Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Blue Island Mayor Domingo Vargas said his move last month to have the city’s police force stand down was a matter of public safety—and that he’d do it again if need be.

Calls to reopen the state’s economy are fueling a nationwide protest. We talk with an organizer behind a local effort.

A new bill to replenish a multibillion-dollar fund aimed at helping small businesses keep workers on the payroll failed to materialize Monday. We get a status check on the Paycheck Protection Program.

The burly actor who started in films as a macho heavy and later in his career won plaudits for his stage work in plays by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, died last week at age 81.

Newly released data offers a look at the scope of the coronavirus outbreak at long-term care facilities throughout Illinois. It’s a population officials have been working to protect since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Sunday night, Chicago sports fans were treated to the much-anticipated premiere of an ESPN documentary. Former Bulls beat writer Melissa Isaacson shares her take on the 10-part series.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order is set to expire April 30. And while he has yet to announce his plans for the state come May 1, he says he’s “looking at every aspect of the order” on a daily basis.

Aldermen unanimously advanced Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pick to lead the Chicago Police Department on Monday, after quizzing him on his promises to rebuild trust in the police.

Described as a unique learning experience with theater as the focal point, The Red Kite Project specifically works with children on the autism spectrum.

Watch the April 20, 2020 full episode of “Chicago Tonight.”

Some big restaurant chains have obtained loans from the government under a small-business relief program, leading business groups to cry foul even though the loans are within the guidelines of the lending program.

For businesses, 4/20 is usually their once-a-year Black Friday, when sales soar. Instead, they are reporting up-and-down buying and pondering an uncertain future.

Environmental organizations have petitioned the EPA to establish rules requiring companies to minimally disclose to the public that they’ve stopped monitoring and reporting pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of America’s most iconic baseball parks is doubling as a food pantry as a growing number of Chicagoans struggle to provide for themselves and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Illinois State Board of Elections told federal officials they planned to use the funds to help local elections officials prepare for an expected “considerable increase” in the number of ballots cast by mail.

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer says he recognizes that hydroxychloroquine “is being overused without a lot of testing to back it up,” but he will not interfere with doctors prescribing the drug.

Masks are now mandatory in a handful of states, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not yet followed suit in Illinois. He does, however, recommend that shoppers should “absolutely” wipe down anything they buy from stores.

Illinois is set to receive a shipment of personal protective equipment from China, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Sunday as cases of the coronavirus across the state grew to 30,357, with 1,290 total deaths.

The global health crisis is taking a nasty political turn with tensions worsening between governments locked down to keep the coronavirus at bay and people yearning to restart stalled economies and forestall fears of a depression.

The new coronavirus is causing fatalities in Illinois nursing homes, and data made publicly available on Sunday begins to provide insight into how many deaths are occurring, and where.

Cellphones are lifelines for hospital patients. But when batteries run out, a patient’s ability to call home might also. Meet a Logan Square nurse practitioner who’s making an effort to keep patients plugged in with family.

An image of Lurie Garden in full summer bloom—and it’s “wonderfully romantic glow”—was declared the overall winner in the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual competition.

The program has so far been available only in central and southern Illinois. Its expansion comes as the state saw an increase of 1,585 COVID-19 cases and 125 deaths on Saturday.

If you venture out despite Illinois’ stay-at-home order – to go to work, to buy groceries, maybe to take a walk – you generally won’t get in trouble for not wearing a mask, though it is encouraged. But in some pockets of Illinois, it’s mandatory.

Dolson said in a video that she and her “whole family” tested positive about a month ago, making her the first known Chicago professional athlete to contract COVID-19.

With November’s presidential and congressional elections on the horizon, the question of whose advice voters follow – and whether it proves wise or disastrous – carries major political stakes.