Chicago Tribune

ALTON, Illinois — Where the Wood and Mississippi rivers meet in southern Illinois, over a million cubic yards of toxic coal ash sit on the edge of Illinois’ floodplain, threatening the waterways that surround it. The retired Wood River Power Station is home to one of 72 coal ash impoundments, …

In the past 15 years, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has faced major budget cuts and a 21% decline in staffing, according to a recent report from the Environmental Integrity Project. Illinois is among the 14 U.S. states with the most significant cuts to its state environmental agency, the report …

Chicago is bracing for a technology boom expected to come with the construction of Quantum Shore Chicago, a 440-acre development that will feature the nation’s first utility-scale quantum computer. But residents of the South Chicago neighborhood want to make sure they’re not left behind in the process.

Illinois reached a settlement Monday of at least $120 million with Monsanto Co., the largest producer of now-banned PCBs, to address longstanding contamination across the state. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sued Monsanto in 2022 over its denial of the health and environmental harms of the hazardous synthetic chemical, known …

Over the weekend, hundreds of curious Chicagoans ventured to Lake Michigan beachfronts to witness a birding marvel: the early arrival of snowy owls. Two snowy owls have been spotted at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary and a third briefly at Rainbow Beach, according to the Chicago Ornithological Society. These are earlier …

After a decadeslong environmental justice fight, city officials and community activists gathered Wednesday on the Southeast Side to announce plans for a 43-acre lakefront park at the site of a toxic landfill that’s been operating along Lake Michigan for 40 years.

The Rev. Gary Graf, a Chicago Heights Catholic priest, began a 50-day pilgrimage Monday from Pope Leo’s boyhood home in Dolton to New York to bring attention to the cause of immigrant children. Graf’s planned destinations are Ellis Island, formerly the country’s primary immigration processing center, and the Statue of …

A Flossmoor house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright will open to the public Saturday, Oct. 11, to raise money for the historical society. Wright designed many buildings in Chicago and the surrounding areas, but the Frederick Nichols House’s location makes it noteworthy. “It’s the only one in the southern suburbs,” …

Our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend. Love escape games? Now imagine one hosted after hours at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. Mind blown? You’ve only got a few more chances to score tickets to “The Wandering Alchemist,” an escape game that leads you through …

Gurnee may increase its home rule sales tax to recoup revenue lost when Illinois officially ends its grocery tax at the start of 2026. When food is taxed at a grocery store, that excess revenue goes back to local municipalities, but that will no longer be the case starting on …

As Joliet races to meet state requirements to be eligible to tap into Lake Michigan water before the region​’s groundwater​ is depleted, a handful of neighboring towns are holding off on making plans to identify alternative sources.

The Gurnee Village Board on Monday adopted guidelines and decorum standards for anyone speaking at public meetings. The board approved an ordinance that codified those procedures for public comment in a 5-1 vote, with Trustee Jeanne Balmes the only one voting against the measure. For the most part, the ordinance …

Gurnee Mayor Tom Hood appeared headed for a second term in office after his opponent, Trustee Quin O’Brien, conceded the election Tuesday night. Hood was leading 69.99% to 30.01%, or 2,533 to 1,086 votes, according to unofficial results posted Wednesday morning by the Lake County Clerk’s Office. Hood ran for …

Client: Project Management Advisors, Inc. New tariffs on steel and aluminum could force Chicago apartment developers, already affected by elevated interest rates and soaring labor costs, to further delay breaking ground on new projects. The White House began implementing tariffs of 25% on global steel and aluminum imports March 12, …

While many political races can be contentious, the two candidates running to be the mayor of Gurnee are both determined to not run a negative campaign against one another leading up to the April 1 election. Gurnee Mayor Tom Hood is running for his second term in office against Village …

After the federal government stepped up enforcement of immigration regulations in recent weeks, administrators at Warren Township High School District 121 turned their attention to the district’s related policies at a meeting Tuesday and answered questions raised by the residents. “We are experiencing a high level of questions in the …

The Doomsday Clock, which warns humanity about how close it is to destroying the world, ticked one second closer to midnight at 89 seconds, the closest it’s been since its inception.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s method of detecting methane leaks at landfills is flawed, and emissions of this powerful heat-trapping gas are likely much higher than what is being reported, according to a new study analyzing landfills in Illinois and seven other states.Released Thursday by the environmental nonprofit Industrious Labs, …

As Landon Diaz has sharpened his skills during his four varsity seasons, Waukegan has improved year over year but still lost more often than won. Throughout it all, Diaz’s love for the sport and his team didn’t waver. “I’m really grateful to play for Waukegan,” he said. “I’m really fortunate …

That junior outside hitter Ben Boron is a volleyball star for Grayslake Central might not seem surprising. After all, his father, Grzegorz Boron, played the sport for Opole University of Technology in Poland, and his family watched it on TV when he was growing up, according to his mother, Gosia …

Jackson Kern’s freshman season for Libertyville was an auspicious one. The 6-foot Kern made the varsity team as libero, joining a large group of seniors a year after the Wildcats played in the state semifinals. “He stood out as somebody who could handle himself on the court,” Libertyville coach Jenny …

Vernon Hills’ Ben Miller gave volleyball a try with a group of friends at Hawthorn Middle School North when he was 12. He discovered it’s much different from the other sports he had played, like soccer and baseball. “I just thought it’s a sport that not many people are into,” …

Most weekends at the Randolph Street Market, Helena Kim can be found with her head inside the lining of a vintage Coach purse. After finding and restoring more than 30, she knows a good piece of leather by touch.

As flu season continues in Chicago, some hospitals are reinstating mask mandates.

CTA employees discovered a woman unresponsive with apparent lacerations and trauma to her face on a train car overnight, Chicago police said.

The slaying of two young mothers shot in a Cicero home Tuesday night, followed by the apparent suicide of the gunman, took a turn Wednesday morning when a baby first reported to be unharmed in the shooting was admitted to a Chicago hospital with serious wounds.