Kate Thayer

Custodian Junior Rodriguez wipes a restroom door handle with a disinfectant spray at Frost Junior High School in Schaumburg.

How Chicago-area schools are — or aren’t — dealing with the coronavirus

March 4, 2020 at 2:54 p.m.

As the coronavirus spreads in the Chicago area, some schools are proactively scrubbing down desks, doorknobs and other high-touch surfaces where experts say the virus can live for days. While...

Vivian Zhao, 18, a senior at Naperville Central High School, prepares a Womanikin attachment on Feb. 27, 2020. The Womanikin is a vest that goes over CPR training mannequins so they can look more like women.

Women are less likely to receive CPR in public than men — because they have breasts. Using ‘Womanikins’ in training can save lives, experts say.

February 27, 2020 at 9:52 p.m.

If a woman drops to the ground in public experiencing a cardiac arrest, studies show, bystanders are less likely to come to her aid and perform CPR. Why? Breasts. That...

Recently proposed legislation would require a series of HPV vaccinations for Illinois students and eliminate religious exemptions.

Religious exemption for vaccines would be dropped for kids in Illinois schools under proposed law. 2nd bill would require HPV shots.

February 20, 2020 at 1:09 p.m.

Under newly introduced state legislation, parents in Illinois would no longer be able to claim religion as a reason to refuse vaccinations for their children — a move backed by...

Ken Zurek, 63, is self-quarantined at his home in Highland, Indiana, on Feb. 11, 2020. He and wife, Annie, arrived in China days before news of the coronavirus broke. They cut their trip short and decided to quarantine themselves as a precaution.

Northwest Indiana couple quarantine themselves over fears of coronavirus after trip to China. ‘What I just experienced? I never want to experience it here’

February 14, 2020 at 4:25 p.m.

In China, Ken Zurek of Northwest Indiana saw the disruption of the novel coronavirus — bustling cities turned to ghost towns, businesses shuttered, citizens confined to their homes, a world...

The building at 3830 W. 95th St. in Evergreen Park where Dr. Van Koinis had a practice.

Cook County officials probing whether pediatrician who killed himself had been falsifying vaccination documents for patients

February 12, 2020 at 12:57 p.m.

Cook County sheriff's police are investigating whether an Evergreen Park pediatrician who committed suicide last year had been falsifying documents for parents who did not want to vaccinate their children,...

Soccer player Kealia Ohai referred to as ‘J.J. Watt’s fiancee,’ showing ‘how far we still have not come’ in gender equality

January 8, 2020 at 7:01 p.m.

When it was announced that soccer player Kealia Ohai was traded to the Chicago Red Stars from the Houston Dash, sports journalists tweeted the news. One forgot to use her...

Kate Thayer

All Stories

How Chicago-area schools are — or aren’t — dealing with the coronavirus

Women are less likely to receive CPR in public than men — because they have breasts. Using ‘Womanikins’ in training can save lives, experts say.

Religious exemption for vaccines would be dropped for kids in Illinois schools under proposed law. 2nd bill would require HPV shots.

Northwest Indiana couple quarantine themselves over fears of coronavirus after trip to China. ‘What I just experienced? I never want to experience it here’

Cook County officials probing whether pediatrician who killed himself had been falsifying vaccination documents for patients

Faster coronavirus test kits are on their way to a Chicago lab from the CDC

Don’t panic: Anxiety and myths swirl around coronavirus despite low risk in Chicago and US

Containing coronavirus: Public health officials learned from previous outbreaks how to stop spread

Alcohol-related deaths are climbing. And getting sober comes with unique challenges for women.

Soccer player Kealia Ohai referred to as ‘J.J. Watt’s fiancee,’ showing ‘how far we still have not come’ in gender equality