Stories by alex ruppenthal

(George2001hi / Wikipedia)

BBB Warns of Online Puppy Scams During Holiday Season

The holidays are a popular season to bring home a pet, but that impulse can leave consumers vulnerable to a growing number of online scams, according to an alert issued this week by the Better Business Bureau.

Sue the T. Rex inside a new “private suite” at the Field Museum (Photos by Alex Ruppenthal / WTTW)

A Look Inside Sue the T. Rex’s New ‘Private Suite’ at The Field Museum

Sue’s new digs present the dinosaur in a more authentic light using technology that has come a long way since the T. Rex skeleton arrived in Chicago more than 20 years ago.

An overhead view of Watco's storage terminal at 2926 E. 126th St. in Chicago. (Google)

EPA Issues Violation Against Southeast Side Manganese Polluter

After finding high levels of brain-damaging manganese near Watco Transloading’s facility on the Southeast Side of Chicago, the EPA has accused the company of violating the Clean Air Act. 

Gov. Bruce Rauner (Chicago Tonight file photo)

Rauner to Michigan Gov. Snyder: Let’s Use Asian Carp Funding Now, Not Later

Michigan offered to give Illinois $8 million to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. But Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has a different idea about how to spend the money. 

An overhead view of Watco's storage terminal at 2926 E. 126th St. in Chicago. (Google)

City Issues 4 Violations to Southeast Side Manganese Polluter

Watco Transloading faces up to $20,000 in city fines for failing to control emissions of brain-damaging manganese from its storage facility along the Calumet River. 

John Berg, an environmental health specialist with the DuPage County Health Department, runs water from a private well in Willowbrook on Thursday as part of testing for levels of cancer-causing ethylene oxide. (Alex Ruppenthal / WTTW)

Regulators Test Water at 70 Homes Near Sterigenics in Willowbrook

Water testing at homes in suburban Willowbrook is the latest step in the response to concerns over the release of dangerous ethylene oxide gas by Sterigenics International. 

An overhead view of Watco's storage terminal at 2926 E. 126th St. in Chicago. (Google)

EPA Finds High Levels of Manganese at Another Southeast Side Facility

As regulators continue to monitor manganese emissions at S.H. Bell Co., new air monitoring data shows alarming levels of the brain-damaging heavy metal near another industrial facility in the area.

(Courtesy of McDonald’s)

McDonald’s to Cut Use of Antibiotics in Beef Products

After years of pressure from public health advocates, the Chicago-based burger chain announces a plan to reduce the use of antibiotics in its beef products.

Emerald, age 3, is among the dogs and cats available for adoption at Chicago Animal Care and Control. (Courtesy Chicago Animal Care and Control)

City Animal Shelter Waives Fees for Holiday Adoptions

With its building “full to the brim” with cats and dogs, Chicago’s municipal-run animal shelter is waiving adoption fees for those looking to bring home a new pet this holiday season.

A photograph of a shelter dog from our story, “Photographer Donates His Talents to Help Dogs Get Adopted.” (Courtesy Josh Feeney)

Group to Assign Mayoral Candidates ‘Paw Ratings’ on Animal Welfare Issues

Fix Chicago 2019 aims to end the killing of shelter pets in Chicago. The first task of the new group? Taking inventory of where candidates running for city office stand on various animal welfare issues. 

(Pixabay)

Trump EPA Looks to Weaken Regulations for New Coal Plants

The Trump administration is taking another swing at coal regulations, announcing that it plans to ditch an Obama-era rule that set pollution limits for new coal-fired power plants.

MWRD Executive Director Brian A. Perkovich (Courtesy Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago)

MWRD Selects Veteran Staffer Brian Perkovich as New Executive Director

The appointment of Brian Perkovich as head of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago comes five months after the abrupt – and unexplained – resignation of David St. Pierre. 

(Carvermittler / Pixabay)

VW Settlement: Illinois Awards $19M for Cleaner Bus and Train Engines

The first chunk of Illinois’ windfall from the Volkswagen emissions lawsuit settlement will fund cleaner-burning bus and train engines for CTA, Metra, Pace and other agencies.

Lawmakers Aim to Close EPA Loopholes in Wake of Sterigenics Scare

After reports of a dangerous gas being emitted from several suburban industrial sites, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and other lawmakers have introduced a bill that would force the EPA to more quickly disclose similar public health risks. 

(Anthony Albright / Flickr)

Advocates Call For End to ‘Reckless Overuse’ of Antibiotics in Meat

Medical professionals and public health advocates in Illinois are calling on lawmakers to pass legislation to curb limiting what they say is a “reckless overuse” of antibiotics in meat-producing animals.

(Linda N. / Flickr)

Illinois Lawmakers Override Rauner to Enact Urban Agriculture Law

Illinois lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill to establish urban agriculture zones that advocates say could help break up food deserts in Chicago and other Illinois cities. 

(Courtesy Landmark Pest Management)

Chicago Rat Study Shows Correlation Between Rental Units and Rodents

Chicago’s recent designation as the country’s “rat capital” can be attributed in large part, a new study finds, to a particular type of home: rental units. 

A silver carp captured in June 2017 in the Illinois Waterway below the T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam, about 9 miles from Lake Michigan. (Courtesy Illinois Department of Natural Resources)

Cost of Plan to Block Asian Carp from Great Lakes Balloons to $778M

Additional engineering and design work has more than doubled the cost of a long-awaited plan to prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, according to federal officials.

Chicago Animal Care and Control, 2741 S. Western Ave. (Alex Ruppenthal / Chicago Tonight)

City Animal Shelter to Get $1.5 Million Upgrade for Medical Unit

The renovated medical and surgery areas at Chicago Animal Care and Control will replace the shelter’s existing medical unit, which is more than 20 years old. 

(ruimc77 / Flickr)

Study: Drivers Traveled 1.9M Extra Miles Due to Closed City Emission Test Sites

A new analysis shows that closing Chicago's final two vehicle emissions testing facilities came at a cost to hundreds of thousands of city drivers, with the biggest impact on low-income and minority drivers. 

(SD-Pictures / Pixabay)

Air Pollution Reduces Life Expectancy by Nearly 2 Years, Study Finds

Air pollution’s impact on life expectancy exceeds that of communicable diseases such as AIDS, cigarette smoking and even war, according to a first-of-its-kind study from the University of Chicago.

(Brian Johnson and Dane Kantner / Flickr)

Study: Chicago Not Only City in Illinois Struggling to Boost Recycling Rate

Chicago’s recycling woes have been well-documented, but a new report shows that at least five other cities in Illinois are failing to meet average U.S. recycling rates.

Lincoln Park Zoo’s new Searle Visitor Center (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)

Lincoln Park Zoo Opens New $9.3 Million Visitor Center

A movie theater-sized screen highlighting daily programs, plus gardens and a member center will provide additional comforts and services to visitors, the zoo says.

Maggie Daley Park is one of 597 parks operated by the Chicago Park District. (joestoltz / Pixabay)

Chicago Park District Fails to Background Check Many Volunteers, Investigation Finds

Investigators described the Park District’s procedures for vetting volunteers as “outdated” and “under-resourced,” with a single employee responsible for managing the entire volunteer program.

(Karamo / Pixabay)

Illinois Senate Weighs Bill to Limit Antibiotics in Meat

Lawmakers are set to consider legislation this week that would limit the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals, a practice that has been shown to fuel drug-resistant bacteria that can be dangerous to humans.

A green-winged macaw being trained prior to its release in the Iberá Park in Corrientes, Argentina (Beth Wald / Lincoln Park Zoo)

Lincoln Park Zoo Hosts Conference on Reintroducing Endangered Species

Conservationists from around the world are gathering this week to focus on saving threatened species and reintroducing them into the wild.