Several Chicago area museums will offer extended hours the evening of Friday, June 11, as the city enters Phase 5, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and museum leaders announced Wednesday.
Randolph Street Market's first day back after the pandemic was a slam dunk. Held for the first time in Three Oaks, Michigan, on Memorial Day Weekend (29/30), RSM founder Sally Schwartz and 40 dealers from across the country welcomed guests back after a long, hard year.
Chicago Star Media kicked off its second annual Streeterville Week event on May 21 with a lively party that brought together dozens of prominent Chicagoans in support of downtown businesses.
The Big Shoulders Fund hosted its first virtual Humanitarian Award Dinner which was a record-breaker, drawing the largest crowd (over 800) and raising the most funds, nearly $11.2 million. It was BSF's most successful Humanitarian Dinner to date and one of the most successful virtual fundrai…
The Schulman family had a lot to celebrate on Tuesday, May 18, when top political leaders, top ranking members of the Chicago Fire Department, local notables, friends and family came together to honor the memory of the late, great Eli Schulman in a reopening ceremony of the park created in h…
The city of Chicago is no longer requiring vaccinated people to wear masks in most settings, in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines, city health officials announced May 18.
Navy Pier will move into the next phase of its reopening plans on Thursday, May 20, restoring public access to indoor spaces and continuing the gradual reopening of select businesses—with the goal of being fully open by Memorial Day Weekend. The Pier will also launch its annual slate of free…
Chicago’s kids have been through a lot this past year with remote learning, pandemic stress and not many opportunities for an outlet to express how they feel. All this will change now thanks to a coalition of leading Chicago organizations who have teamed up to debut Once Upon Our Time Capsu…
The Navy Pier Flyover is now officially open! Alderman Brian Hopkins, Alderman Brendan Reilly, CDOT Commissioner Biagi, IDOT Secretary Osman and other transportation leaders joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot for the ribbon cutting of the Navy Pier Flyover on May 10. The Navy Pier Flyover is an ele…
So many farmers' markets are returning after a long dark year. They bring glimmers of hope about a return to normalcy so it was with great excitement that I re-visited one of the first openings around town on May 8, the Green City Farmer's Market in Lincoln Park.
Mayor Lightfoot and DCASE (Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events) announced May 5, "Open Culture," the next phase of Open Chicago, the Mayor' s latest initiative to safely and fully reopen the city with a veritable feast of new and returning events.
The Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana's $300 million casino and entertainment destination opens Friday, May 14, at 5 pm. (5400 W. 29th Ave. Gary, Indiana) The 200,000-square-foot complex includes a massive gaming space, five food venues and an onsite sports-book, a retail shop and a 1,954-se…
The Windy City Smokeout will kick off Chicago's summer festival season in July. The four-day event is scheduled to take place from July 8 through 11 in the parking lot by the United Center, featuring headlining sets from country artists Brett Eldredge, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker and Dierks Bentley.
Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced this morning the return of the Chicago Auto Show to McCormick Place on July 15-19.
Chicago is loosening many of its COVID-19 restrictions under the new Open Chicago initiative announced Thursday by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which aims to increase capacity at indoor events and expand festivals and other outdoor entertainment.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
Today we celebrate a legend in the world of jazz dance, the late Gus Giordano. On April 25, 1985, then Governor James R. Thompson declared this day to be Gus Giordano Day. As founder of the Giordano Dance Chicago company, he changed the cultural landscape of American jazz dance.
In honor of Earth Day this week, YPS members and fellow neighborhood volunteers from the Chicago Park District and Jane Addams Memorial Park Advisory Council will hold a Streeterville cleanup event in Jane Addams Memorial Park this Saturday.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Chicago Park District and other city departments announced Tuesday the launch of "Arts 77," a plan dedicated to arts recovery for the city's 77 community areas.
Navy Pier announced Tuesday that a phased reopening of the popular lakefront destination, which has been shut down since Labor Day, is set to begin Friday, April 30, with public access returning to some outdoor attractions and spaces and partial operations resuming with a focus on health and…
Prancer is a 2 year-old Chihuahua whose foster parent is desperately trying to find a home for, any home other than hers.
The Chicago Police Department has developed a spring and summer strategy for the 2nd Ward that involves conducting drills to deploy officers and resources in the area's residential and commercial corridors in preparation for an anticipated season of marches, assemblies and protest demonstrat…
Beginning Monday, April 19, the city of Chicago will officially enter into Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine, which means all residents ages 16 and older will be eligible to sign up to receive the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and noteworthy, within city limits.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday announced the city's "Blueprint for Fair Housing" plan, which aims to address housing segregation, a history of inequitable investment and disparities in opportunity access in Chicago by removing barriers to fair housing.
The 2021 Ring Lardner Awards this year will be a virtual program and will take place from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, April 29, via Zoom at no charge.
Three Magellanic penguins from Shedd Aquarium visited Shaw's Crab House in Chicago to support Chicago Restaurant Week and raise awareness regarding plastic pollution, a contributing issue that impacts aquatic animals across the globe.
Two additional mass COVID-19 vaccine sites in Chicago are slated to open today, April 5 at Chicago State University and the American Airlines Conference Center, located at Gallagher Way, city officials announced Thursday.
Joffrey Ballet President and CEO Greg Cameron has been elected to serve a two-year term as Chair of the State Street Commission.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other State officials on Thursday released a new framework allowing Illinois to move to Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois Plan, further announcing Illinois residents 16 and older will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 12.
After over a year of Chicago Public School (CPS) students learning virtually and apart from one another, CPS and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) will set aside their differences and work together to reunite high school students back into the classroom.
Though there is no official confirmation yet on whether music shows will return to Chicago this summer, Wrigley Field has rescheduled the postponed shows from summer 2020, amid the pandemic, to take place this upcoming summer, according to a news release by the Chicago Tribune.
The Illinois State Education Board has published updated COVID-19 safety guidelines for schools in which capacity limits for in-person learning will now be determined by the ability of the space to accommodate social distances, not the set capacity limit number or percentage.
Chicago has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination appointments at the mass vaccination site at the United Center, with residents of four new ZIP codes on the city's South and West Sides now able to receive the vaccine.
Randolph Street Market fans can rejoice this summer as the popular marketplace returns to a new location in Three Oaks, Michigan, on Memorial Day weekend.
Cook County Treasurer and Chicago Star Media advisory board member Maria Pappas spoke out against Target's potential arrival on the Magnificent Mile, which would potentially replace the Macy’s store at the Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago Star Media is thrilled to announce that Emmy Award-winning TV and radio executive Fred Weintraub has joined the Chicago-based news organization as a contributor and will offer regular commentary about the latest topics in news.Weintraub, an executive producer at Weigel Broadcasting C…
Chicago is expected to move into Phase 1C of the city's vaccination distribution program, would include essential workers and people ages 16-64 with underlying medical conditions, at the end of March, according to the head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, Dr. Allison Arwady, from …
Three different programs have been developed to increase capital access, boost payment speed, and increase transparency around the diverse vendors Chicago does business with.
Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley Field will reopen to fans starting in April in accordance with the City's "Open Chicago" initiatives, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced this morning.
Families of Chicago Public Schools students still learning remotely will be able to opt in to in-person classes later this year, and the school district is seeking input from students and parents to help guide the reopening plan.
The highly anticipated saliva-based COVID-19 test, developed by the University of Illinois, has officially been approved for the use of federal emergency-state-wide distribution.
Registration opened Thursday, March 4, for COVID-19 vaccine appointments at a new mass vaccination center located in the parking lots outside the United Center, with more than 27,000 residents signing up to receive the vaccine by mid-afternoon, according to city health officials.
Downtown Chicago is home to some of the residential and commercial properties in Cook County with the most significant property tax increases over the past two decades, according to a new report released by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
Now that Chicago’s test positivity rate has dropped to 2.9 percent, moving into the “lower risk” category, Mayor Lightfoot announced today that bars and restaurants are now permitted to operate at a 50 percent capacity as well as remain open until 1 a.m.
Former Chicago Tribune dining critic Phil Vettel was among the awardees recognized at the Illinois Restaurant Association's 2021 annual meeting, earning a lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the city's culinary community.
The Chicago Star shines a light on positive local news to inspire the community to love where they live, work and play. Through upbeat news coverage, we light the fire of hope in the hearts of Chicagoans, attracting and retaining talent in our world-class city through the power of media.
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! celebrated its 35th anniversary by opening a “little sister” location, Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba! on 441 N. Clark in River North in what was formerly Bar Ramone.
At the 2020 annual Streeterville Organization of Active Residents meeting, held virtually Feb. 18 via a YouTube livestream, SOAR leaders and Chicago aldermen representing Streeterville identified public safety and revitalization of the neighborhood as important initiatives to focus on this year.
Thanks to COVID-19 cases dropping below the 400 mark, city officials Tuesday announced that bars, restaurants and entertainment venues can now open their doors with a capacity of 40 percent.
A snowstorm that began Monday, Feb. 15, and extended into the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 16, left more than a foot of snow throughout much of Chicago, with some locations, such as Midway International Airport, reporting as much as 18 inches of snow.
Chicago foodies have something to look forward to in 2021 as Chicago Restaurant Week is officially back on. The annual event this year will run from Friday, March 19, to Sunday, April 4.
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