The coronavirus pandemic has prompted shutdowns of schools, businesses and events across the U.S. Here are how some states are responding to the outbreak.

Dr. Emily Landon is the chief infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medicine, who moments after Pritzker issued the ordinance to take effect Saturday evening, took to the stand with a 7-minute-long speech that went viral after striking a chord for many individuals.

A Chicago doctor’s call-to-action has gone viral after a moving speech following Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement Friday of a stay-at-home ordinance amid the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Emily Landon is the chief infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medicine, who moments after Pritzker issued the ordinance to take effect Saturday evening, took to the stand with a 7-minute-long...

Gov. J. B. Pritzker announced a “stay-at-home” order for the state of Illinois effective this Saturday. Here’s what it entails.

A third person in Illinois has tested positive for the coronavirus, Cook County and state health officials said in a news release Saturday. The person, who has not been identified, remains hospitalized in isolation, health officials said. Additional details about the patient, including their condition, weren’t immediately available. However, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle tweeted Saturday night that...

Animal experts say pets often process loss in a manner similar to humans. In a recent newsletter published by the Funeral Consumer Alliance of Maine, researcher Jessica Pierce says a growing body of research into ‘animal thanatology’ suggests common pets such as dogs and cats seem to share with humans many behavioral reactions to death, such as mourning and rituals...

Welcoming a furry addition to a home can be a fun and exciting event. But ensuring a smooth transition for the pet – and the family – takes some preparation and work. Here are some tips from animal shelters about what to do before, during and after the adoption.

Prospective pet owners can now choose the furry friend they want without having to leave their home. Five years after it first launched, the adoption app WeRescue has expanded its reach across the U.S. and in Canada, and has hundreds of thousands of pets available for adoption at over 3,000 rescue organizations. “We pull in data from all these different...

An Illinois couple’s dog stole the show during his owner’s wedding with his joyful reaction to their nuptial. Angie Blumberg married Jayce Conway at Rainbow Ranch Lodge in Big Sky, Montana, on July 28, NBC affiliate WFLA reported. The couple grew up in the same town and have been best friends since preschool.

An informal but dedicated network of pet hospice volunteers across the Twin Cities is working through local animal rescues to provide comfort to terminally ill and elderly animals. The Pet Project Rescue has been running the Lukas Project hospice program since 2011, Minnesota Public Radio reported . Secondhand Hounds also launched a hospice program called Forever Loved about three years ago.

A turkey hen at a suburban wildlife center has taken to sitting on a nest full of duck eggs after the mother of the eggs was killed by a hawk.

An animal hospital in central Illinois recently gave bereaved pet owners an opportunity to memorialize their beloved pets. They gathered in Decatur Sunday to pray and share stories at the service held by Northgate Pet Clinic, the Decatur Herald and Review reported. Veterinary assistant Angie Litz, who helped organize the ceremony, said there can be a stigma around grieving a...

Imprisoned ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s sentence has been commuted. After months of speculation, President Donald Trump announced the decision as he prepared to board Air Force One Tuesday. “Yes, we commuted the sentence of Rod Blagojevich,” Trump said. “He served eight years in jail, a long time. He seems like a very nice person – don’t know him.”  Trump...

More than 2,400 sets of fetal remains found last year at the suburban Chicago home of one of the Midwest’s most prolific abortion doctors were buried Wednesday in Indiana, a state with some of the nation’s toughest anti-abortion laws.

A new study has found no evidence to corroborate that a beaver-skin stovepipe hat — for years a centerpiece of Illinois’ Abraham Lincoln museum — ever actually belonged to the 16th U.S. president, according to a published report. Among the findings spelled out in a 54-page report was that the hat, once appraised at $6.5 million, didn’t appear to be…

R. Kelly jetted into the New York City area Thursday, a day ahead of his scheduled federal court appearance in Brooklyn on sex trafficking charges.

Independent retailers are gearing up for Small Business Saturday, a day used to promote mom-and-pop retailers, and many towns are doing their best to support the effort. In 2018, an estimated 104 million consumers shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They spent $17.8 billion, the most since the shopping event was created by American Express...

U.S. health officials are warning people not to eat romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, California, after an E. coli-linked food poisoning outbreak reached 67 cases across 19 states. The Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday said 39 people had been hospitalized after contracting the food-borne illness, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting and fever. No deaths have been reported. The CDC...

A man accused of murdering a 19-year-old University of Illinois-Chicago student in a campus parking garage allegedly killed her because she ignored his catcalls.

A man is facing first degree murder charges in connection with the death of 19-year-old University of Illinois-Chicago student Ruth George, university police say.