising that Chicago is “turning the corner” on the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday the city faces a projected $733 million budget shortfall in the 2022 fiscal year. 

For families around the world and especially in Latin America, receiving money transfers from relatives working in the U.S. provides a critical line of support. With a large immigrant population, Chicago has been a significant source of these money transfers.

Jamel Danzy will be released from jail following his arrest on a federal charge earlier this week. The 29-year-old Indiana man allegedly acted as a straw purchaser to buy the firearm used to kill Chicago police Officer Ella French.

The sculpture was unveiled to great fanfare Wednesday, but the 800-pound bovine was barely visible to observers thanks to steamed-up glass.

R&B star R. Kelly will face an anonymous jury made up of seven men and five women when his New York City sex trafficking trial goes forward next week with opening statements.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.

Illinois residents ages 18 and older no longer need to worry about carrying their COVID-19 vaccine cards with them to provide proof of inoculation against the virus.

A back-to-school parade, street festivals, horse races and a scavenger hunt usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Through meetings and research, the University of Chicago’s Health Lab is working with community members to see how the nation’s emergency response system can be transformed to better serve people in crisis.

Half a dozen or more tornadoes touched down in the Chicago suburbs Monday, with more severe storms possible in the next few days. Those come as hot and humid conditions have prompted extreme heat warnings — and on the heels of a stark new report on climate change.

Older artists are getting a second chance at stardom through the efforts of a local record label tucked away in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. We explore the musical world of Numero Group.

While 84% of nursing home residents in Illinois have received the COVID-19 vaccine, just 62% of the workers who care for them are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many guns involved in Chicago crimes are bought by straw purchasers. Just who are they — and can the flow of illegal guns be stopped?

The 21-year-old Chicago man who allegedly shot and killed Officer Ella French during a traffic stop Saturday has been ordered held without bail and remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest. His brother, who has also been charged, was held without bail during a separate hearing.

Masks must be worn in Illinois schools when students and staff return to the classroom in the coming weeks. But a just-filed lawsuit could void that statewide executive order. We talk with the attorney who filed it — and a local pediatrician.