How Chicagoans are stepping up to help the homeless in their communities. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine to the hardest-hit communities. Remembering the Cuban Comet in this week’s throwback.

Chef Rafael Esparza has worked in some of Chicago’s most storied kitchens. As part of our series, he gives us the last word on how works of mutual aid give cover to failures of public policy.

This month’s deep freeze has left Chicago’s homeless residents in deadly peril. But housing insecurity is not just an extreme-weather problem, some advocates say, and the city needs to take a bolder approach to housing policy.

Protesters are urging the city to stop a metal-scrapping company from opening on the Southeast Side. What both sides have to say.

We talk vaccine equity with a member of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 task force, visit a small business incubator in Humboldt Park, and learn how to make Mexican drinking chocolate from scratch.

Recent data indicates Latino and Black populations are getting vaccinated at half the rate of white populations. Dr. Julie Morita, a member of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 task force, gives us a shot in the arm on vaccine equity.

It’s not just their health that’s at risk: COVID-19 is threatening Latinos struggling to keep their homes. Plus: Distribution centers are growing fast, but so are concerns about their impact.

Latino communities have been at a heightened risk of infection and death throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But the coronavirus has not only endangered their health, it’s also harming their finances and making them more likely to lose their homes.

The neighborhood has long been the epicenter of the city’s Puerto Rican community, but in recent years, fears of gentrification and displacement have grown — and in some cases, become reality. A new business incubator hopes to help change that. 

Before the pandemic, 14.6% of all Latina workers in the U.S. worked in the hospitality sector, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Two such workers who lost their jobs during the health crisis share their experiences.

Interest in houseplants has grown during the pandemic and is helping plant parents new and old thrive during a difficult year. We visit the Plant Salon in Noble Square for a look.

As COVID-19 mitigations ease, how are Latino communities faring in Chicago? Aldermen debate expanding protections for immigrants. A Cesar Chavez throwback. And the need for Latino mentors.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program has been making matches in Chicago since 1967, but a lot has changed over the years. Many of the kids now come from Spanish-speaking households, and the organization is looking for more “bigs” who speak their language to volunteer.

As the city begins to stir from its COVID-19 slumber, we talk with local journalists about how the reopening is impacting Latino communities.

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday wasted no time in symbolically turning the page on the Trump administration by voting to expand protections for undocumented immigrants that had been stalled by the former president’s crackdown.

What to expect from the Biden administration, including immigration reform. And in a new series called “Neighbors,” we introduce you to a family that’s been feeding its community for decades.