(WTTW News)

It’s almost go time for NASCAR in Chicago. The 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course will run on Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue and South Columbus Drive. People are feeling all sorts of emotions — from excitement to curiosity to concern.

(Courtesy of Andre Castro)

Andre Castro is making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this Saturday in Chicago. He’s used to street racing and skyline views, but stock cars will be a new one for him.

Inside the Waukegan Planned Parenthood. (WTTW News)

This Saturday marks one year since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which reversed the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision. Since then, many people have flocked to Illinois in search of abortion access.

(WTTW News)

Ten years ago, the Chicago Board of Education and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided to close nearly 50 public schools, mainly on the South and West sides of the city. Some buildings remain vacant; others are being transformed into community assets.

(WTTW News)
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Englewood had six elementary schools close in 2013 — the most in any neighborhood that year. But in the years since that upheaval, residents have found ways to help the community.

Preparations are underway for the Puerto Rican Festival in Humboldt Park. (WTTW News)

Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas is a four-day event featuring live music, games and food all celebrating Puerto Rican culture.

(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)

May marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Across Chicago, members of those communities have made the city their home while keeping their cultural traditions alive.

(WTTW News)
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In 1881, Hotel Florence was a luxurious locale where fancy parties took place and celebrities from all over the world stayed. The hotel has been closed since 2000. But community members are hoping a state bill can bring the hotel back to life.

(WTTW News)

Hope Learning Academy in March abruptly announced it was closing its doors at the end of this school year — a surprise to parents and teachers alike because the school had just inked a four-year contract with CPS weeks prior.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Construction often means disruption. That’s certainly been true in Edgewater and Uptown as the CTA’s been working to rebuild century-old tracks and stations. And with that project kicking off just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the challenges have been felt even more acutely.

(WTTW News)

It's been three months since a group of migrants was moved into the shuttered Wadsworth Elementary School in the Woodlawn community following objections from some nearby residents. Now, some locals have joined forces to help integrate their new neighbors into the community.

(WTTW News)

In 2003, the city of Chicago set out on an ambitious plan: to prepare downtown for the 21st century. Now, decades after the plan was released, the city is revisiting it to address current Chicagoans’ needs.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson takes “Chicago Tonight” on a tour of the Austin neighborhood on April 13, 2023. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

“Chicago Tonight” co-anchor Brandis Friedman sat down with Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson for a wide-ranging interview. When he takes office on May 15, Johnson will be the first mayor in nearly a century to call the West Side home.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson takes “Chicago Tonight” on a tour of the Austin neighborhood on April 13, 2023. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

When he takes office on May 15, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will be the first mayor in nearly a century to call the West Side home.

(WTTW News)

“I think that faith should always be something that helps people to see the connections between themselves more than the divisions,” said Alia Bilal of the Inner-City Muslim Advocacy Network.