Share this... * Facebook * Twitter * Linkedin * Pinterest * Reddit * Tumblr * Whatsapp * Email A good sale to Rio de Janeiro Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software will price this at $415 (Basic Economy). Use those dates on **Google Flights** should reprice to $367 (Basic Economy) / $507 (Regular Economy) Avianca’s $507 fare is a regular economy fare (Marketed as Classic) with one checked bag included Avianca also have a $367 fare, but it is a Basic Economy (Marketed as Light). These Basic Economy fares: * **DO NOT** allow for advance seat assignment * **DO NOT** include a normal size carry-on. Only include a small personal item and one carry-on up to 10 kilograms / 22 lbs. * **DO NOT** include checked bags – they are $95 each way for the 1st bag * **DO NOT** allow for changes * **DO NOT** allow for cancellations – so if you cancel after the 24 hour risk free period, the Basic Economy version will have no value for future travel ** Sign up for ourReal Time Newsletter to receive economy class deals for your city about an hour _before_ they are even posted on our website and social media channels - all for about a nickel a day. ** ** Interested in Business Class, First Class or Premium Economy deals? Signup for ourPremium Newsletter for about a quarter a day. ** Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Photo: Dimitry B. via Flickr, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0) ## Sample Travel Date: * March 1st – 8th, 2027 * **This is just ONE SAMPLE travel date, for more availability, please follow the “Fare Availability” and “How to Search for Availability” instructions below** ## Fare Availability: * Valid for travel from late February 2027 – early March 2027. Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 7 days in advance of departure * **Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, if this post is more than two days old, the fare is likely gone.** ## FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: ## How to Search for Availability: * **This is just to search for availability. To buy your tickets, scroll down to “How to Buy” section of this post** * Use Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software and use the following search criteria: * **Origin:** ORD * **Origin Advanced Routing Code:** * **Routing Codes** : DL DL * **Extension Codes** : maxconnect 240 * This is instructing Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software to search for the Basic Economy fare. Use those dates on **Google Flights** and you will be presented with the option to upgrade to the regular economy fare. * **Destination:** GIG * **Return Advanced Routing Code:** * **Routing Codes** : DL DL * **Extension Codes** : maxconnect 240 * (Click on Advanced Codes link to enable advanced routing code input) * Select “See calendar of lowest fares” * Duration “3-10” (This is just a sample, you can use any 7 day date range like 3-10, 7-14 etc) * Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software * How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage * **The Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software search page should be like below when all values are inputted** * **You cannot buy tickets using Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software. To buy, follow our instructions in the “How to Buy” section below.** ## Fare Class: * U ## Routing: * ORD – BOG (Bogota) – GIG (Rio de Janeiro) – BOG – ORD ## Stopover: * Not permitted * How to Take Advantage of a Stopover ## Mileage: Avianca is a member of the Star Alliance and United partner. Mileage earning with United is as follows: * **Miles Flown:** 11,060 miles or 3.3 cents per mile (Basic Economy) / 4.5 cents per mile (Regular Economy) * **Redeemable Miles:** 2,765 miles ## How to Buy: * Book on **Google Flights** with dates found on Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software * Select “Book with Avianca” to price. ## Accommodations * TripAdvisor - One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites. ## Car Rentals * Rental Cars - One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc. ## Activities and Tours * Viator – The world's largest marketplace for destination activities and tours ## Background Information: * Visa: US Citizens – Required prior to arrival. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database * Currency: Brazilian Real (BRL) $1USD = 5.36 BRL ## Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations: * No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases * Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion * Get your taxes refunded when shopping * How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges For more of the latest cheap Chicago Flight Deals: * Go to the The Chicago Flight Deals page _* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Priceline, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support._ ===== To make sure you receive our latest deals, LIKE our The Flight Deal Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter @TheFlightDeal, Threads @TheFlightDeal or The Flight Deal WhatsApp channel or subscribe to The Flight Deal RSS Feed or Subscribe via Email (Once a Day) The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions. Share this... * Facebook * Twitter * Linkedin * Pinterest * Reddit * Tumblr * Whatsapp * Email Stay Informed on the Latest Deals Sign up to receive The Flight Deal Daily DealsLetter, to stay up to date with the latest and greatest flight deals available. Email

CHICAGO — It’s not your imagination: The weather has been incredible in Chicago this month. After the month began with 1.41 inches of rainfall on Oct. 1, we’ve experienced an October that is far warmer, sunnier and drier than normal. “The opening salvo of our traditionally cloudy period of the year has not been the case this year,” WGN-TV meteorologist Bill Snyder told Block Club. “As of Wednesday, we’ve seen 75 percent of possible sun, compared to the normal 57 percent. “It’s also been abnormally warm. With average high temperatures above 70 degrees, and the overall temperature at 61.2 degrees, we’re over 6 degrees above average in October.” That ranks as the sixth-warmest October since records began in Chicago, and the warmest since 1971, according to Snyder. “Not a drop of rain in 12 days,” he said. Fall foliage flourishes on the trees in Oriole Park on Oct. 12, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago Chicagoans in love with the extended summer-like season may want to stop reading now. “We’re definitely heading into a more active pattern with scattered showers possible each of the next few days, starting Thursday,” Snyder said. ## Listen 🎧 Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets It’s not all bad. Although cooler temperatures will move into the area this weekend, they’ll still be above normal. “What’s considered a normal high temperature is dropping rapidly. On Saturday we’d expect it to be 56 degrees, but we’ll still likely be in the 60s for Halloween,” Snyder said. And trick-or-treaters can expect dry conditions, with most of the rainfall Saturday expected in the morning. As for freezing temperatures, Snyder says he’s still waiting to see that on the horizon. “In Chicago we typically see the first 32-degree temperature on Oct. 19, so we’re definitely late this year,” Snyder said. “It’s been remarkable.” Credit: Facebook ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

The federal judge in New York handling the prosecution of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has died.

Labor activist Dolores Huerta has died at the age of 96, her family announced Wednesday morning.

Lawyers representing Meta and Snap will be back in court this week in the latest trial over claims their apps were designed to get teens and children hooked.

A man accused of multiple sexual assaults, including one at a popular Halloween attraction, is facing charges in three separate cases, according to the district attorney's office.

DOWNTOWN — Disruptions to Green and Pink Line service in the Loop will continue until later this week, the Chicago Department of Transportation and Chicago Transit Authority announced — although the agencies have not said when service will return to normal. The disruptions began Oct. 13 and were slated to end Tuesday, but CDOT and CTA pushed the end date to Wednesday before announcing a second delay on Tuesday. The agencies said they will announce a specific date and time when full service will be restarted once it has been confirmed. Major construction on the Lake Street Bridge, which carries the Green and Pink Line trains into the Loop, prompted the disruptions. The bridge has been closed to cars and pedestrians for the past year, and its reconstruction is projected to last through January 2028. The Green Line is not running between the Clinton and Clark/Lake stops, while the Pink Line isn’t operating in the Loop. Green Line trains will continue to run in two portions during the closure — between Harlem/Lake and Clinton, and between Clark/Lake and South Side terminals. Shuttle buses will carry Green Line passengers between the Clinton and Clark/Lake stops. Pink Line riders can take the train between 54th/Cermak and the Racine Blue Line station, where they can transfer to Blue Line trains to reach Downtown, according to CDOT and CTA. Another two-week service outage for the Green and Pink Lines is planned for spring due to the Lake Street Bridge construction. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

DOWNTOWN — A man was killed and another wounded in a shooting early Wednesday in the Loop, police said. Officers responding to a reported shooting found the men with gunshot wounds around 2:40 a.m. Wednesday in the 0-100 block of East Lake Street Downtown, according to police. One man, whose age wasn’t known, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The other man, 38, was shot in the right leg and taken in fair condition to the same hospital, police said. No one has been arrested, and area detectives are investigating. The incident follows another shooting in the Loop Monday night in which two men were shot and wounded at a 7-Eleven store several blocks south, in the 0-100 block of East Adams Street, according to police. In that shooting, the two men, ages 23 and 26, were standing inside the 7-Eleven when someone walked in, started arguing with the 26-year-old man and then fired shots, according to police. Both men were taken in fair condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. No arrests have been announced connected to that shooting. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

Nearly 3 in 4 former NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of their death, according to a new study published Wednesday.

A California appeals court on Tuesday upheld actor Danny Masterson's convictions and long prison sentence for raping two women at his home in 2003.

The boy was about four to five feet deep, partially stuck in sewage, and holding on to some sort of rope until emergency crews arrived.

NEAR WEST SIDE — After nearly a year of construction, Illinois Medical District residents, patients and workers have a new park that is also home to the Global COVID-19 Monument of Honor, Remembrance and Resilience. City and state officials, Illinois Medical District leaders and members of nonprofit organizations gathered Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the park and COVID-19 monument at 2023 W. Ogden Ave. Called simply IMD Park, it sits at the one-acre triangle at West Polk Street and South Damen and West Ogden avenues. It is nestled between Stroger Hospital and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and near Rush Medical Center and University of Illinois Hospital. “This is your park, come often, find a moment of peace and make it your own,” Allyson Hansen, Illinois Medical District Commission CEO and executive director said. The centerpiece of the park is a COVID-19 monument, near the Polk and Damen corner, featuring three soaring stainless steel sculptures — the tallest reaching 25 feet — that combine the shape of a dandelion puff with the core of the COVID-19 virus. The stems represent three pillars: honor, remembrance and resilience. The dandelion, which grows worldwide, represents the universality of pandemic suffering, said Sally Metzler, who chairs the COVID-19 Monument Commission and led the monument project under the nonprofit Hektoen Institute of Medicine. An inscription honors essential workers at the Global COVID-19 Monument of Honor, Remembrance and Resilience at 2023 W. Ogden Ave. Credit: Joanna Marszałek/Block Club Chicago On the circular base of the monument, there are inscriptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sculpture is surrounded by five abstract benches, each decorated with a silver globe, representing five continents and the global impact of the pandemic. “This monument of honor, remembrance and resilience gives this park an enduring purpose: to remember those we lost, to honor the healthcare workers, the essential workers, the patients and the families whose lives were forever changed by the pandemic,” Hansen said. The park also features two fitness areas, a playground, a concrete walking path and multiple benches and seating areas for gathering, steps from some of the city’s most prominent hospitals. It is also set to include a lawn that can host programs. As of Tuesday, crews were still planting trees and completing the landscape. The park is expected to be fully open to the public by Dec. 1, and it will remain unfenced and accessible 24/7 for people to visit “whenever they need,” Hansen said. The top sections of the sculpture will illuminate at night in different colors once details are finalized with the city and ComEd, Metzler said. The centerpiece of IMD Park is a COVID-19 monument featuring three soaring stainless steel sculptures meant to represent the COVID-19 virus. Credit: Joanna Marszałek/Block Club Chicago The park is the result of a collaboration between the IMD’s efforts to create a community green space and Metzler’s vision for a global COVID-19 memorial. In 2021, Metzler formed a volunteer COVID-19 Monument Commission, now consisting of more than a dozen professors, doctors and public health experts. Casey Schachner, a sculptor and art professor at Georgia Southern University, won a 2023 competition to design the monument. The Illinois Medical District is a 560-acre special zoning area housing the largest urban concentration of healthcare facilities in the country. In 2024, the former Easter Seals building was demolished with the intent to create a community park with green space. Last November, officials broke ground for the new park. Metzler said she feels “immense pride” that the COVID-19 monument became a reality. “I can’t think of a more fitting location to have something to honor our essential workers but also to come back and reflect on everything we persevered through during the pandemic,” Hansen said. Officials gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a new park and the Global COVID-19 Monument of Honor, Remembrance and Resilience, 2023 W. Ogden Ave., on Oct. 27, 2026. Credit: Joanna Marszałek/Block Club Chicago Tuesday’s event marked the creation of the first new public park in the Illinois Medical District in decades since the Louis Pasteur Monument was relocated from Grant Park to its current location on West Harrison Street across from the old Cook County Hospital building in 1946. The park is the newest public space in the district after the opening of a Welcome Plaza at West Ogden Avenue and West Harrison Street in August 2024. The $4.95 million project was made possible through a combination of state funding and grant support, with state Sen. Lakesia Collins (5th District) credited with securing $3.4 million in State of Illinois Capital Appropriation and state Rep. Yolanda Morris (9th District) securing an additional half million. Funding was also provided by the state’s Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Program and Hektoen Institute of Medicine Grant. In early October, a monument dedication ceremony was held at UIC by the Hektoen Institute. The indoor event featured live music, prayer and a slideshow honoring frontline workers and those who died from COVID. In addition to a physical monument, a virtual monument at the website covidmemorialmonument.org invites visitors to honor loved ones lost to COVID-19 by sharing tributes in a dandelion memory garden. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Michelle Morales was committed to making sure everybody had a seat at the table. A community organizer, educator and advocate, Morales died Thursday of complications from metastatic breast cancer, her family announced. She was 51 years old. Morales, a Washington Heights resident, was president of Woods Fund Chicago, a foundation supporting community groups that organize neighbors for racial and economic justice. She had held that position since 2019. More recently, she co-chaired Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition team in early 2023 before Johnson appointed her to the Chicago Board of Education in July 2023, a position she held until October 2024. Mia Henry has served as interim president at Woods Fund Chicago since September when Morales had to step away due to her health. Henry described the late foundation president as deeply self-reflective, with a great sense of humor, always striving to do what’s right. “We could count on her to bring honesty, thoughtfulness and bold ideas to every room she entered,” Henry said. “Michelle had a fierce commitment to Chicago’s youth, organizers and working-class communities. Her moral compass was unwavering, with justice for the people as her North Star.” Michelle Morales (left) died on Thursday, Oct. 22. She helped coordinate the national campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoners held in U.S. prisons. Credit: Provided Morales was 21 when she began teaching science at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School in Humboldt Park in 1997. During her years at the school, she counseled students and rose through the ranks to assistant principal and later vice president of the school board. She then worked as dean of the adult education program at Malcom X College, joined the Alternative Schools Network and served as executive director of Mikva Challenge in Chicago, where she expanded its youth councils from four to seven and took its civics programs to suburban Aurora and Waukegan. Michelle Morales with her husband Scott Greene, the couple have been married for over 20 years. Credit: Provided Scott Greene, Morales’ husband of over 20 years, said his late wife was driven by a commitment to helping others throughout her 30 years of service. “I really feel like Michelle felt like everybody needed a seat at the table. It didn’t matter to her who they were; I believe that she felt every single person had value and what that person said had value,” Greene said. Morales had a way with words, her husband said. Whenever he got to see her address a crowd, he knew the message was important to her. “To hear my wife talk was something to behold … she never wrote anything really down. She might write some talking points but [her message] was always from the heart,” Greene said. Morales was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. After going into remission, the cancer returned in 2021 and metastasized. She underwent surgeries, chemo, radiation and other treatments for the disease. Greene described his wife as a superwoman, managing to keep working and helping others even while sick. “I saw what it took for her to get up and moving in the morning. Especially in the last year, I saw how hard it was for her to function, but she never complained,” he said. Chicago Board of Education member Michelle Morales speaks during a Chicago Board of Education meeting at Jones College Prep in the South Loop on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Credit: (Trent Sprague/for City Bureau) Morales was born in Yonkers, New York, to parents who had migrated from Puerto Rico. Her father’s military service moved the family often during her childhood. When she came to Chicago in 1993 to attend DePaul University, she fell in love with the city and found her home. At DePaul, she joined the defense committee for Puerto Rican educator José Solís Jordán and became the committee treasurer. She went on to lead the Chicago chapter of the National Boricua Human Rights Network and to co-coordinate the national campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoners held in U.S. prisons. In 1999, she watched 11 of the prisoners, who were members of the Puerto Rican nationalist group known as FALN, go free; in the years that followed, she corresponded with two who remained in prison, Carlos Alberto Torres and Oscar López Rivera. Alberto Torres was released in July 2010 after 30 years. President Barack Obama commuted López Rivera’s sentence in January 2017. After Obama commuted López Rivera’s sentence, Morales wrote, “Out of my 41 years on Earth, 20 have been spent campaigning for Oscar.” She called the movement “my most prolific teacher.” Michelle Morales with her sons Xavier and Timothy in 2025. Credit: Provided Greene said Morales viewed her work with the Puerto Rican political prisoners as her biggest accomplishment. In a statement on social media, Johnson remembered Morales as a “fierce advocate for justice who dedicated her life to the people of Chicago.” Michelle Morales with her daughter Alyssa and son Xavier in 2017. Credit: Provided “Michelle was rooted in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, where she spent decades organizing for educational justice, public health access, and against displacement and gentrification. She believed deeply in the dignity and self-determination of her community and in the power of people to challenge injustice,” Johnson said. City Clerk Anna Valencia called Morales a visionary leader whose life was dedicated to uplifting others. “Michelle was a powerful force for change,” Valencia said. “Her unwavering commitment to racial equity, educational justice and empowering historically marginalized communities transformed lives and helped build a stronger, more inclusive Chicago.” Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) said she first met Morales at 16, after the now-alderperson had been expelled from a CPS school. She said Morales changed her life, and she is forever grateful for her mentorship and friendship. “I was a kid trying to find my way,” Fuentes wrote on Facebook. “Michelle looked at a kid like me and chose to see everything right with me.” In an email with constituents, Fuentes said she is the leader and organizer she is today because she “had the extraordinary privilege of watching Michelle Morales lead.” Fuentes honored Morales during a City Council meeting last month. > View this post on Instagram Morales is survived by her parents Martha and Isidro, her husband Scott, her son Xavier, stepchildren Timothy and Alyssa, siblings Christy and Pito, nieces Naomi and Taliyah, and nephews Tyler, Jalen, Gabriel, Mundo and Cha Cha. A private ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. Monday followed by an opportunity to pay respects to the family from 7:30-9 p.m. at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division St. Seating for the public will be available outside during the ceremony, which will be livestreamed. A GoFundMe page to support Morales’ family was created earlier this month and has raised over $141,000 of its $300,000 goal. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

ROSCOE VILLAGE — Exquisite Corpse Ball, an annual Halloween party, concert and fundraiser, is returning to Beat Kitchen Friday for what event organizers and musicians call “Dork Christmas” and the “best day of the year.” Concertgoers can expect to celebrate Halloween with hit tunes from KISS, Eminem, Pearl Jam and more at the rock club at 2100 W. Belmont Ave. in Roscoe Village. Except it won’t be iconic KISS bassist Gene Simmons, a.k.a. “The Demon,” taking the stage, but rather local Chicago band Mom Genes, who will be pulling out all the stops with costumes and props for the return of the annual concert. The Halloween event features seven Chicago bands as they perform 25-minute long sets as iconic acts, with show-stopping costumes, iconic setlists and more fun bits to go along with the theme. Tony Rogers, Chicago musician and multimedia artist, will be taking the stage adorned in the iconic KISS black-and-white face paint, dressed in costumes and wigs he sourced months in advance alongside his band Mom Genes. “The prep and the execution is very much like the spirit of kids at Christmas,” Rogers said. “We put a lot of energy into the costumes and I think the audience comes to expect it.” Other acts will include the Daytonics as KC & The Sunshine Band, Kid Million as Eminem, Undead Friends as the Zombies, the Good as Pearl Jam, Seth Limmer as the J. Geils Band and the Bette Davis Guys as the Psychedelic Furs. > View this post on Instagram The annual Halloween show has run for 19 years, starting at the former rock-themed bar Sylvie’s before beginning its yearly stint at Beat Kitchen five years ago. Rogers has spent the last 10 years participating in the annual Halloween benefit show after admiring the event as an attendee, with his previous acts including David Bowie, Queen and Ozzy Osbourne — where he truly took the form of the heavy metal legend by biting the head off a fake bat. Tony Rogers performing as Ozzy Osbourne at a previous Exquisite Corpse Ball. Credit: Provided While Rogers is gearing up for the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll set, musician and Intonation Music founding member David Singer has been practicing his rap skills as he prepares to perform as the “Slim Shady” era of Eminem — which he is “cautiously optimistic about.” The collaborative show features seven different bands, with overlapping members who have participated in many iterations of the Exquisite Corpse Ball, pushing the groups to “do something bigger and more grandiose” every year, Singer said. This is what keeps audiences coming back, organizers said. Audiences start to guess set lists and plan their own costumes months in advance while performing acts try their best to keep the details of their performance top secret until the show. “We call it Dork Christmas because everybody gets super excited to show up every year,” Singer said. “The audience is fully in costume, the bands’ costumes get bigger and more elaborate.” But the show isn’t just a gathering for the local music-obsessed and rock ‘n’ roll fans looking for a fun way to celebrate Halloween: The concert series continues to be a fundraiser for Intonation Music. The Bronzeville-based nonprofit brings the art of music making to Chicago youth for free through partnerships with schools, the Park District and community organizations. Kids are able to join their own bands led by professional musicians where they learn all the aspects of making their own music while gaining problem-solving and teamwork skills, Executive Director Tonya Howell told Block Club. The nonprofit, currently celebrating its 20th year, continues to expand with its first physical location in Bronzeville, where kids can come to practice music, use recording equipment and hang out. Traditions and gatherings centered around music and in benefit of Intonation are vital to nonprofit and its larger mission of music education, Howell said. “The more people that know about what we do, especially those who love music and understand how important music is in their own lives, they’re more likely to stay connected, spread the word, come to our events and possibly donate,” Howell said. The concert that has become a tradition will be an evening of “egoless” and comedic performances, good music and Halloween vibes all to put the spotlight on Intonation Music to “keep the lights on at our headquarters and buy guitars,” Singer said. The Exquisite Corpse Ball returns to Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave., 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $26.96 and can be purchased here. “We’re just going to keep the party going until they kick us out,” Singer said. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

LINCOLN PARK — Shattered glass and boarded-up windows lined Clark Street Tuesday morning as Lincoln Park business owners began cleaning up after burglars smashed their way into more than a dozen storefronts, stealing cash and leaving behind thousands of dollars in potential repair costs. By the afternoon, some businesses had already replaced their broken windows. Others were still dealing with the damage from the early-morning spree, which left storefronts broken along Clark Street between Fullerton Parkway and Deming Place. The burglaries happened at about 4 a.m. Tuesday, when a group of men exited a white vehicle and smashed glass doors and windows at multiple businesses in the 2400- and 2500-blocks of North Clark Street, according to police. The group took cash registers from several businesses before returning to the vehicle and fleeing eastbound, police said. A cash register stolen from a nearby chicken restaurant sits among shattered glass on the sidewalk outside The Other Side Bar on Clark Street as Chicago police respond to a string of burglaries early Tuesday morning. Provided. At least 13 businesses were damaged, including Sultan’s Market, Kala Modern Greek, CM Chicken, Moon Bowls, Aloha Eats, Molly’s Cupcakes, Epic Snack Shack, Doner 97, The Other Side Bar, Little Bit Cleaner, Top Cleaners, a UPS store and Great Clips. Workers said they had heard as many as 19 businesses were targeted. At Great Clips, 2500 N. Clark St., manager Mike Komar arrived around 7 a.m. to find the front window shattered. The burglars took about $150 from the register. The shop did not have surveillance cameras, but Komar planned to purchase one after the break-in. “It’s a pain in the neck and an annoyance to have to deal with this the next day,” Komar said. “It sucks that it’s happening to our small businesses.” At The Other Side Bar, 2434 N Clark St., bartender Jenna Devincenzi said burglars used a cash register stolen from the chicken restaurant across the street to smash through the bar’s window. The bar’s own register was empty, she said. The incident rattled staff, even though the burglars did not get any cash, Devincenzi said. “Situations like these do shake us up a bit as a staff and remind us to be smart at night and to use our best judgment,” she said. A sign outside The Other Side Bar, written by bartender Jenna Devincenzi, notified customers of the Clark Street burglaries and invited them to stop in for a beer. Credit: Patrick Filbin/Block Club Chicago At Kala Modern Greek, 2523 N. Clark St., manager Maci Calvert said burglars tried to kick in a window seven times and struck it with an instrument four more times before giving up. The restaurant’s windows remained intact, Calvert said. The business had replaced its windows with sturdier glass after a previous attempted break-in a few years ago. Kitchen staff arrived early Tuesday to find the damage. Calvert said the incident did not make her feel less safe, adding that break-ins are something that can happen from time to time in the city. The damage can be much more expensive than whatever cash burglars manage to take, said Robin Hammond, vice president of the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce. Businesses often must pay for temporary boarding before replacing shattered glass or doors, while repairs can disrupt operations and cost owners a day of sales. Filing an insurance claim also can potentially increase premiums, Hammond said. “It’s not like whoever’s doing these crimes is really getting that much,” Hammond said. “The big expense is having to make the repairs the day after, and then dealing with those disruptions to their business.” Aloha Eats on Clark Street was among at least 13 Lincoln Park businesses damaged in an early Tuesday morning burglary spree. Credit: Patrick Filbin/Block Club Chicago The chamber is offering affected businesses vandalism-repair and security rebates through the Clark Street Special Service Area, Hammond said. The rebates can help offset expenses but will not cover the full burden. Despite the recent spate of break-ins targeting businesses across Chicago, reported burglaries in the 19th Police District are down 43 percent so far this year compared with the same period in 2025, according to Chicago Police Department data. The district recorded 245 burglary complaints through the week ending Oct. 25, compared with 429 during the same period last year. The figures cover all reported burglaries in the district, not just commercial break-ins, and do not include Tuesday’s Clark Street spree. The sidewalk outside Kala Modern Greek and Sultan’s Market on Clark Street after a string of early-morning burglaries Tuesday. Credit: Patrick Filbin/Block Club Chicago Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) told Block Club police have placed the Clark Street corridor under special attention and are conducting targeted burglary missions with dedicated officers monitoring the area. He is pushing for sustained patrols and exploring public safety cameras where gaps in coverage are identified. Knudsen said his office also plans to work with police, the chamber and the Special Service Area on security practices and potential improvements to the corridor. The Clark Street break-ins come amid a string of similar burglaries targeting small businesses across Chicago in recent weeks. At least 23 businesses in Portage Park, Avondale, Logan Square and Wicker Park were damaged during a morning spree Oct. 15, with burglars smashing windows and leaving owners with costly repairs despite taking little cash, Block Club reported. Other recent break-ins have hit businesses along 75th Street in Chatham, as well as in Bronzeville and Greater Grand Crossing. During a visit to Chatham last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged the toll the burglaries have taken on small businesses and said the city had devised a strategy to reduce robberies and burglaries, though he did not provide details. For many of the businesses targeted, the damage to storefronts and the disruption to daily operations can cost far more than whatever cash burglars manage to take. Clark Street business owners described a similar burden Tuesday, as workers began cleaning up broken glass and arranging repairs. Knudsen urged residents to support Clark Street businesses in the coming days, noting that small businesses have limited profit margins and every purchase can make a difference. Area Three detectives are investigating. Anyone with information or surveillance footage can contact detectives at 312-744-8263 or submit a tip at chicagopolice.org/submit-a-tip. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

CHICAGO — The Chicago Park District is giving the 18-mile Lakefront Trail a refresh this fall by repainting trail markings and repairing asphalt as well as improving signage. The Park District began repairs last month, starting near 63rd Street Beach and working north toward Foster Avenue Beach. The work includes asphalt patching, sealcoating, repainting trail markings and replacing deteriorating concrete, according to the Park District. The repairs come after the Park District did an inspection of the entire trail and its surrounding paved areas to determine which sections were in need of maintenance. “These pedestrian and bicycle paths are heavily utilized year-round, and routine maintenance is essential to ensure that we are responding to patron feedback in a timely manner and that the trails remain in optimal condition,” Irene Tostado, a Park District spokesperson, said in an email to Block Club Chicago. The signage updates planned as part of the current repairs will mainly focus on replacing aging or deteriorating signs and repainting pavement markings that have worn down from years of use, Tostado said. The trail will remain open during construction, with crews temporarily closing off small sections at a time to complete repairs, Tostado said. Most closures will last a day or two, and people will be directed around construction areas to use adjacent paths. Repairs are expected to continue over the next several months, but depending on the weather could continue into the spring. The Park District is encouraging people who use the trail to continue to report damages and other areas they believe need more attention. Alex Perez, an advocacy manager with the Active Transportation Alliance, said his organization regularly hears from cyclists and other regular trail users seeking clearer signage distinguishing walking and biking paths as well as faded pavement markings in busy areas, especially near Oak Street, North Avenue and Belmont Avenue, where pedestrians and cyclists frequently cross paths. The faded markings can also cause confusion for tourists, Perez said. “The markings are very much needed, especially if you’re going on the weekend where it’s busy, or those holiday weekends where you just have too many people crowding,” Perez said. The Chicago Park District is repainting the Lakefront Trail from 63rd Street to Foster Beach. Oct. 27, 2026 Credit: Dave Newbart/Block Club Although current figures aren’t available, a 2010 survey by the Park District found that more than 70,000 people accessed the trail on a typical summer weekend day and more than 60,000 did so on weekdays. He noted the current project helps refresh trail markings that were completed in 2018, when the trail was separated into separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists thanks to a $12 million donation. “We’re grateful that the Park District has been able to restrike the trail after about eight years since the strikes were originally separated for bikers and cyclists, so we’re happy that there are new stripings being done now to the trail,” he said. He added that additional improvements could include designated slow zones in congested areas, where cyclists would be encouraged to slow down or walk their bikes to reduce the risk of collisions. Following the Park District’s announcement of the project, several trail users shared other improvements they’d like to see on social media. While they welcomed clearer signage and other improvements delineated the different paths, they also requested that lakefront bathrooms remain open year-round. Tostado said the Park District typically relies on seasonal employees to maintain lakefront restrooms during the warmer months. Keeping the bathrooms open year-round would require additional staffing and other considerations, she said. To submit feedback visit the Park District’s website or call (312) 742-PLAY (7529). The Chicago Park District is repainting the Lakefront Trail from 63rd Street to Foster Beach. Oct. 27, 2026 Credit: Dave Newbart/Block Club ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

LOGAN SQUARE — If you happen to stop by the 2400 and 2500 blocks of Bernard Street in Logan Square this month, you may see Nelson Gonzalez moving things around in his front yard “like moving furniture in your house” — except he’s not moving tables and chairs. Instead, Gonzalez is maneuvering a 10-foot spider made from pool noodles and foam, cornstalks he bought in the suburbs and Portuguese mausoleums and cemetery vaults made from pink insulation foam carved to look like stone. And it’s not just his yard, but two others as well. A resident of Bernard Street for 33 years, Gonzalez has been putting on elaborate Halloween displays since 2003 — first on his own, then with neighbor Beth LeFauve, his partner in making the decorations since 2015. About three years ago, their display stretched into neighbor Danny Higgins’ yard as well. An electrical engineer, Gonzalez makes the figures move. LeFauve, an artist, “decorates to make them look real cool,” Gonzalez said. This year’s display, with 16 moving parts and counting, is their biggest yet. Everything across the three yards is homemade or customized, from a lady that levitates above a coffin box to a jumping pumpkin-headed scarecrow and a cornhead monster popping out of a well, to a hooded skeleton mixing in a cauldron. Portuguese cemetery display done by Nelson Gonzalez and Beth LeFauve on Oct. 26, 2026. Credit: Kathy Wang/Block Club Chicago You will hear sinister roars and eerie laughs and see creepy little pumpkins that light up to music. Gonzalez plans to add thunder with a light that flashes. “Little by little, we’ll be putting more animation,” he said of the Portuguese cemetery part of the display. “Right now, it’s kind of dead.” The installation started Oct. 1 and doesn’t conclude until Halloween day. Props are made throughout the year and stored in the garage and basement for the next one. Gonzalez is part of a Halloween enthusiast group called Chicago Haunt Builders, which has over 4,000 members on Facebook. They meet for building sessions and haunted garage sales, where they buy props from each other, he said. Hundreds of them built displays that are included in a map for Chicagoans to explore. Bernard Street has been a hotspot for trick-or-treating going back to the late 1980s, a longtime resident told Block Club reporter Mina Bloom in 2019. Last year, Gonzalez handed out about 2,100 pieces of candy. Liz Tate, a resident on Bernard Street for about 35 years, said she gave out around 2,000 pieces. Kids pack Logan Square’s Bernard Street every Halloween. Credit: Provided Tate and another neighbor spearheaded the effort to close the 2400 and 2500 blocks of Bernard Street to cars for trick-or-treating last year during Operation Midway Blitz. “The neighbors loved it. The families loved it,” Tate said. “It just keeps trick-or-treating a little safer.” This year, she worked to organize the street closure again from 4-10 p.m. Saturday. The 2400 block will be closed from the alley near Fullerton to Altgeld, and the 2500 block will be closed from Altgeld to Wrightwood. Altgeld will remain open to traffic. For the first time, live music will be part of the Halloween festivities. Neighbor Matt Stark has arranged for The Scrappy Rat Picnic and Variety Orchestra to play Saturday night. “The Scrappy Rat band is a ragtag group of misfits and scoundrels that get together for mayhem and whatnot, if you will,” said Joey Spilberg, a member of the band. Scrappy Rat has been playing in Chicago for about a year and a half now, including for the Secret River shows held atop a concrete pillar under the Belmont Avenue bridge. The band’s potential costume plans for Saturday include dressing up as household furniture or the Scooby-Doo crew. The band is considering original songs and pieces by Celine Dion, Louis Armstrong, the Flaming Lips and Ween to perform for trick-or-treaters and families. The Scrappy Rat Picnic and Variety Orchestra playing during a performance. Credit: Elizabeth Pratt/Provided “The organizers of the event have given us full rein to infiltrate all aspects of the trick-or-treating experience, like playing on porches, marching around, sitting down, standing up, running, meandering,” Spilberg said. The spooky vibes may seem to be at its peak this year, but for 2027, Gonzalez and LeFauve may expand their display into four yards by recruiting another neighbor, Bill Kreischer. “We’re running out of space for stuff,” Gonzalez said. Spider and other Halloween display done by Nelson Gonzalez and Beth LeFauve on Oct. 26, 2026. Credit: Kathy Wang/Block Club Chicago ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

HYDE PARK — When architect Taylor Staten visits Hyde Park around the time schools dismiss for the day, it can get “crazy,” she said. Young people are energetic after a day of classes, and since “business owners aren’t always happy” to have teens come in — some even banning unaccompanied minors during after-school hours — they have few options for socializing and gathering, Staten said. A lack of welcoming “third spaces” for South Side teens has driven Staten to create the Parke — a café, lounge and art gallery — in Hyde Park, she said. The membership-based lounge for students aged 13-18 is planned to open next year, and will offer a space for young people to spend unstructured social time six days a week. “The overall idea is that teens need a place to come that’s not over-programmed — to hang out, to be together [and] not in the street,” said Staten, owner of design firm TnS Studio. “It’s a place for fun first, where they can be safe, seen and welcomed.” Staten has identified a 3,400-square-foot storefront in Hyde Park for the lounge, though she declined to share its location and has not yet signed a lease, she said. She plans to secure the space and begin renovations by early 2027, with an eye on opening for the 2027-28 school year. The café’s food menu will be handled by 7323 Chicago Café, a shipping container café in a park in Staten’s home neighborhood of Woodlawn, and Brie’s Cuisine, run by a friend of Staten from their days as Morgan Park High School students. The Parke will help support 7323 Chicago Café owner Marquinn Gibson through the winter while giving Brie’s Cuisine its first physical location, Staten said. Urban Growers Collective, a Black- and woman-led nonprofit farm in South Chicago, will supply produce, she said. The art gallery will feature commissioned works from local creatives, with a quarterly call for new submissions. The lounge will also host mental wellness sessions through a partnership with Mental Health Meets Hip-Hop, Staten said. The Parke plans to host a weekly “wind-down” party at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Bronzeville, where high school students with Chicago Public Schools IDs can pay $5 to dance to DJs and shop from local vendors. Despite offering some structure through the mental wellness groups and parties, the Parke will primarily be a place for teens to feel comfortable spending their social time however they please, Staten said. “Everyone wants teens to keep learning, but we can workshop them to death, is what I feel,” she said. “I’m not opposed to workshops, but I do feel there’s a point where you’re over-programming the kids, and [they] get burnt out and frustrated. In the same way adults get burnt out and want to go have fun, that’s what the Parke is.” Chicagoans’ reactions to gatherings of young people — whether or not they become chaotic or violent, as some “teen takeovers” have this year — have underscored a bias against the city’s youth, and its Black teens in particular, Staten said. The Parke will offer teens a space to gather that’s “designed specifically for them” — and will aim to disprove neighbors’ fears about their young neighbors in the process, she said. “Why is a large group of teens scary? I don’t think it should be, especially … if they’re in school and doing the things they need to do,” Staten said. “I think [some residents] just don’t like seeing Black kids together having fun, because it can get rowdy. But at some point we were all teens, and we were all rowdy. “That doesn’t mean they’re destructive. That just means they’re kids.” A community meeting on the planned lounge is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Sidney Agency, 1332 E. 67th St. in Woodlawn. To RSVP, click here. Students and parents from Bret Harte and Murray elementary schools and Kenwood Academy and Hyde Park Academy high schools — the lounge’s target demographic — will be given priority for in-person attendance, Staten said. The venue holds 50 people, and at least 300 had registered as of Tuesday, she said. Those chosen to attend in person will be notified by email, while the meeting will be livestreamed on the Parke’s Instagram page. “I didn’t expect to get so many RSVPs for the community meeting,” Staten said. “So many people reached out to donate services, to donate products — I’m really grateful for everyone that’s on board that sees the vision.” ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

Votes from Israel's parliamentary election were still being counted on Wednesday morning, after exit polls suggested a tight race.

NORTH PARK — Ald. Samantha Nugent will run unopposed in her quest for a third term as 39th Ward alderperson. Nugent was the only candidate who filed to run for leader of the 39th Ward in next year’s election, according to petitions submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections by Monday’s deadline to make the ballot. Board of Elections records list Nugent as having filed two separate petitions to run for 39th Ward alderperson, though it is not clear if that is a clerical error. A spokesperson for the board did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This will be Nugent’s first time running unopposed. In 2019, Nugent and three other candidates ran to replace retiring Ald. Margaret Laurino, who had served in the role since 1994. Nugent and architect Robert Murphy advanced to a runoff, which Nugent won. In her first reelection bid, Nugent defeated challenger and data researcher Denali Dasgupta, winning 62 percent of the vote in the 2023 race. Before joining City Council, Nugent worked as a City Hall fellow during former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration and for former Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s 2006 reelection campaign. During Nugent’s first term, she introduced participatory budgeting to the 39th Ward. It has led to projects like the nature space for children at Gompers Park. In her current term, Nugent has advocated for more resources for the homeless while also seeking to have city officials close a tent encampment at Eugene Field Park. She has also advocated for more city attention to the issue of domestic violence, telling Block Club “there’s a ton more work to do” on the issue. In response to violent crime, Nugent has successfully advocated for more police in her ward as well as more cameras and license plate readers. The 39th Ward includes portions of North Park, Forest Glen, Old Edgebrook, Albany Park and Irving Park. Chicago’s municipal elections, where residents will vote for mayor, alderperson and other public offices, will be held Feb. 23. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

Markets expect the central bank to hold rates steady for now.

Chopper 7 was over police activity in Dixmoor on Wednesday morning.

The rare skeleton of a Nanotyrannus sold for $47.3 million to a mystery buyer at auction in New York City.

A car crashed into a tree in Palatine on Wednesday morning. Police said Dundee Road was partially closed.

The Roseland Community Hospital's maternity ward is set to close this weekend. On Wednesday, a rally will be held to try to keep the unit open.

At least 30 people were killed after two trains collided on Spain's Madrid-Andalucía high-speed line, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha region said.

The commute for thousands of Chicagoans will continue to be longer as workers need more time to work on the Lake Street Bridge.

A U.S. cruise ship on a world voyage has suspended its operations due to fuel costs, forcing hundreds of passengers to abandon their homes.

Consumers are being urged to check their refrigerators after more than 1,300 cases of Miyoko's vegan butter were recalled over potential contamination with yeast, mold and E. coli.

The tensions between Washington and Havana have spilled over into public forums at the United Nations.

The Tampa Bay Rays staved off World Series elimination with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers that forced Game 5.

Chicago police are investigating a shooting in the Loop on Wednesday morning.

It was Halloween week on "Dancing with the Stars." That meant costumes and choreography that pushed the creative limit.

Bob Iger, one of Disney's longest-serving chief executives, was recognized for his decades-long influence on TV, film, sports, news and philanthropy.

The St. Ignatius College Prep community is remembering former student-athlete Hazel Krauss as her former volleyball team continues its state playoff run following her death.

A man was fatally shot in the head on the city's Far South Side on Tuesday evening, Chicago police said.

The Chicago Bears brought a game-day atmosphere to McHenry County on Tuesday, drawing a sold-out crowd to the McHenry Outdoor Theater for what organizers said was the first Bears takeover in the drive-in's 75-year history.

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry shared some fall experiments.

EAST SIDE — Ald. Peter Chico is running unopposed for 10th Ward alderperson, setting him up for a second term representing the Southeast Side in City Council. Chico was the only candidate who filed to run for the 10th Ward seat in next year’s municipal election, according to petitions submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections by Monday’s deadline to make the ballot. Chico, a former Chicago police officer and child welfare case worker, succeeded Susan Sadlowski-Garza in 2023 after Sadlowski-Garza declined to run for reelection. Chico and labor organizer Ana Guajardo advanced to a runoff out of a pool five candidates, with Chico winning the runoff. The ward includes East Side and Hegewisch and parts of South Chicago, South Deering and Riverdale. Early in Chico’s first term, the former U.S. Steel South Works site in his ward was announced as the site of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, the namesake project of the Quantum Shore Chicago megadevelopment. Chico has supported the project, saying it can “uplift the Southeast Side” and bring economic development to the ward after the South Works site remained vacant for decades. Chico demanded more enforcement and monitoring at Pullman Innovations, a South Deering industrial plant notorious for its “noxious” smells, before the city and state sued the facility over alleged environmental violations. Environmental activists, however, blasted Chico’s failed ordinance in 2024 that would have allowed mining in certain industrial districts. Chico successfully replaced the manager of Special Service Area No. 5, the taxing district along South Chicago’s main commercial corridor, overriding opposition from neighbors and the district’s commissioners. A resident of Hegewisch, Chico is the cousin of Gery Chico, a former Chicago Board of Education president and two-time mayoral candidate. He’s also the grandson of late U.S. Steel South Works union leader John Chico. Chicago’s municipal elections, where residents will vote for mayor, alderperson and other public offices, will be held Feb. 23. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

Stores are turning to AI to fight theft.

Chicago has plenty of Halloween parties each year, including a Halloweenie party.

NORTH CENTER — For the second election cycle in a row, Ald. Matt Martin will be running unopposed to represent the 47th Ward. Martin succeeded Ameya Pawar in 2019 after the two-term alderman chose not to run again. Martin beat out nine other candidates in 2019, first advancing to a runoff election with former Rahm Emanuel policy chief Michael Negron before decisively winning the head-to-head race. Martin did not have any challengers in his first reelection bid in 2023. He will also not have any challengers during next year’s election as he was the only candidate to file, according to petitions submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections by Monday’s deadline to make the ballot. Martin previously worked as a civil rights attorney for the Illinois Attorney General’s office and co-founded the Heart of Lincoln Square Neighbors Association. The 47th Ward includes parts of North Center, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Lakeview, Andersonville and Uptown. Ald. Matthew J. Martin (47th) talks to the press after a City Council meeting on Dec. 2, 2024. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago Martin chairs the City Council’s Ethics and Government Oversight Committee and has focused on increasing the city’s affordable housing options while in office. He supported a $43 million affordable housing development near the heart of Lincoln Square that opened in 2025 and helped pass legislation to legalize accessory dwelling units. Martin has also been an advocate for pedestrian safety and public transit, securing $20 million to renovate the Western Brown Line Station and adding bike lanes and improved crosswalks throughout the ward. Chicago’s municipal elections, where residents will vote for mayor, alderperson and other public offices, will be held Feb. 23. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

Chicago businessman and Democratic donor Michael Sacks is set to receive a Catholic honor from Cardinal Blase Cupich this week, a recognition that has drawn opposition from Illinois Right to Life and sparked debate over the purpose of the award.

KENWOOD — Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) will not face a challenger as he seeks his second term representing parts of the South Loop, Bronzeville, Kenwood and Hyde Park on the City Council. The first-term incumbent was the only candidate who filed to run for leader of the 4th Ward in next year’s municipal elections, according to petitions submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections by Monday’s deadline to make the ballot. Robinson has served on the City Council since 2023, when he succeeded former Ald. Sophia King after she gave up her seat to run for mayor in an unsuccessful bid that election cycle. Robinson defeated six candidates in the 2023 race, with he and King’s then-chief of staff, Prentice Butler, advancing to a run-off race. In the runoff, Robinson earned 66.5 percent of the vote to Butler’s 33.4 percent. During his first term, Robinson introduced an ordinance, alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson and several other alderpeople, that would pause new data center construction for a year. He enhanced policing at 31st Street Beach in response to multiple violent disturbances in recent years and proposed creating a task force to combat poverty in the city. Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) stands with Saru Jayaraman as she speaks on the One Fair Wage movement during a City Council meeting on July 19, 2023. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago Robinson is a native of Chatham. He attended Clark Atlanta University and is a business owner, operating two Allstate Insurance agencies on the South Side. Robinson’s 2023 campaign focused on public safety, education and economic development, emphasizing a multiagency approach to all three issues. He was endorsed by Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in his 2023 race. Preckwinkle previously represented the 4th Ward on the Council from 1991 to 2010. Before serving on the Council, Robinson represented Illinois’ 5th district in the state House of Representatives for two terms. His former House district overlaps with much of the 4th Ward, including parts of the Near South Side and Bronzeville. Robinson made history as the first openly Black LGBTQ+ member of the Illinois House. As a state legislator, he focused on jobs, housing and other resources for the LGBTQ community, securing $15 million in state funding for a community center on the South Side. Chicago’s municipal elections, where residents will vote for mayor, alderperson and other public offices, will be held Feb. 23. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st) will run unopposed in the 2027 aldermanic race as he seeks to represent the Far South Side ward for a second term. The one-term incumbent was the lone candidate who filed to run for leader of the 21st Ward in next year’s election, according to petitions submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections by Monday’s deadline to make the ballot. Mosley was the youngest member to join City Council in 2023, when he was first elected in the 21st Ward. He succeeded former Ald. Howard Brookins Jr., one of the longest sitting City Council members who retired in 2023 after nearly 20 years in the role. Mosley won Brookins’ seat following the approval of the controversial new ward map, which merged the 21st Ward with the 34th Ward on the Far South Side. He beat Cornell Dantzler after the two advanced to a runoff out of a seven-person race. The 21st Ward is now one of the largest in the city and includes parts of Auburn Gresham, Washington Heights, Brainerd, Chatham, Longwood Manor, Morgan Park and West Pullman. Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st) talks with Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) during a City Council meeting on Dec. 2, 2024. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago Mosley grew up in Auburn Gresham, as part of a tight-knit crew of family and neighbors, he previously told Block Club. He attended Simeon High School, where he played on the football team. While on a college tour, he befriended Blair Holt, a Julian High School student, who was later shot and killed while riding a CTA bus in 2007. Holt’s untimely death “changed everything” for Mosley, inspiring him to drop football and take entrepreneurship classes and organize protests around gun reform, he previously said. As a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, he continued his efforts, helping the local Service Employees International Union unionize the cafeteria workers. During the April 2023 runoff election, Dantzler, a lifelong Morgan Park resident and retired fireman, accused Mosley of falsifying his academic records, claiming Mosley lied about graduating from Morehouse. Following his win, Mosley told Block Club that while he hasn’t earned a degree from Morehouse, he does consider himself to be a “Morehouse alum” after taking classes at the college for over a decade as a part-time student. He planned to earn the degree one day because “the goal was never to have just a college degree but a Morehouse degree,” he previously said. Before landing his role on the City Council, Mosley worked for Ald. Michelle Harris’ (8th) office and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2015 reelection campaign. In 2017, he launched Homegrown Strategy Group, a consulting firm that helped communities, institutions and public figures like Gov. JB Pritzker enact policy changes. Ald. Walter Redmond Burnett (27th), Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st) and Ald. Bill Conway (34th) talk after a City Council meeting on Dec. 18, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago In the months leading up to and following Mosley’s election, his ward dealt with the closure of several prominent businesses. Walmart officials abruptly closed four full-service locations in 2023, including the Chatham Supercenter and nearby Walmart Academy. A West Roseland Walgreens pharmacy was one of 150 locations nationwide to close in November 2023. Cinema Chatham, one of the South Side’s few movie theaters, permanently closed in January 2024. Mosley joined dozens of neighbors outside of Morgan Park’s former Esporta Fitness to protest owners’ sudden decision to close one of the few remaining fitness centers on the South Side. During his first term, Mosley also supported the revitalization of several shuttered spaces and welcomed new businesses to the 21st Ward. The Chicago Urban League opened the Empowerment Center at Chatham’s former Walmart Training Academy in November 2025. The former Esporta Fitness is now home to the South Side’s first UFC Gym. Other businesses and projects coming to the 21st Ward include a Raising Cane’s restaurant, the Morgan Park Commons housing and retail development and the $15 million Jackie Robinson Field House. Mosley joined local leaders this month to break ground on a new non-congregate shelter for young people that will soon replace Brainerd’s former Budget Motel. Chicago’s municipal elections, where residents will vote for mayor, alderperson and other public offices, will be held Feb. 23. ______________________________________________________________________ ## **Support Local News!** **Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can **support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.** **Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:** Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon Need A Halloween Costume? A Chicago Thrifting Expert Shares Her Secrets Episode play icon The Cubs Win The Latest Round In Their 20-Year Battle With The Rooftops Episode play icon A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Neighbors Nuts Load More Search Results placeholder Previous Episode Show Episodes List Next Episode

ABC unwraps its holiday programming schedule, including 'Dancing with the Holidays,' 'CMA Country Christmas' and special episodes of 'Abbott Elementary,' 'Scrubs' and 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.'

Nurses at Loyola University Medical Center brought Halloween magic to their tiniest patients, transforming neonatal intensive care unit incubators into a farm-themed celebration with handmade and purchased costumes for the babies.

Jurors in the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial described deliberations as intense but respectful.