ICN Illinois Archives - Inside Climate News

A Contaminated Riverside Lot in Chicago’s Bridgeport Neighborhood Is Poised for Cleanup by Peoples Gas

Residents hearing about cleanup plans for a long-unused industrial site, set to begin in October, hope the nearly four acres could be added to nearby parkland.

By Charna Albert

Peoples Gas plans to remediate a contaminated site on Chicago’s South Side, next to a park on what used to be the rest of the company’s property there. Credit: Charna Albert/Inside Climate News

Krystyna Kurth, with the Shedd Aquarium, shows Elise Mulligan jewelweed as they kayak down the Chicago River. Credit: Leigh Giangreco/Inside Climate News

In the Once Heavily Polluted Chicago River, More Fish, a Giant Snapping Turtle and an Upcoming Swim

By Leigh Giangreco

Samuel Corona (right) and Katia Balba give a “toxic tour” at Steelworkers Park in Chicago with their organization, Alliance of the Southeast, on July 17. Credit: Fern Alling/Inside Clean Energy

Despite HUD Mandate Withdrawal, the Push for Clean Air Moves Forward in Chicago

By Fern Alling

Chicago Has a Huge Lead Pipe Problem—and We Mapped It

By Keerti Gopal, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Peter Aldhous, Clayton Aldern, Amy Qin

How We Mapped Chicago’s Lead Pipe Problem and What We Learned

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal, Peter Aldhous, Clayton Aldern, Amy Qin

Colton Wyatt shows off a lead water testing kit at his home in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. Credit: Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Lead Pipes Are Everywhere in Chicago. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

By Sophia Kalakailo, City Bureau

Great Lakes Microplastics Research Could Inform National and Global Policy

By Sarah Mattalian

A view of an industrial harbor off the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minn. Credit: Michael Siluk/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Water Management in Great Lakes States Deserves a Closer Look, Group Says

By Susan Cosier

A Canada goose swims in Lake Michigan next to the Chicago Area Confined Disposal Facility in Chicago’s Southeast Side. Credit: Christiana Freitag/Inside Climate News

A Toxic Landfill Was on the Brink of Expanding. Residents Fought Back and Won

By Christiana Freitag

Chicago Aims To Have Most Air Pollution Sensors in the US

By Brett Chase, Chicago Sun-Times

Students from Northern Illinois University prepare to launch a weather balloon to capture data on temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction. Credit: National Science Foundation ICECHIP

As Climate Change Makes Hail More Destructive, Illinois Residents Pay the Price

By Susan Cosier

Why Prices Are Soaring in the Country’s Largest Grid Region, Explained in 5 Charts

By Dan Gearino, Rambo Talabong

In Illinois prisons, the threat of heat is amplified by dirty or dangerous living conditions including little to no access to air conditioning, contaminated water and few real ways to cool down. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

As a Heat Wave Roiled Illinois, People Incarcerated Suffered The Most

By Siri Chilukuri

Potential Repeal of Roadless Rule Could Permanently Damage Midwest National Forests

By Sarah Mattalian

Are You a Customer of PJM? Its Capacity Auction Will Affect Your Electricity Prices in 2026

By Rambo Talabong

30 Years After Chicago’s Deadliest Heat Wave, Systemic Racism Is Still the Root Problem

By Keerti Gopal

The community water system in Crest Hill, Ill., was one of 47 to receive a notice by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency warning of contaminated water. Credit: City of Crest Hill

Illinois Communities Grapple With ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Their Drinking Water

By Douglas J. Guth

Chicago Was Supposed to Warn Residents About Toxic Lead Pipes. It’s Barely Started

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal

Why Calling the Texas Flooding ‘An Act of God’ Is a Dangerous Form of Political Denial

By Kiley Bense

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