Money tips as we ride a wave of high inflation. The reasons why CPS enrollment is declining. A Pilsen hardware store opens its doors for the next generation. And we dance our way to a salsa festival.

In the last 20 years, the Chicago public school system has lost more than 100,000 students, with 40,000 leaving the system in the last five years. An education advocacy group digging into the root causes of the enrollment drop found some factors unique to Chicago, and some trends that are nationwide.

As record-high inflation impacts every American’s wallet, Latino spending patterns mean they could be feeling the pinch even more.

Competition from big-box stores and a lack of successors has forced many small family-run businesses in Chicago to close their doors. But the owner of a longtime fixture on 18th Street is nailing down plans to ensure his store has a different fate.

After having to go virtual last year The Chicago International Salsa Congress is back this weekend. A four-day event celebrating Afro Latin music and dance. 

To keep or not to keep masks in schools, parents weigh in. A local anti-violence pioneer heads to D.C. Why now is the time to go all-in on tech. And an agave plant reaches for the stars.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the statewide mask mandate for most indoor public spaces will be lifted at the end of February. Despite the ongoing court challenge to the school mask mandate, it will remain in place for now. 

Eddie Bocanegra began his work in Chicago as an outreach worker at CeaseFire. He later started the Urban Warriors program with the YMCA, connecting youth with military veteran mentors and began the READI program offering intensive resources for people at high risk for violence. 

As part of our La Última Palabra series, Lou Sandoval, CEO of Supply Hive, says it’s time for Latinos to look to the tech industry for entrepreneurial inspiration.

Grading the president on his immigration policies. A Mexican ballet company returns. New songs to spice up your playlist. And a classic Mexican cocktail hits liquor store shelves.

Last year, President Joe Biden recalled the journey of his ancestors to this country as he welcomed new citizens at the White House. In his speech, President Biden ticked off some of the ways he planned to evolve immigration policy. We look at where he stands on those goals.

If you abstained from drinking throughout the first month of this year, a movement known as "dry January," congratulations — you made it!  Now, if you want to make it a tipsy February, a local business is bringing its version of a classic Mexican tipple to liquor stores near you.

The Mexico City-based ensemble, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, is bringing together audience-favorite dances that traverse the history and culture of Mexico with performances at the Auditorium Theater on Feb. 12 and 13.

While Afro-Latino musicians have not always been given their due, music journalist Sandra Treviño thinks that the tide is turning. Treviño gave us a few recommendations for Afro-Latino artists you may want to add to your next playlist.

Gun violence shakes the Little Village community, what’s being done to curb it. Resources for those struggling with housing insecurity. And a Rogers Park business owner hopes for smashing success. 

The fatal shooting of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in Little Village is putting a spotlight on the city’s troubling gun violence. Despite a swift arrest, some community groups say their calls for more resources to address violence have gone unheard.