First Stop: COVID-19

Illinois Among Nation's 2020 Leaders in COVID-19 Cases

Illinois ranks in the top 5 U.S. states for COVID-19 cases since March, but drops to 31st when population is factored.

• Maps: Vaccination centers | Vaccinations by ZIP code
• Graphics: Cook County Jail outbreaks | Vaccine rollout nationally
• Sports: How the Big Ten Conference fumbled the pandemic
• COVID-19 dashboards: Cases by Chicago ZIP code | COVID-19 on Big Ten campuses
• Full coverage: Outbreak -- COVID-19 and Chicago | The Faces of COVID-19

Photo: Creative Commons

Second Stop: Crime

Chicago Sees Unprecedented Spike in Carjackings

Police say Chicago is on pace for a record 1,800 carjackings this year. We mapped the 336 in Chicago in just the first two months of 2021.

• Graphics: Neighborhood crime | 2020 Chicago opioid data
• Crime: Homicides surge during pandemic
• Dashboard: Illinois firearm recovery | Chart: Chicago homicide rates
• Protests: CPD complaints increase as protesters seek accountability
• Crime: Legalized cannabis | Prostitution

Third Stop: Election Analysis

Young Voters Turn out in Historic Numbers

The 2020 election may prove to have a historic turnout of young voters, with the conservative end of calculations showing 52% of eligible voters ages 18 to 29 years-old cast ballots, an eight-point increase from 2016, an analysis of election data shows.

• National data: Highest voter turnout in more than a century
• Filtered map: Illinois turnout by county
• Pandemic: For poll workers, it was an Election Day like no other
  
  Chicagoans wear masks as they vote at UIC. (Photo/Jonah Nink)

Fourth Stop: The Economy

Happy Graduation! Here's Your Spot in the Unemployment Line

June and December graduates are facing many closed doors as they try to hunt for entry-level jobs during the pandemic. Many are turning to service-industry jobs, which have been disappearing with the health restrictions.

• Stimulus: Will a second stimulus package help or hurt the economy?
• Marijuana: Equity a struggle for cannabis industry | Illinois dispensaries map 
• Lakeview: Rebranding of Boystown, Chicago's proudest neighborhood
• COVID restrictions: Businesses get creative | Restaurants struggling

Photo: Wikimedia Commons