Tag: events

April’s total solar eclipse is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest events, and Chicago’s museums and attractions offer plenty of opportunities to watch the rare astronomical phenomenon.

The Chicago area will experience around 94% totality on Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse won’t happen again in the U.S. for 20 years, so don’t miss the opportunity to experience the eclipse for yourself! Just make sure to always look at the eclipse safely with eclipse viewers. 

Check out the Chicago institutions hosting watch parties, including local museums and the oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. 

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Where can I watch the 2024 eclipse in Chicago?

There are plenty of ways to experience the upcoming solar eclipse in Chicago, with viewing parties and exciting watch events across the city. Check out a few local events perfect for families, space aficionados, and anyone curious about this unique celestial event.

A Partial Eclipse at the Park at Pullman National Historical Park: Park rangers and a NASA ambassador will be available to answer all your eclipse-related questions at this free viewing party in Pullman. Guests can see the eclipse through a solar filter telescope and enjoy themed snacks, interactive activities, and more. Children will be able to earn their Junior Ranger eclipse badge. A limited number of eclipse glasses will be available.

Solar Eclipse Viewing at The DuSable Black History Museum: Head to Washington Park to attend the solar eclipse viewing event at The DuSable Black History Museum, with hands-on activities, eclipse viewing glasses, and opportunities to view the eclipse through a telescope. 

2024 Eclipse Encounter at Adler Planetarium: Located on Chicago’s lakefront, the historic Adler Planetarium will be hosting an eclipse watch party for the public. This free outdoor event will include safe solar viewing through telescopes, free solar viewers, photo opps, and more. Afterward, get your tickets to explore space exhibits inside the museum. 

Solar Eclipse 2024 at Museum of Science and Industry: Come view this amazing scientific spectacle at one of the world’s largest science museums. The Museum of Science and Industry will offer visitors a chance to view the eclipse through solar telescopes, watch a NASA livestream with a NASA ambassador,

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[This story contains spoilers from season 11, episode seven of Chicago P.D, “The Living and the Dead.”]

For Sergeant Hank Voight, played by Jason Beghe, the proverb “the road to hell is paved with good intensions” comes to a painful, climatic conclusion during the final scene of Chicago PD’s March 20 episode, “The Living and the Dead.” The seventh episode in season 11 of the NBC drama ends with a stoic look from the conflicted police detective, as a barrel is pulled from a body of water that contains someone he cared for and tried to protect.

Since the murder of his son, Justin (Josh Segarra), in season three, Voight has worn that death like an albatross, spurring him throughout the seasons to take a special interest in certain brutalized victims in the city who are treated as castoffs. In episode seven, audiences watch Voight hunt for a kidnapper who tortured and mutilated a gay teenage boy named Noah (Bobby Hogan), who was introduced in episode six. Thrown out of the house because of his sexuality and plagued with pain and nightmares from the brutality of his ordeal, Voight sees something in Noah that reminds him of his troubled son, and perhaps sees a way to help the young man in a way that he couldn’t help his late child.

But Wednesday’s episode again ended in tragedy, as Noah was the body inside the barrel. Once again, viewers see that Voight is probably traveling down the dark vortex of loss, failure and vengeance.

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Beghe to talk about Voight’s two-episode arc that will continue on in the coming weeks. Beghe also talked about the 25th anniversary of a near-fatal car accident that changed the actor’s life in some ways (and added to his famous raspy voice), as well as his deep-rooted Chicago connections and hopes for the future with Chicago PD.

***

Why are there certain cases that seem to get so under Hank Voight’s skin he can’t shake them? This is certainly the case in episodes six and seven, with the brutal abduction of Noah. Why does Voight care so much about this case?

I don’t think Voight is aware of it consciously.

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Get excited, Chicagoans, because winter in Chicago is almost over and some of our most beloved events and traditions are happening this month. First up is St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, which is once again bringing river dyeing festivities and a parade to the Loop, along with plenty of other celebrations across the city (including the Shamrock Shuffle and parades on the South and Northwest Sides). Hoping to avoid the crush of green-clad people downtown? Check out flower shows at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Garfield Park Conservatory, sip wine after-hours at the Museum of Science and Industry or feast on encased meats and beers at Haymarket’s Sausagefest. You’ll find all that and more in our roundup of things to do in Chicago this March. 

RECOMMENDED: Events calendar for Chicago in 2024

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It may be the shortest month of the year, but you’ll find that February is still jam-packed with stuff to do in Chicago—especially because some of the city’s beloved annual events will be taking place. Grab discounted tickets to acclaimed shows during Chicago Theatre Week or woo your significant other on Valentine’s Day in Chicago. Later in the month, celebrate the Lunar New Year in Chicago and strip down to your unmentionables for a good cause during the annual Cupid’s Undie Run. Looking for even more stuff to do? Get ready to make the most out of the month of love with our February 2024 events guide.

RECOMMENDED: Events calendar for Chicago in 2024

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CHICAGO — As the new year looms, pressing issues that dominated headlines in Illinois in the year 2023 range from significant strikes to devastating storms and drastic changes in the sports scene. 

Over the course of the last 12 months, when it came to crime in Chicago, homicides trended down. While a victory for the city’s police department, robbery and thefts spiked, and stolen vehicle reports skyrocketed by more than double.

More Coverage:

• Keeping yourself safe: Chicago crime experts offer tips on how to avoid carjackings, minimize harm
• Keeping yourself safe: Tips from Chicago crime experts on how to avoid robberies

For Mayor Brandon Johnson, 2024 will be the first test of his new crime-fighting strategy, unveiled at year’s end. 

WGN Exclusive: Migrants, crime, investment in people: Brandon Johnson’s first 6 months as mayor 

COVID-19’s official end as a public health emergency came in 2023, closing a chapter three years after it began.

“Normal” was not the operative word when it came to Chicago politics. For the first time in 40 years, the incumbent mayor lost their run for re-election. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot became a one-term mayor after losing to runoff contenders Paul Vallas and the progressive, former Chicago Teachers Union organizer who would become mayor, Brandon Johnson. 

His first and tallest challenge was an inherited one and one of the biggest stories of the year: the migrant crisis. 

Bus after bus arrived from the Texas border, bringing asylum seekers from South and Central America. Suddenly the city had to make room for 26,000 new residents. 

Most were immediately housed at Chicago’s police stations and at O’Hare Airport. However, the crisis was marked by fighting among neighborhoods unwilling to take on the risk and burden.

Turnover wasn’t just confined to the mayor’s office.

The longest-serving secretary of state, Jesse White, left office. After a months-long search, Larry Snelling became the permanent CPD superintendent. And often-embattled Cook County State’s attorney Kim Foxx announced she wouldn’t seek another term. 

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