Environment

Whoops! Rare crane rescued in Wilmette, returned to Wisconsin

The crane was captured and relocated by the International Crane Foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

By Kade Heather and Mary Norkol

News

First bison babies of year born at Fermilab: ‘Calving season is the most rewarding time of the year’

Two bison were born Friday at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia. The facility’s 30-acre pasture has long been home to the grazing mammals.

By Kade Heather

A grey wind turbine with three blades stands against a hazy blue sky, near the Testa Produce facility in Chicago.

The Watchdogs

Will climate change suck the air out of Illinois' wind power industry?

Wind and solar are supposed to replace coal plants that are closing, but that didn’t happen in 2023. Another fossil fuel, natural gas, filled the void.

By Brett Chase and Dan Gearino | Inside Climate News

Environment

ComEd unveils 2 more EV charging stations in Bronzeville as part of 2-year pilot project

Since the pilot project launched in 2022, the Bronzeville stations have served almost 300 drivers and provided more than 2,800 charging sessions, according to ComEd officials.

By Sophie Sherry

Environment

Cicadas' mass arrival is just a few weeks away in northern Illinois, experts say

People have spotted nymphs of the 17-year cicadas on the ground. That’s a sign the periodical cicadas are preparing to emerge. They should appear once the soil reaches 64 degrees, which is expected by late May.

By Kade Heather

Lomelok, the 15-month-old lion, plays with a cardboard roll while laying on patchy grass in his outdoor enclosure at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Entertainment and Culture

Lion cub returns to Lincoln Park Zoo exhibit weeks after unprecedented surgery

The spinal surgery is common in dogs and older big cats, but it’s the first documented case in a growing lion cub, according to experts at Lincoln Park Zoo.

By Mary Norkol

Clouds of dust spread across the Little Village neighborhood after a smokestack was imploded April 11.

Environment

Judge OKs $12.25 million class-action settlement over Hilco's Little Village dust storm

Developer Hilco and its contractors agreed to pay the money to neighborhood residents for the 2020 botched smokestack implosion. Mayor Brandon Johnson was urged to release a report on the city’s “negligent” oversight.

By Brett Chase

Environment

Here's how some Chicagoans are taking an eco-friendly approach to funerals

About 60% of people are interested in exploring green funeral options, more than ever before.

By David Struett

Burnham Prairie - Landscape Wetland - Jul19 3.JPG

Editorials

Illinois wetlands deserve protection. Lawmakers should make that happen, while there is still time.

State lawmakers can pass legislation that would restore the safeguards the U.S. Supreme Court removed last year on wetlands, which play a key role in helping to mitigate the impact of climate change and are critical habitats for birds, insects, mammals and amphibians.

By CST Editorial Board

Environment

Hundreds protest in Global Climate Strike, demand that U.S. declare a climate emergency

Led by Fridays For Future, hundreds of environmental activists took to the streets to urge President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency and call for environmental investments, according to youth speakers.

By Sun-Times staff

A woman shields herself from the rain as she crosses North Wabash Avenue near East Washington Street, in The Loop, as rain falls across the Chicagoland area, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

News

Showers, winds move through Chicago Thursday; temperatures to cool down through the rest of the week

Rain started moving through the area and is expected to continue into Friday, according to meteorologist Zachary Wack with the National Weather Service.

By Sun-Times Wire

Green cherry trees with no pink blossoms are seen against a blue sky in Jackson Park.

News

Cherry blossom trees in Chicago skip blooming for second year in a row

The Chicago Park District said April’s cold and wet weather has kept the buds of 190 cherry blossom trees at Jackson Park from fully opening.

By Cindy Hernandez

Environment

Early spring warming could be having an effect on bird migration: “A lot more, a lot earlier”

Bird experts say temperature fluctuations could impact available food supply and the timing of arrivals.

By Jessica Ma

City officials were warned of possible dangers months before the botched implosion of the Crawford smokestack in the 3500 block of South Pulaski Road in 2020.

Environment

Official who oversaw Little Village implosion gets City Council OK to head buildings department

Marlene Hopkins should have been disciplined for her role overseeing the botched Hilco demolition of the former Crawford power plant in 2020, a watchdog report said. On Wednesday, nearly two dozen alderpersons praised the new top buildings official.

By Brett Chase

Chicago

Brookfield Zoo to welcome its first koalas — 'one of the cutest animals on the planet’

Brumby and Willum, two 2-year-old koalas, will make their debut at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, starting Memorial Day weekend. The zoo is one of 11 accredited zoological facilities in North America to host the marsupials for the public.

By Jessica Ma

Columnists

Making a strong commitment to clean energy is good for American business and the environment

On Earth Day 2024, companies have a chance to show genuine support for the transition to an economy based on green energy. Federal tax credits and other incentives for manufacturing are helping to fuel the transition — and create thousands of new jobs.

By Ben Jealous

Obituaries

Chris Crane, former Exelon CEO and nuclear energy proponent, dies at 65

The company said Chris Crane will be remembered for his “transformational milestones” on safety and equity, specifically related to his work in the nuclear energy field.

By Violet Miller

Prisoners' rights advocates demonstrate at a press conference outside 77 W. Jackson Blvd on Monday, April 15, 2024. Advocates delivered a legal petition asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address unsafe drinking water in Illinois prisons. | Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

Environment

Rancid, unsafe water at Illinois prisons threatens health, violates human rights, groups allege

Advocates for the incarcerated filed a petition with the U.S. EPA, asking the environmental agency to step in and fix a crisis they say Gov. Pritzker is not addressing.

By Brett Chase

Transportation

Feds award Illinois $8.6 million grant to alleviate flooding on I-290, near Maywood

It’s one of 80 projects in 37 states, part of a new $830 million program for strengthening transportation systems against extreme weather events intensified by climate change.

By Violet Miller

Environment

Chicago climate lawsuit against Big Oil moved to federal court — for now

BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell argued city’s case belongs in U.S. District Court. A legal expert predicts it will move back to Cook County Circuit Court.

By Brett Chase