Snow falls along 18th Street in Pilsen on Dec. 15, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

CHICAGO — It’s been a gloomy week, and an arctic blast is on the way.

But gray skies didn’t stop our team from exploring the neighborhoods and reporting the news. Here’s a look at the news of the week through the lenses of our Block Club staff.

Photos from this week:

Halee Raff shows students from Burr Elementary how to bake cookies, part of a fundraising effort for their classmates’ school trip, at KitchFix in West Town on Dec. 6, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Students from Burr Elementary learned how to bake cookies – to raise money for their classmate’s school trip – at KitchFix in West Town on Dec. 6, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Bucktown Students Launch Massive Cookie Sale To Help 8th-Graders Pay For DC Field Trip

A pink balloon is tied to a post at the corner of North Central and West School streets to honor Mario Pozuelos, a 26-year-old man killed during an argument outside in Portage Park on Dec. 11, 2022. Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Grieving Families Ask For Help After 3 Killed In Portage Park Shooting Following Birthday Party At Area Bar

Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, famous for his Chicago history TikToks, hosted a tour bus full of teenage athletes Saturday as part of his partnership with White Sox Amateur City Elite. Credit: Mack Liederman/Block Club Chicago
Players with White Sox ACE listen in on Thomas’ South Side kid history lesson. Credit: Mack Liederman/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Young Chicago Ball Players Learn About South Side’s Storied Negro Leagues With Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas

Isabel Hernandez’s Pilsen yard on 19th Street between Throop and Loomis streets is decked out in Christmas decorations, as seen on Dec. 7, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Isabel Hernandez’s Pilsen yard on 19th Street between Throop and Loomis streets is decked out in Christmas decorations, as seen on Dec. 7, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Pilsen Neighbor Brings Back Luminous Winter Wonderland For Holidays: ‘Who Doesn’t Love Christmas Lights?’

Commuters hold umbrellas on a rainy morning in the Loop on Dec. 14, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Snow falls along 18th Street in Pilsen on Dec. 15, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson enters the Northwest Side Chicago Mayoral Candidates Forum at the Copernicus Center in Jefferson Park on Dec. 14, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Mayoral candidates Ja’Mal Green, Kam Buckner and Paul Vallas interact at the Northwest Side Chicago Mayoral Candidates Forum at the Copernicus Center in Jefferson Park on Dec. 14, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Commuters wait at the recently re-opened comfort station at the Jefferson Park CTA station on Dec. 13, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Jefferson Park Transit Center Bus Shelters Reopen After Being Closed For 10 Months

Families lined up down the block to meet Santa and choose toys to bring home. Credit: Kayleigh Padar//Block Club Chicago

Read more: Irving Park Neighbors Come Together To Provide Hundreds Of Gifts For Kids In Need

Marina Ross, whose son was killed by a driver while riding his scooter down a residential street in Lincoln Square, speaks during a press conference about bike lane safety at City Hall on Dec. 14, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Blocking Bike Lanes Could Get You A $250 Ticket — Or Towed— Under New Ordinance

Ald. Anabel Abarca (12th) addresses the City Council Dec. 14, 2022, after she was sworn in as the new alderwoman representing Brighton Park and McKinley Park. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Ald. Anabel Abarca Sworn In To Lead Southwest Side’s 12th Ward

Mayor Lori Lightfoot texts during a City Council meeting on Dec. 14, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Ald. Sophia King (4th) looks on at a City Council meeting on Dec. 14, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Mailman Jimmy Marchan delivers mail in Bucktown on Dec. 8, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Beloved Bucktown Mail Carrier Returns After Being Robbed At Gunpoint — And Neighbors Say They’ve Got His Back

The Washington Park Christmas tree is back and better than ever. Credit: Jamie Nesbitt Golden/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Washington Park’s Christmas Tree Is Back — And This Time, The Whole Neighborhood Is Guarding It

Edgebrook Elementary on Dec. 13, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Read more: Edgebrook Elementary School Parents ‘Terrified’ After Swastikas Repeatedly Found In Boys’ Bathroom

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