Cindy Dampier

Adam Hergenreder, 18, sleeps in his room in the intensive care unit on Sept. 4, 2019, at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Hergenreder was admitted to the hospital with "vaping-induced acute lung injury" according to Dr. Stephen Amesbury, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at the hospital.

A Gurnee teen hospitalized for a vaping-related illness is suing e-cigarette company Juul

September 13, 2019 at 10:15 p.m.

Last week, as Adam Hergenreder huddled under a blanket in his hospital bed, recovering from a lung illness brought on by vaping, he offered a warning for his peers: Vaping...

Firefighters look for survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center after it was struck by a commercial airliner in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

Deaths of 9/11 first responders from ground zero-related illnesses are on the rise — and some diseases are just beginning to take their toll

September 11, 2019 at 6:12 p.m.

Like most first responders, former New York City detective Tom Frey is a master of understatement — even when it comes to talking about the World Trade Center terror attacks...

Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell and Jay-Z attend a press conference at ROC Nation. The two have collaborated on the NFL's community involvement initiative.

NFL’s donation to Englewood charity sparks an online storm — and reveals a case of ‘do-gooder syndrome’

September 9, 2019 at 1:20 p.m.

When University of Illinois at Chicago professor Dave Stovall heard about the NFL making a donation to a Chicago nonprofit that helps young boys in Englewood, he had his reservations....

How to pick the smartest housewarming gift ever

September 3, 2019 at 5:19 p.m.

The fall moving season is in full swing, and that means you probably have at least one friend who's got a new place to show off. But what should you...

An invasive jumping worm is unearthed in Millennium Park on Aug. 13, 2019, in Chicago.

Jumping worms are the latest invasive species to hit Illinois. In Chicago, they’re basically everywhere.

August 15, 2019 at 6:51 p.m.

Invasive species have gotten a fair amount of attention over the past few decades. In Illinois, we've been conducting all-out warfare against invaders like the emerald ash borer and the...

The basic design of the wooden pencil hasn't changed in hundreds of years.

Not just for bubbling in: Pencils are cool again — here’s how to get the best ones for back-to-school and beyond

August 9, 2019 at 6:50 p.m.

If you had to name one thing that was emblematic of the back-to-school season, what would it be? Overloaded backpacks, crossing guards and 3-ring binders all have their places in...

Fans cheers while Hayley Kiyoko performs during the first day of the 2019 Lollapalooza Music Festival in Grant Park on Aug. 1, 2019, in Chicago.

Chicago Airbnb hosts brace for a record-breaking Lollapalooza weekend: ‘As long as it doesn’t rain, we’ll all be fine.’

August 2, 2019 at 7:12 p.m.

You've seen the Lollapalooza crowds shuffling down to Grant Park, or glimpsed the festival on TV. But here's a question: Would you welcome festival-goers into your home? Thousands of Chicagoans...

State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, at his home near Shelbyville, on July 29, 2019. Halbrook filed a resolution in the state legislature in which he and six co-sponsors asked the U.S. Congress to recognize Chicago as the 51st state. "I hear it a lot from my constituents, that we need to be separate from Chicago," Halbrook says. "I thought yep, this is what we need to do."

Meet the people working to kick Chicago out of Illinois

August 2, 2019 at 12:33 p.m.

It is midday and hot as a firecracker in the historic town of Mount Vernon, Ill. The sun is nearly unbearable on the asphalt parking lot of the Fairfield Inn...

High school counselors, like Schaumburg High School's Eric Melton, help guide students through the college planning process.

How to make your visit with your junior’s college counselor count

July 25, 2019 at 10:02 p.m.

If you're the parent of a high school junior, you've already heard about the puzzling, stress-inducing maze that parents and kids face as the college or post-secondary planning process starts....

Coneflower is a prairie classic — and a medicine that fights the common cold and other ailments.

Cannabis isn’t the only game in town — medicinal plants that cure headaches and fight cancer can be found in Chicago’s oldest medicinal garden

July 26, 2019 at 1:07 p.m.

You've been known to ease your cold symptoms with echinacea drops, or soothe your stomach with ginger. Or maybe you're more interested in medicinal plants now that cannabis is growing...

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