Michael Hawthorne – Page 13

A view from a neighborhood near the Oak Creek coal-fired power plant, Sept. 8, 2020, in Wisconsin.

Trump EPA guts tough standards for toxic metals dumped into US waterways by coal-fired power plants, including biggest polluter on Lake Michigan

September 9, 2020 at 3:07 p.m.

Towering above Lake Michigan north of the Wisconsin border, the Oak Creek coal-fired power plant is one of the largest sources of toxic metals dumped into American waterways. Only six...

Prairie State Energy Campus in Marissa, Illinois, provides electricity for residents in Naperville, Batavia, St. Charles and other communities.

Trump EPA guts tough standards for toxic metals dumped into US waterways by coal-fired power plants, including biggest polluter on Lake Michigan

September 9, 2020 at 7:27 p.m.

Towering above Lake Michigan north of the Wisconsin border, the Oak Creek coal-fired power plant is one of the largest sources of toxic metals dumped into American waterways. Only six...

Exelon's Byron Nuclear Generating Station in Byron, Illinois, in 2012.

Without another bailout, Exelon plans to close two Illinois nuclear plants next year

August 28, 2020 at 9:46 a.m.

With Gov. J.B. Pritzker blocking another round of ratepayer subsidies, ComEd's parent company said Thursday it plans to close two of the state's nuclear plants next year. The announcement by...

A metal recycling company at 106th Street on the east bank of the Calumet River near the site where General Iron metal is planning to move operations by merging with an existing company, Reserve Marine Terminals, on the old Republic Steel site in Chicago on July 16, 2018.

Citing environmental racism, Southeast Side activists file civil rights complaint against Chicago: ‘We’ve been a dumping ground for too many years’

August 13, 2020 at 7:22 p.m.

Chicago is perpetuating environmental racism by pushing industrial polluters from the wealthy, largely white North Side to low-income communities of color on the South Side, according to a new complaint...

George Rodriguez, left, and Louie Franchi fish at a boat launch in the North Branch of the Chicago River on July 31, 2020.

Nearly 60 different types of fish found in Chicago waterways, study shows. 30 years ago, there were fewer than 10.

August 3, 2020 at 1:00 a.m.

Amazing what can happen when a city stops dumping massive amounts of bleach into its waterways. Nearly 60 different types of fish are swimming in the Chicago and Calumet rivers...

The Chicago skyline is seen on a muggy, hot and humid afternoon on July 9, 2020.

Trump EPA brushes aside public health experts, fails to tighten national standard for lung-damaging smog

July 13, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.

Despite evidence that dirty air still endangers millions of Americans with asthma and other respiratory diseases, the Trump administration on Monday declined to tighten national standards for lung-damaging smog. The...

The Chicago skyline looks hazy from Whihala Beach in Whiting, Indiana on July 2, 2020.

Chicago air is dirtier in July than smog-choked Los Angeles. More bad air is forecast.

July 11, 2020 at 4:57 p.m.

After missing out on cleaner air during the coronavirus lockdown, the Chicago area just suffered its longest streak of high-pollution days in more than a decade. Nine consecutive days of...

General Iron Industries scrap yard along Cortland Street near the Lincoln Yards development on April 9, 2019.

Pritzker IEPA approves move of scrap shredder to predominantly Latino neighborhood

June 25, 2020 at 11:13 p.m.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is the last hurdle for a troubled but clout-heavy scrap shredder seeking to move from wealthy, largely white Lincoln Park to a low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhood on...

The Terrence J. O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant on May 27, 2020, in Skokie.

Sewage may help predict future virus outbreaks. Chicago researchers aim to test hundreds or thousands of manholes at a time.

May 30, 2020 at 1:00 a.m.

In the global effort to stem the novel coronavirus, every toilet flush reveals a vital clue. Droplets we breathe, sneeze or cough through our mouths and noses aren't the only...

Lyons firefighters deliver Tim Sachs and his two daughters Natasha, 8, right, Katrina, 10, and their dog Carol to dry ground after heavy rains flooded homes in the area of the intersection of Southview Avenue and Circle Drive on May 18, 2020, in Brookfield.

‘Unreal’ rains flood homes, knock out power and put Chicago on the cusp of wettest May ever

May 20, 2020 at 7:06 a.m.

Kelli Peterson, rain boots on, stepped cautiously onto the submerged footbridge in her yard, gripping the sides to steady herself against the pulsating current of Spring Creek. The creek, which...

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