Steve Johnson

The front of the Field Museum on Jan. 21, 2021 in Chicago.

What Pritzker’s ‘bridge’ plan means for movies, theater, concerts and more

March 19, 2021 at 1:33 a.m.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a plan for new, relaxed COVID capacity restrictions for indoor movie theaters, performance venues and museums Thursday, in what Music Box Theatre general manager Ryan...

An entry to a nearly mile-long railroad tunnel that must be navigated to ride the Elroy-Sparta State Trail bike path.

Beer, bikes and brats on a weekend of moseying through Wisconsin’s hilly Driftless Area

March 11, 2021 at 11:00 a.m.

The first thing to know about Wisconsin's Driftless Area is it has an absolutely evocative name. The term sounds so much like vacation — meandering, relaxed, a region unto itself...

Sept. 11, 2020: Students from School District 25 complete their e-learning in the multipurpose room in South Middle School in Arlington Heights. The students are enrolled in a Park District program called Children at Play Plus. The program is an all-day child care program housed at the school where they are cared for and supervised by Park District staff.

What we lost: A year of sacrifice in the arts forces us to look inward

March 11, 2021 at 7:05 p.m.

The catalog of loss from 2020, even limiting the category to the arts, is a fat one. A year ago this weekend, Chicago and the nation began rolling up the...

(Left to right) Al Ehich, Bill Brickey, Lloyd King, Deborah Lader and composer Michael Miles rehearse an upcoming show about protest in America at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square. Sunday, April 14, 2019. (Kristan Lieb/For the Chicago Tribune)

Old Town School union spotlights demand for seats on organization’s board, backed by the likes of Jeff Tweedy

March 10, 2021 at 7:29 p.m.

The teachers union at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music wants seats on the organization's board, and they want the city to know that their demand has the backing...

Live music coming to Chicago: GMan Tavern sets live music shows in celebration of late Waco Brothers drummer Joe Camarillo

March 5, 2021 at 4:39 p.m.

The Waco Brothers will play their first live shows of the year and the GMan Tavern will hold its first concerts in a year in a series of small shows...

Original cover art of an X-Men comic book on display at the "Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes."

Marvel super heroes exhibit and rehabbed Zephyr train greet visitors as Museum of Science and Industry reopens

March 5, 2021 at 6:27 p.m.

If there is an official greeter at the Museum of Science and Industry, it is the Pioneer Zephyr train. This 3-car, 98-ton artifact — the second-largest at the museum after...

A person passes by a work titled "Scout's Honor" by Chris Pappan at "The Long Dream" exhibit.

MCA reopens with show featuring Chicago artists, with MSI and Chicago History Museum to follow

March 2, 2021 at 10:06 p.m.

Museum reopenings continue this week as MCA Chicago welcomed visitors back Tuesday, and the Chicago History Museum and Museum of Science and Industry prepared for Thursday and Sunday reopenings, respectively....

A historical image of men in prison breaking stones during Nelson Mandela's time in prison.

‘Mandela’ exhibit tells story of South African freedom fight at Illinois Holocaust Museum

February 25, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.

There's a wall in "Mandela: Struggle for Freedom" that will seem especially familiar to Americans viewing this recently opened exhibition. Black-and-white public restroom signs spell out "Black Male Toilets" and...

Vocalist/guitarist Lili Trifilio leads Beach Bunny at Metro in Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Where are those promised federal relief funds, music venue and theater operators wonder?

February 23, 2021 at 4:26 p.m.

When the Shuttered Venue Operators relief package became law at the end of 2020, arts industry business owners saw it as a long-delayed means of survival: $15 billion in grants...

Dr. Mike Adkesson, Chicago Zoological Society Vice President of Clinical Medicine, meets with the Janney Family, Zeki and his parents Eathan {ok} and Christi before Layla the Rhino comes out for her Birthday celebration. Dr Mike and Zeki show each other their stethoscopes Saturday, October 17, 2020 in Brookfield, IL. (Steve Johnston / Pioneer Press)

Brookfield, Lincoln Park zoos prepare to reopen in March

February 18, 2021 at 6:45 p.m.

After two months of voluntary hibernation, Chicago's major zoos have announced their reopening plans for early next month. The short version: It'll be pretty much the same procedure it was...

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