Year In Review 2024
A behind-the-scenes look at how the Sun-Times covered this year’s most notable stories, including personal anecdotes and the best photos of the year.
Aprendí sobre la conexión espiritual del cempasúchil con la festividad cuando era niño, pero no sabía mucho sobre la historia antigua de la flor.
The city thrived in the spotlight for the Democratic National Convention during a tough year for Mayor Brandon Johnson.
I learned about cempasuchil’s spiritual connection with the holiday as a child, but I never learned much about the flower’s ancient history. Working on the story gave me a better understanding of its importance on my own ofrendas.
A reporter can accomplish a lot with a keyboard and mouse, but some of the best stories are out there for us to stumble upon in the physical world.
After I was hired by the Sun-Times and Report for America last year, I quickly discovered how many incredible stories there are to tell about athletes — including about the many talented high school girls basketball players — who are not covered enough in the area.
Here’s how a squad of reporters used shoe leather reporting, interviews and public records to reveal Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plans to close a tent city and build a $814,000 fence around it in time for the DNC.
Sun-Times reporter Mitch Armentrout biked about 58 miles while crisscrossing the city during the Democratic National Convention. It’s a great way to work — and to reintroduce yourself to Chicago.
As part of our goal in the last few years to better reflect Chicago’s diversity in our news pages, we published a series of columns written by community members and held listening sessions in neighborhoods throughout the city, among other efforts.
It’s no secret that newspapers are in peril, and in low moments, it’s easy to question whether this work matters. Here are two projects this year that reinforce how the city needs local news.
The 17-year and 13-year periodical cicadas returned to the Chicago area this year, and I became the Sun-Times’ de facto cicada reporter, writing stories about tattoos, travel and snacks — all coming back to cicadas.
CPS has had its most-tumultuous leadership struggle ever, and it’s not over.
