Chicago Shall Rise Again
For the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, we asked Chicagoans to read the memorable words of an 1871 editorial.
This video was shot and edited for the Chicago Tribune by Raquel Zaldívar.
Behind the scenes with the Shedd Aquarium otters
Christy Sterling, who oversees the penguin and otter areas at the Shedd Aquarium, talks about the otters. On April 19, 2021, the Shedd celebrated the birthday of its oldest otter, 21-year-old Yaku.
This video was shot and edited for the Chicago Tribune by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Canned cocktails taste test: From Big Star margaritas to summery G&Ts, here are our 35 best and worst
The Tribune’s resident beverage expert Josh Noel tasted more than 50 ready-to-drink cocktails to find which ones are worth giving a shot.
Noel and Food Editor Ariel Cheung sipped a sampling of them to find out which stood out among the mule, margarita and mai tai offerings.
This video was shot and edited for the Chicago Tribune by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
My hijab: An intimate conversation
The Chicago Tribune interviewed six Chicago-area women in 2018 about why they wear the hijab, what it means to them, and what kinds of reactions they get. The women interviewed were from families with roots in Syria, India, Africa and the Palestinian territories. They were black, white and brown, suburban and urban, immigrant and American-born. They spoke of bigotry and acceptance, of religious devotion and personal identity.
This video was shot and edited for the Chicago Tribune by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Mike DeStefano was a high school football star. A grisly car crash changed his life forever. His love of the game pushes him on.
Mike DeStefano, a former high school football star, and his parents speak about life 10 years after a life-changing accident.
This video was shot by Chicago Tribune photojournalist Stacey Wescott and edited by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
C2E2: Building a better cosplayer for competition
Monica Paprocki of Belmont-Cragin transforms into Arthenya VI, a character from a French tabletop war game, to compete in C2E2's 2019 Crown Championships of Cosplay.
This video was shot and edited for the Chicago Tribune by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Jalen's Journey
Jalen Ivy was at his South Side home with his mom when he was hit by a bullet meant for someone else. Now, the 12-year-old and his family struggle to find “a new normal.”
This video was shot by Chicago Tribune photojournalist E. Jason Wambsgans and edited by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Goodbye, Tribune Tower
Chicago Tribune staff talk about leaving the Tribune Tower before the newspaper's move from the iconic building in 2018.
This video was shot by Chicago Tribune photojournalist Chris Walker and edited by Raquel Zaldívar. The video was originally published here.
Rage, Riots, Ruin: Remembering the Chicago Riots 50 years later
Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. On April 5, 1968, one day after King was gunned down, the city of Chicago erupted in riots that led to burned-down buildings and looted stores. Today, one question remains: Why are pockets of the West Side still decimated?
This video was shot by Chicago Tribune photojournalist Terrence Antonio James and edited by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
2018 Chicago Pride Parade
Sights and sounds from the 49th annual Chicago Pride Parade on June 24, 2018.
This video was shot and edited by Chicago Tribune visual journalist Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Lincoln Park Zoo turns 150
On Aug. 26, 1868, Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo got its start when two pairs of swans arrived in Lincoln Park, a gift from New York City's Central Park. The zoo is the third oldest of its kind in operation and has remained free to its patrons since its founding.
This video was shot and edited by Chicago Tribune visual journalist Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Demonstrators rally in the Loop against separation of immigrant families
Thousands of people march during the Families Belong Together rally on June 30, 2018, to protest immigrant families separated at the U.S. southern border.
This video was shot and edited by Chicago Tribune visual journalist Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Broken promises on low income housing
The Better Housing Foundation told the state it would provide safe apartments in low-income neighborhoods. It got special loans and tax breaks to do so. But a Tribune investigation found that tenants have been left to live in deteriorating buildings.
This video was shot by Chicago Tribune photojournalist Jose M. Osorio and edited by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Caught in a 'Dream'
We asked 41 'Dreamers' about their homes, their birthplaces and DACA. Here's what they said.
This video was shot by Chicago Tribune photojournalist Abel Uribe and edited by Raquel Zaldívar. The full story is available here.
Discipline Beyond the Dojo
While studying karate and working toward his black belt, Sensei Mzwandile Matebese realized that he had applied into his everyday life the discipline and focus he had while practicing the martial art. He decided that he wanted to teach others how to live with this same drive so in 2004, Matebese founded the Joza Karate Club in the Joza township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Matebese has not only seen positive changes among his students, but also within his community. His eldest student, Solomon Kutsi, has experienced that major change in his life due to karate. Both he and Matebese came from a life of alcohol, drugs and crime before starting karate, so they have formed a very close relationship. Matebese even sees Solomon as "his future blackbelt." He hopes that one day Solomon will achieve his dreams and continue showing others how to live with discipline and focus in a community where those two values can be so hard to find.
Sylvie Grace
Sylvie Grace has a piercing on her bottom lip, a jellyfish tattoo that extends up her right art, “self made” tattooed on her knuckles and pink, purple and blue hair. She is also a classically trained cellist and a regular performer in front of the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL.
Laquan McDonald shooting video release
More than 100 protesters took to the streets of Chicago on Tuesday, after the release of a video that shows a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, ushering in the first of many expected demonstrations across the city.
The protest started at the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street less than two hours after Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy announced the release of a police dash-cam video of officer Jason Van Dyke unloading 16 shots into 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Breaking the Cycle
Melissa Hernandez is the driving force behind The Puerto Rico Project, an organization that helps victims of human trafficking sent to Chicago from Puerto Rico. Most of the men and women she helps are drug users, and they are specifically addicted to heroin. As part of the project, Hernandez goes out two nights a week and hands out food, clothing and clean syringes as part of a harm-reduction program.
After a few months of helping these victims and drug users, one of the guys she was helping died of an overdose in a vacant building. She found his body after he had passed away, and hasn’t yet recovered from what she saw.
Central Camera is Stocked With Film, Lenses and 117 Years of History
Don Flesch greets every customer that comes into Central Camera Company with a cookie. He’ll list them all for you if you need help choosing one: oatmeal raisin, dried cherry, chocolate chip, vanilla.
He’ll help you choose camera equipment the same way, making sure you know all your options before you buy.
Flesch is the third generation in his family to run the small store in downtown Chicago.
The full story is available here.
Black Friday protest: From the inside
A first-person account of the Black Friday protest on the Magnificent Mile following the release of the shooting video of Laquan McDonald in 2015.
The full story is available here.