Downtown Evanston (WTTW News)

Using tax money from the sale of recreational marijuana, the Chicago suburb of Evanston has become the first U.S. city to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery.

Evanston artist Teresa Parod paints a mural on a garage door. (WTTW News)

Alleys serve many purposes, but they’re not typically used as the backdrop for public art. Enter Teresa Parod, who is using house paint to elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Daily passes are no longer available for Evanston beaches. (Evanston Parks & Recreation / Facebook)

With Chicago’s beaches closed, Evanston has been a lakefront refuge for many city dwellers, but now even that option is becoming limited as summer nears its end.

Portraits by Evanston artist Chris Froeter. (WTTW News)

Evanston-based artist Chris Froeter is using his paintbrush to find creative ways to attract customers and support small businesses during the pandemic. 

Downtown Evanston (WTTW News)

As part of our ongoing series, we speak with local officials and activists about Evanston’s reopening and recent calls for police reform in the near north suburb.

(Photo courtesy Margaret Storey)

Many moms have been feeling the brunt of the pandemic, managing child care and home-schooling on top of full-time jobs. One local mom’s ability to care for her daughter while helping families across the state has gotten special notice.

International Carnivale Celebration (Photo by James Richards IV)

A Carnivale celebration, late-night art show, chocolate and bicycles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo by Ronnie Marlin)

Bite-sized dishes, Oscar-nominated films, hot cocoa and Lunar New Year parades usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Beau Considine / Flickr)

Winter birds, beer steins, poinsettias and bicycles usher in the post-holiday weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(David Wilson / Flickr)

A festive CTA train, winter markets, irreverent attorneys and holiday hounds usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Antonio Berni, Mediodía (Noontime), 1976. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 78.22 x 78.34 inches (198.7 cm x 199 cm). Collection of the Blanton Museum of Art, the University of Texas at Austin. Barbara Duncan Fund, 1977.97. © José Antonio Berni.

Pop art gets reframed in a museum show that looks closely at the visual culture of the 1960s and ‘70s – and sheds light on an entire hemisphere of artwork that really pops.

A sign for the Canal Shores golf club, left, and a file photo of Illinois Senate President John Cullerton. (WTTW News)

A North Shore land deal involving Illinois Senate President John Cullerton raises questions about a powerful public official influencing a vote that could enrich him and his son.

(Credit: Vocalo)

Celebrations of pride, music fests, pop-up theater, craft beers and dragon boats usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Seated Figure, Possibly Ife, Tada Nigeria, Late 13th-14th century, Copper with traces of arsenic, lead, and tin, H. 54 cm, Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments, 79.R18, Image courtesy of National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Abuja, Nigeria.

The Block Museum show “Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time” showcases the splendor and influence of medieval West and North Africa. We tour the exhibition with a special guest from the Smithsonian.

Black-eyed Susans are among the many types of native plants available for purchase at the Lake County Forest Preserves’ Native Plant Sale. (brian60174 / Pixabay)

A native plant sale, nerdy comedy, a craft fair and a house walk usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Credit: One of a Kind Show)

A unique fair, sudsy beverages and classical music usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.