Adriana Pérez

Adriana Pérez is an environment reporter, covering the Great Lakes, climate change, environmental justice, wildlife, science and more. Occasionally, she writes about breaking news and immigration. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she hails from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Send her your story tips and almond croissant recommendations.

People ski at Wilmot Mountain ski resort in Wilmot, Wisconsin, on Jan. 29, 2026. The resort, located just over the Wisconsin border, uses a combination of real and artificial snow. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

From the Olympics in Italy to skiing the Wisconsin slopes, the race is on to adapt to warming winters

February 2, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Unseasonably warm temps in Italy and a reduced snowpack will require 2 million cubic yards of artificial snow to ensure consistent conditions for athletes.

Kristen Boyer and her 3-year-old son, George Boyer, watch as Amelia Gray, a 9-year-old polar bear, swims at Brookfield Zoo on Jan. 8, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Brookfield Zoo leads effort to protect polar bears as Trump opens Arctic refuge to oil drilling

January 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Brookfield Zoo, which has cared for generations of polar bears, hopes to offer guidelines for an area where mothers den at high densities.

Max, 5, and Alina Raizin, 2, get a ride in the snow after sledding on Jan. 25, 2026, at Mary Bartelme Park in Chicago’s West Loop as cold weather continues. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

After snowstorm, bitter cold will grip Chicago again, weather officials warn

January 25, 2026 at 8:32 p.m.

Between midnight and noon on Monday, Cook County will again experience "dangerously cold" wind chills as low as minus 20 degrees.

Boy, 4, and woman killed at Joliet residence, police say

January 25, 2026 at 5:51 p.m.

A person of interest is in custody, authorities say.

Ridvan Alka, left, laughs as he tailgates outside with friends outside of Soldier Field before the Chicago Bears play the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional playoff game on Jan. 18, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears fans pledge their undying support — even Indiana: ‘We’ll follow them there, everywhere’

January 18, 2026 at 7:28 p.m.

Whatever the future holds for the Chicago Bears, fans say they will follow.

Jon Rosborough inspects an abandoned oil well, Dec. 15, 2025, which was drilled in 1916 on land his family farms in Crawford County near Oblong. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160M problem.

January 26, 2026 at 4:31 p.m.

Abandoned oil and gas wells pose environmental and public health risks. For three decades, the state has mismanaged funds earmarked for minimizing the threat.

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

Chicago man charged in Ohio killing of his ex-wife and her husband, a dentist

January 12, 2026 at 4:40 p.m.

Michael D. McKee, 39, was arrested in Rockford, police said.

Abigail, left, and other cows rest and feed on a mixture of ground corn, corn gluten, wheat middlings, cereal grains and other ingredients at Lenkaitis Holsteins Dairy Farm in Campton Hills on Aug. 28, 2025. The Lenakaitis’ 80 Holstein cows are housed in a state-of-the-art barn with technology that ensures productivity and sustainability for both the business and its environmental impact. (Dominic Di Palermo/ Chicago Tribune)

These Illinois dairy and beef farms make raising methane-belching cows part of the climate solution

December 26, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Innovative practices — from diet additives to regenerative grazing — can offer quick wins in the fight against global rising temperatures.

A bison in Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Burlington Township on Dec. 22, 2025. Six American bison have been introduced into the preserve. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Bison return to Kane County after 200 years, a crucial step for conservation and Indigenous connection

December 25, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Citizens can help monitor the prairie and bison, and Native Americans can reconnect to their roots under a community science program.

Sledders head to the top of the hill at Barrie Park on Nov. 30, 2025, in Oak Park after the region recorded over 8 inches of snow. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Dreaming of a gray Christmas? Thursday’s forecast — and what climate change means for the holidays

December 23, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Chicago last had a white Christmas in 2022, but this year temperatures are likely to be in the 40- to 50-degree range.

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