Environmental concerns on the South and West sides. Illinois elects its first Latina to Congress. Meet the Chicago Reader’s new editor-in-chief. And the Irish soldiers of Mexico.

The mayor came under fire by some alderpeople for not living up to her campaign promise to re-establish a city Department of Environment. 

Tasked with the job of maintaining the Reader’s relevance in an ever-changing media landscape is Enrique Limón. He is the Reader’s new editor-in-chief and the first Latino to hold that position in the publication’s more than 50-year history.

Election disinformation targeted at Latinos. Disparities in prostate cancer outcomes. And a local playwright pays tribute to the community that raised him.

Through interviews with his grandfather and others who lived through the neighborhood’s rise and fall, filmmaker Steven Walsh shows what he says is the forgotten story of the area in his documentary “Southeast: a City Within a City.”

While issues like a lack of access to consistent health care as well as language and cultural barriers contribute to those numbers, modern prostate cancer care approaches have evolved to make screening and treatment more successful than ever.

Latinos are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S. electorate since the last midterm elections. A total of 34.5 million Latinos are eligible to vote, making them a crucial demographic for politicians. Latinos are also increasingly the target for disinformation campaigns. 

The vivid orange and yellow cempasúchiles, known as marigolds in English, frequently adorn Día de los Muertos ofrendas. Native to Mexico, the flowers bloom at this time of year just in time for the holiday.

Three shootings resulted in four people dead and three injured, with the deadliest incident taking place during a street takeover at Archer and Kedzie avenues. In the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 23, more than 100 cars gathered at the intersection to watch a “drifting” event that ended with an exchange of gunfire. 

An outbreak of violence in Brighton Park. Calls for shelter locations to house migrants from Texas. And learn about the flower that adorns ofrendas for Dia de Muertos.

The infrastructure the city and state has built to receive migrants aims to ensure individuals and families are stabilized before they move on in their journey. 

Health professionals push flu and COVID vaccines — what you need to know. Calls for more Latino political representation. And exploring mental health through dance.

Despite a growth in population size, the Latino community is underrepresented in politics, with less than 2% of Latinos in elected positions nationwide. 

Winter is on the way, and with it come respiratory illnesses like cold, flu, and COVID-19. And nationwide, hospitals are seeing an alarming rise in cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

The history of La Michoacána goes back decades to a small town named Tocumbo in Michoacán. The brand name has given people like the Garcias opportunities to open their own independent businesses.

The stories that can be told on a stage are limited only by the storyteller’s imagination. But just who gets to write those stories and bring them to life on Chicago’s stages is too often limited to a privileged few.