Licenses for short-term rentals like Airbnb have been declining in Chicago since 2019. But on the South Side near the Obama Center, licenses are up 46% in that same time as the area gets ready for tourists.

Every day, 20,000 semi-trucks roll in and out of sprawling warehouses along I-80 south of Chicago, carrying good for retailers like Amazon and Target. What's it like to live near one of them? Many residents say it's miserable.

"Fish swim away." That's Illinois Dept of Transportation's defense for skipping endangered species permits, in writing. They used this line to justify projects threatening the American brook lamprey—a fish that spends most of its life burrowed in sediment. *sigh* story by @juanpab.bsky.social

Illinois state agencies at odds over endangered species protections. The state’s top transportation authority has been running afoul of Illinois’s wildlife regulators according to internal documents obtained by WBEZ and Grist. chicago.suntimes.com/environment/... by @juanpab.bsky.social

I’ve got a new story out today about Illinois transportation officials speeding past species protections

1/ Today, we overwhelmingly voted to authorize a STRIKE as we fight for a fair contract with @propublica.org.

At least 30 homes were destroyed and 500 buildings were impacted by the EF-3 tornado that barreled through Kankakee County Tuesday night, officials said.

Staff at the nation’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility have placed bets on which detainee will be the next to die by suicide, according to new reporting from the Associated Press based on 911 calls and detainee accounts.

"As climate change intensifies wildfires and other extreme weather events, demand for native seeds is surging." @juanpab.bsky.social for @grist.org grist.org/solutions/a-...

"These species genetically adapted over thousands of years and sustain the region’s ecosystems. That evolutionary inheritance makes them indispensable for restoring the nation’s remaining prairies, wetlands, and woodlands." Latest from @juanpab.bsky.social www.wbez.org/environment/...

Appalachia’s iconic salamander was slated for federal protection. It’s still in limbo.

I'm in the @chicago.suntimes.com today: Illinois is dangerously dry, and we have no legal framework to manage large water users. Illinois' historic water abundance bred complacency. We still rely on centuries old English water law, totally unequipped for modern population & industrial usage.

A study I led came out in Nature Cities yesterday! We used radar to study the role that urban landscapes play in migratory bird stopover. Spoiler: birds use cities a lot, and the patterns of their use reflect social processes and the inequities embedded in them. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Jackson presidential campaigns embraced environmental justice, though he was pragmatic about projects like a natural gas pipeline when he thought it would be economically beneficial to Black communities, writes @juanpab.bsky.social. 🧵 chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...

The fact that some Earth systems—like coral reefs—have already passed tipping points shows that the 1.5C climate target was not ambitious enough. If there's a 'safe' limit, it's more like 1C, scientists said this week.

In 2022 we wrote about how paper seed catalogues are still a highlight for people despite the prevalence of online seed catalogues. Checking 4 years later: Are y'all still perusing the paper catalogues? foodprint.org/blog/paper-s...

The administration targeted 88 million acres for potential development: land previously set aside for conservation. BLM held 22 lease sales and approved 6,027 oil/gas permits, the highest since 2010. @juanpab.bsky.social illustrates which landscapes are now at risk. (6/n)

The consequences of Trump’s war on climate in 7 charts

Breaking: WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans defeat Venezuela war powers resolution, bowing to Trump’s pressure as Vance casts tie-breaking vote.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams grew emotional as he gave his coach a game ball following the Bears’ unbelievable 31-27 comeback win against the Packers at Soldier Field.

A WBEZ and Sun-Times analysis shows detainees initially booked at Broadview were nearly twice as likely as detainees nationwide to self-deport. Legal experts said inhumane conditions, coercion and a lack of legal counsel were contributing factors.

Paul Vallas — the perennial candidate who normally loves to talk — has no comment on this one www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/j...

"Agricultural, chemical and mining industry groups celebrated the EPA’s push to curb federal water regulations" Of course they celebrated—their business model depends on polluting our water. story by @juanpab.bsky.social www.wbez.org/environment/...

Congratulations to our 2025 SEAL Environmental Journalism Awards winners! Each honoree brings accountability to power, empathy to data, and urgency to the conversation on environmental policy. Read more about this year's winners: sealawards.com/twelve-journ...

Lawmakers Press #EPA for $3B in Stalled Lead Pipe Replacement Funds @juanpab.bsky.social reports for a partnership of @insideclimatenews.org @grist.org and @wbez.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1311202...

Keeping human-introduced carp out of the Great Lakes Today's SciFri podcast: "Can A Billion-Dollar Barricade Keep Carp Out Of The Great Lakes?" with Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco (@juanpab.bsky.social), WBEZ environment reporter, and Dr. Cory Suski, U of Illinois. www.sciencefriday.com/segments/inv...

Shortly after Trump took office, DHS wiped from its website a policy regulating facial recognition use. Face rec tools — like Clearview AI, which Illinois cops are barred from using, and Mobile Fortify — are now being used to support Trump’s deportation campaign. www.wbez.org/immigration/...

David Koschman’s long-grieving mother dies 21 years after her son was killed by Mayor Daley's nephew “She never got back to normal. She just wanted to be with David and [her late husband] Bob.” chicago.suntimes.com/koschman/202...

Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica are bracing for Hurricane Melissa. The storm is expected to quickly grow into a powerful category 3 or stronger hurricane. n.pr/4orMwfH

CHICAGO! I'll be downtown to talk about our food and our planet on Tuesday evening, at an event sponsored by @paulsoninstitute.bsky.social. I tried to be polite when the book came out, but these days I'm feeling spicier, please check it out! Info & RSVP here: partiful.com/e/HYP2nDeX6Q...

Another step forward for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project. We’ll continue our work protecting the Great Lakes and easing the burden on Illinoisans.

Chicago people! I’ll be talking about the earth, particularly the eating of it, on October 28 at the Merchandise Mart. Register here, Chicago takes food seriously right? partiful.com/e/HYP2nDeX6Q...

Corals are disappearing, pushing Earth to its first major ‘tipping point’ A new report says Earth has reached a dire milestone with the widespread death of warm-water coral reefs. But it's not too late to save what remains. grist.org/oceans/coral... #Coral #Ocean #Climate #Science #GreenSky

#BREAKING The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals PARTIALLY grants the stay sought by the Trump Administration. The stay is GRANTED as to federalization of the National Guard. But it is DENIED as to deployment. So deployment still BLOCKED, but troops "do not need to return to their home states."

ICE regularly held immigrants far beyond the hours they set for the Broadview processing center, data through July shows. Immigrants held there say there are no beds, limited food and toilets are out in the open with no soap or toothpaste. trib.al/um8BERF

BREAKING: Gov. JB Pritzker said the IL National Guard obtained a DHS memo stating it was seeking the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois “claiming a need for the protection of ICE personnel and facilities.” From @tinasfon.bsky.social

Chicago Has Thousands of Lead Pipes — and Millions of Unspent Dollars @keertigopal.bsky.social and @juanpab.bsky.social report for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/2209202...

Since 2023, the city has drawn between $70 million and $90 million of an approximately $325 million federal loan for lead service line replacements that expires next year via @keertigopal.bsky.social and @juanpab.bsky.social grist.org/economics/ch...

The neat thing about the ultra-viral Czech beaver dam story is that it’s just a particularly vivid example of what legions of unsung beavers do every day — help us solve our environmental problems without our gratitude or acknowledgment, and in spite of our attempts to kill them! Beavers gonna beav.

A cool new Q&A with @juanpab.bsky.social in @grist.org: "How Do We Feed Billions While Saving the Planet?" grist.org/food-and-agr...

Out today—a new interactive I worked on with @compatibilism.bsky.social mapping lead pipes in Chicago. You can use this tool to check any water service line in the city for lead, and explore how lead exposure overlaps with race and class. Check out the full piece: grist.org/accountabili...

Excellent service!

Chicago has most the lead pipes in the country. A team of excellent reporters and I mapped them all on a searchable tool. Huge s/o to @juanpab.bsky.social @keertigopal.bsky.social @peteraldhous.com and @compatibilism.bsky.social for this monumental effort. Relevant links threaded below!

Chicago has the most lead service lines of any city in the county. We mapped out which neighborhoods are hit hardest. Mega collab out today from me, @peteraldhous.com @juanpab.bsky.social @compatibilism.bsky.social + @amyqin.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/2808202...

We got big project out today about Chicago’s lead pipes. The news is we mapped them all. The big idea is that Chicago residents are living through a public health crisis, and we wanted to help them visualize their place in it. @grist.org @wbez.org @insideclimatenews.org @chicago.suntimes.com

Grist is looking for an Upper Great Lakes reporter to cover climate impacts, environmental health, and solutions to the climate crisis, primarily for a local and regional audience. #journalismjobs Apply here: job-boards.greenhouse.io/grist/jobs/4...

I say this all the time, but it's local NPR affiliates that are nearly single-handedly covering disaster recoveries in the long term. If you can support yours, you should!

Eight months past a federal deadline, >90% of at-risk Chicagoans haven't been warned that their water may be contaminated with lead. 2nd story in our summer lead pipes series is out @insideclimatenews.org @grist.org @wbez.org, from me + @juanpab.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/1407202...

Great @juanpab.bsky.social piece on my friend and former Star Tribune enviro reporter Josephine Marcotty's new book on the decimation of America's prairie.

There it is. The first ever Heat Advisory issued in Alaska. This is the first year it has been an option. @alaskawx.bsky.social