Patrick M. O'Connell

Patrick M. O'Connell is a former Tribune reporter.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood

October 20, 2020 at 8:44 p.m.

Age: 34 Hometown: Naperville Present: Democratic U.S. representative, 14th Congressional District Past: Senior adviser, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, registered nurse. Education: Bachelor of...

Rep. Sean Casten, left, and Jeanne Ives, both shown in 2018, are vying for the Illinois 6th Congressional District seat in Chicago's western and northwest suburbs. (Photos by Terrence Antonio James, left, and Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Two years after flipping suburban district, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten faces challenge from Jeanne Ives

October 9, 2020 at 8:56 p.m.

Two years ago, Democrat Sean Casten was a political newcomer seeking to knock off a veteran Republican lawmaker in a suburban district that was a longtime GOP stronghold. Casten used...

Democratic Rep. Sean Casten and GOP challenger Jeanne Ives spar over climate change, taxes and social issues in 6th Congressional District forum

September 22, 2020 at 2:43 a.m.

The candidates for Illinois' 6th Congressional District clashed over issues of climate change, taxes, health care and social issues Monday night in an online forum hosted by the League of...

Navy Point Point Marine co-owner Peter Leubner walks his docks at Sackets Harbor, New York, on July 31, 2020. In 2017, he said he was forced to shut down the power to the marina as waves crashed in and they lost 35 boat slips.

Big problems for smallest Great Lake: More precipitation, warmer temperatures and controversial regulation plan upend life along Lake Ontario

September 4, 2020 at 8:34 p.m.

SODUS POINT, N.Y. — On Mother's Day three years ago, Tom Frank was at his bayside restaurant, Captain Jack's Good Time Tavern, when a brimming Lake Ontario surged onto the...

Tom Frank, owner of Captain Jack's Good Time Tavern at his restaurant on Lake Ontario in Sodus Point, New York on Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)

Big problems for smallest Great Lake: More precipitation, warmer temperatures and controversial regulation plan upend life along Lake Ontario

October 30, 2025 at 1:48 p.m.

Flooding is the most conspicuous example of how a changing climate is having a profound effect on Lake Ontario.

Researcher Rachel Schultz looks at native plant American highbush cranberry at a wetland study area in Braddock Bay in Greece, New York, on July 29, 2020.

The wilds of one Lake Ontario bay reveal how coastal habitats suffer from a changing climate and human choices

September 4, 2020 at 5:01 p.m.

Lake Ontario is more swamp than mighty Great Lake at the edge of Braddock Bay, where 15-foot cattails rustle in the breeze.

People attend to a wounded person, during a clash with law enforcement, on Aug. 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Kenosha leaders uneasy with Trump visit, but say they aim to ensure safety; president appears to defend Kyle Rittenhouse

September 1, 2020 at 1:29 a.m.

Local leaders in Kenosha on Monday displayed their uneasiness with President Donald Trump's planned trip to their town but said they will do all they can to ensure a problem-free...

Hand sanitizer dispensers are available near Cloud Gate on June 15, 2020, as Millennium Park reopens.

Beaches and pools are beginning to reopen throughout the suburbs. But in Chicago, at least officially, the wait continues.

July 1, 2020 at 3:14 p.m.

Teens in flip-flops and brightly colored bathing suits sauntered past the temporary gatehouse at the entrance to Sunrise Beach in north suburban Lake Bluff on Monday, their hair wet from...

Visitors tour Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois, in 2014.

‘Unprecedented’ surge in visitors at forest preserves, natural areas during pandemic

June 20, 2020 at 1:29 a.m.

Coronavirus restrictions and safety guidelines have motivated Illinois residents to seek the great outdoors. State parks, forest preserves and nature areas have been popular destinations for people searching for open...

High water levels in Lake Michigan flood the Lakefront Trail south of Chess Pavilion at North Avenue Beach on June 16, 2020.

Eager to head back to the lakefront? A rising Lake Michigan — near the historic high water mark — awaits.

June 19, 2020 at 10:11 p.m.

Nicole Gradford, bare feet in the sand at the 63rd Street Beach, gazed at the turquoise waters of Lake Michigan as waves rolled toward the shore, kissing the land and...

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