Stories by WTTW News
‘Neighbor Pass’ Gives Locals First Access as Garfield Park Conservatory Reopens
| Patty Wetli
Taking a phased approach, the conservatory is reopening its outdoor grounds to neighbors on July 1, members on July 8 and everyone else starting July 15.
How Risky is Flying During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
| Associated Press
Flying can increase your risk of exposure to infection, but airlines are taking some precautions and you can too.
Europe Restricts Visitors From the US Amid Virus Resurgence
| Associated Press
Americans make up a big share of Europe’s tourism industry, and summer is a key period. More than 15 million Americans travel to Europe each year, while some 10 million Europeans head across the Atlantic.
Kim Foxx Declining to Prosecute ‘Minor Offenses’ Stemming From Recent Protests
| Matt Masterson
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Tuesday issued a new policy instructing prosecutors to dismiss cases involving a handful of misdemeanor charges tied to recent protests, including disorderly conduct and curfew violations.
The Field Museum Is Recruiting Citizen Scientists To Study the Monarch Butterfly
| Patty Wetli
Scores of Chicagoans have planted milkweed — the monarch’s host plant — in their yards and other green spaces, but how effective are those efforts? The Field Museum is recruiting citizen scientists to find out.
Gambling Gets a Green Light in Illinois
| Amanda Vinicky
Come Wednesday, Rivers Casino and others across the state will once again be able to open their physical doors to gamblers, although with COVID-19 precautions in mind, like masks and social distancing.
COVID-19 Across Chicago: Where We’ve Been, What We Learned
| WTTW News
Chicago has 77 official community areas. Over the past three months, Paris Schutz and our news team have visited 42 of them, as well as suburbs, cities and towns in Illinois and four other states. Why we did it. And what we learned.
City Releases Bodycam Video Showing Ex-Top Cop Eddie Johnson Asleep in Car
| Matt Masterson
The video and documents come more than eight months after the encounter between police officers and the former superintendent, who was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV after a night of drinking.
Lightfoot Announces $11M to Fund Projects Addressing Health Care Deserts on South, West Sides
| Patty Wetli
The Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub and the North Lawndale Surgical and Ambulatory Care Center will address structural disparities in health care, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19.
Top Cop David Brown Again Decries Lack of Consequences for Chicago Gun Offenders
CPD to deploy 1,200 additional officers each day of Fourth of July weekend
| Matt Masterson
“As a dad ... I struggle to make sense of the reckless gun violence that continues to take the lives of our young people throughout the city,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said after 14 people were killed over the weekend.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana Abortion Clinic Law
| Associated Press
A divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era.
‘Black Lives Matter’ Wine? Teddy Bears? Trademark Law Shows You Can’t Always ‘Just Do It’
| Amanda Vinicky
Black Lives Matter is a burgeoning cultural and political movement — and it appears that people are ready to cash in on it.
371 Complaints Lodged About Chicago Police Response to Protests; 56% for Excessive Force
| Heather Cherone
The Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are investigating hundreds of complaints filed against officers for their response to recent protests, records show.
Illinois to Begin Screening Newborns for Rare Genetic Disease
| Amanda Vinicky
By the time parents notice anything out of the ordinary – their baby is “floppy” or isn’t able to roll – it’s too late to reverse the damage done by spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA.
Fireworks Are Booming Before July 4, But Why the Ruckus?
| Associated Press
They’ve become a nightly nuisance ringing out from Connecticut to California, angering sleep-deprived residents and alarming elected officials. All of them want to know: Why the fascination with fireworks?
Trump Tweets Video With ‘White Power’ Chant, Then Deletes It
| Associated Press
President Donald Trump on Sunday tweeted approvingly of a video showing one of his supporters chanting “white power,” a racist slogan associated with white supremacists. He later deleted the tweet.
Shootings Across Chicago Kill 3 Kids; Cops Ask Public’s Help
| Associated Press
Activists and local leaders called for more state and federal support Sunday as weekend shootings across Chicago left three children dead, including a 10-year-old who was struck by a stray bullet that came through an apartment window.
‘Reclaim Pride’ March Honors Roots of LGBTQ Movement, Sets Goals for Future
| Amanda Vinicky
Chicago’s 51st annual Pride Parade was canceled, but LBGTQ activists and allies took over the streets of Boystown on Sunday for a community-driven march organizers described as a “protest, not a party.”
Care Kits for COVID-19 Patients Aim to Ease Anxiety
| Kristen Thometz
A local health center is giving COVID-19 patients tools to monitor their blood oxygen levels as they recover at home.
Young Novice Protest Leaders Help Drive US Wave of Dissent
| Associated Press
Many are new to organizing, but have seen a drumbeat of deaths of police-brutality cases captured on video since they were children.
Lightfoot’s Emergency Powers to End Tuesday
| Heather Cherone
In another sign that Chicago has passed the peak of the pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will not move to extend the emergency powers she used to respond to the coronavirus without the approval of the City Council.
US Health Officials Estimate 20M Americans Have Had Virus
| Associated Press
U.S. officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible.
US Officials Change Virus Risk Groups, Add Pregnant Women
| Associated Press
The nation’s top public health agency on Thursday revamped its list of which Americans are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness, adding pregnant women and removing age alone as a factor.
Coronavirus Task Force Briefs — But Not at White House
| Associated Press
The Friday briefing at the Department of Health and Human Services was held as the number of confirmed new coronavirus infections per day in the U.S. soared to an all-time high of 40,000 — higher even than during the deadliest stretch in April and May.
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