Stories by Marissa Nelson

As thousands of music lovers flocked to Grant Park for the first day of Lollapalooza, a surge of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chicago and the suburbs prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reimpose a mask mandate in state facilities for everyone, regardless of their vaccination status.

Located along the lakefront just north of Chicago, Evanston is known for its dining scene, arts and culture, and Northwestern University. But it also has a history of racial segregation and redlining, which city leaders hope to address through a historic reparations program that passed in March.

Four aldermen say the guilty verdicts will likely avert large protests and civil unrest in Chicago — while acknowledging they have much more work to do to reform the Chicago Police Department, particularly in the wake of the police shooting death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo.

In a new status report, the Chicago Police Department said it “doubled down on its efforts to accelerate compliance” during its latest reporting period after missing 70% of its deadlines in the previous period.

For a time, the ZIP code that comprises much of West Ridge had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases – but not anymore. The community’s positivity rate is now below the city average.