Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Avondale

Neighborhoods across the city have recorded big increases in homicides and carjackings since the start of the pandemic. Logan Square, Humboldt Park and Avondale, the city’s gentrification hot spots, have not been spared.

Mexican restaurant Ocaso got off to a rough start. Reservations kept getting canceled. Confused customers would call and cite the wrong hours of operation or a fake Facebook page. The owner says a scammer is to blame.

The projects, which include a protected bike lane on a section of Wood Street, were proposed by residents during the 1st Ward's participatory budgeting process.

The three Elston Avenue projects are the latest development proposals to hit Avondale, which is drawing more condos, apartments and retail projects.

The cold and snow didn't deter longtime customers, who lined up Friday evening for to-go cocktails, merch, and to drink daiquiris under the pink neon lights one last time.

The scooters, which are arriving in the spring, will also be banned on the lakefront path and the riverwalk.

Literacy nonprofit Open Books is taking over an old furniture store on Milwaukee Avenue with the goal of opening in the spring.

The Center for COVID Control's lab wasted 40,000 tests, according to a federal report. And again and again, people have reported getting late results, no results — or ones that don't make sense.

Police, friends and family have no idea why anyone would have targeted Mahadeva. They are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the 26-year-old's killer.

Though CPS and the teachers union have made a deal, some parents said they don't feel safe with in-person learning yet. "I don’t think we’re gonna be safe for a couple more weeks, to be honest," one mom said.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is among several alderpeople who give residents a say in how aldermanic menu money is spent. This year's potential projects include shared bike lanes, road repairs and more.

In conjunction with the American Journalism Project grant, the Chicago Community Trust pledged an additional $450,000 in matching funds to Block Club over three years.

Milly's Pizza In The Pan was launched during the pandemic by an out-of-work waiter. It's been a hit, so the business is opening a spot in Uptown.

Lost Lake will close after Jan. 15. The owners said the pandemic forced their hand.

The return from winter break comes as the city is experiencing a record surge in confirmed cases and after parents grappled with a chaotic student testing program.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) is backing an ordinance to rename Woodard Plaza as Solidarity Triangle, a nod to the 1980s Polish solidarity movement.

Giovanni Lozano, 24, was killed in a shooting in the 3000 block of North Avers Avenue. "He should've never gone out this way. ... He was loved by so many, and he's missed very much."

A report paints a picture of a school culture where sexual harassment and charges of abuse and inappropriate behavior were overlooked or brushed under the rug by those in charge at Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square.

Some of Chicago's most beloved bakeries have to start making cookies weeks before the holidays because demand is so high. Check out a few of their recipes.