Neighbors, preservationists and park advocates are calling for the demolition of an unauthorized annex to the landmarked Receptory Building and Stable in Humboldt Park. The building is leased by the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, which began construction of an adjacent archive facility without permits. (Top photo: Patty Wetli / WTTW News; Bottom photo: Change.org)
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More than a year after the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture began construction on a non-permitted facility in historic Humboldt Park, a community meeting has been scheduled to discuss the project's status and explore future possibilities for the structure.

Spring Lake Forest Preserve, Cook County. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Created back in 1994, the day is meant to celebrate the connection between people and the green space in their community. 

Illinois Department of Human Services Inspector General Peter Neumer is pictured with a backdrop of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center, where he investigated allegations of abuse and neglect. (Neumer photo provided, Choate photo by Beth Hundsdorfer)

After serving nearly four years as the watchdog for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Peter Neumer will join the Chicago Park District as inspector general. 

Edgewater residents protest outside Broadway Armory on July 27, 2023. (WTTW News)

About 50 people gathered Thursday to protest the city’s process for deciding to use a Chicago Park District facility in Edgewater to shelter asylum seekers. The city has been under a state of emergency for months as it seeks to house the 11,500 migrants who’ve been bused or flown in from Texas.

(Courtesy of Chicago Park District)

The Chicago Park District is asking the city’s youth performers to try out for its 8th annual T.I.P. (Teens in the Park) Fest, where singers, rappers, dancers and poets ages 14 to 24 can showcase their talents.

(WTTW News)

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, says since profits from events go to the Chicago Park District’s general operations fund, the financial gains from Riot Fest don’t help his constituents directly. He has proposed a 2% community benefits tax.

(Pexels / Pixabay)

Individual pool schedules will be posted to the district’s website.

Chicago Park District pool at River Park. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

After a rough summer in 2022 when a lifeguard shortage left the Chicago Park District scrambling to open even a fraction of its pools, the district doubled down on recruitment efforts in 2023.

Ald. Monique Scott (center) celebrates the Park District board’s approval of Riot Fest. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Riot Fest received permit approval from the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, over the objections of opponents who’ve campaigned for more than a year to keep the festival out of Douglass Park.

(WTTW News)
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Broadway Armory Park is one of Chicago Park District’s largest indoor and active recreational facilities. Residents are worried this would mean youth and senior programs getting canceled or postponed and said it would be a loss for the neighborhood ahead of summer.

(WTTW News)

Beach season will run through Sept. 4. The city’s pools are expected to open by June 23.

(Courtesy Riot Fest)

The Foo Fighters, The Cure and Death Cab for Cutie are among the headliners announced Tuesday by Riot Fest. Whether they’ll take the stage is still up in the air.

(NASCAR / Facebook)

NASCAR Cup cars will be outfitted with mufflers, just one of the actions being taken by race organizers to head off concerns about noise.

(Courtesy Riot Fest)
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Opponents want Riot Fest out of Douglass Park, but supporters of the festival say it has been an asset to the North Lawndale community.

Cherry blossoms in Jackson Park, during a previous season's bloom. (Chicago Park District)

Peak bloom is still a couple weeks away, but the buds are beginning to burst forth in Jackson Park’s Cherry Blossom Grove.

Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” to hit the outdoor screen in Millennium Park in summer 2023. (Courtesy of Skydance Media)

Free concerts, theater and dance performances, and workouts are also part of the slate of summer events in Millennium Park announced Thursday by city officials.