Hundreds gathered for a memorial service for Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, a mysterious QR code mural enticed Taylor Swift fans on the Near North Side, and a weekend mass shooting in Back of the Yards left 9-year-old Ariana Molina dead and 10 other people wounded, including her mother and other children.

By Sun-Times staff

Inking Well

Chicago tattoo artist Allie Marie gives pets a permanent spot on their owners' bodies

The artist at Goodkind Tattoo in Lake View incorporates hidden messages and inside jokes to help memorialize people’s furry friends.

By Katie Anthony

Artist Jason Messinger stands with the murals he created hanging in the Ogden stationhouse at the Illinois Medical District stop on the Forest Park branch of the CTA Blue Line.

Murals and Mosaics

For Illinois Medical District CTA station, muralist wanted to relax patients arriving on the L

Chicago artist Jason Messinger created the murals in 2018 during a Blue Line station renovation and says his aim was for “people to look at this for 30 seconds and transport them on a mini-vacation of the mind. Each mural is an abstract idea of a vacation destination.”

By Genevieve Bookwalter

The Watchdogs

'Deceptive' real estate firm tied to Loop's Monroe Capital sued by Kwame Raoul

MV Realty targeted people who had equity in their homes but needed cash — locking them into decades-long contracts carrying hidden fees, the Illinois attorney general says in a newly filed lawsuit. The company has 34,000 agreements with homeowners, including more than 750 in Illinois.

By Stephanie Zimmermann

Suburban Chicago

Two dead after apparent murder-suicide in Lemont motel

The bodies of Richard Crane, 62, and an unidentified woman were found shot at the D-Lux Budget Inn in southwest suburban Lemont.

By Sun-Times Wire