First Stop: COVID-19

Illinois Remains Among Nation's 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.

• Sports: How the Big Ten Conference fumbled the pandemic
• COVID-19 dashboards: Big Ten school cases | Cases by Chicago ZIP code
• Nurses: This story is not about COVID-19. It's about heroes
• Full coverage: Outbreak -- COVID-19 and Chicago | The Faces of COVID-19

Photo: Creative Commons

Second Stop: Election 2020

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)

Third Stop: Law Enforcement

Chicago Homicides Surge During Pandemic

The city's homicide rates have dropped after peaking in 2016, but data show that trend has shifted in a year when many are staying at home during a global pandemic.

• Graphics dashboard: Illinois firearm recovery | Chart: Chicago homicide rates
• Protests: CPD complaints increase as protesters seek accountability
• Marijuana: Legalized cannabis hasn't slowed business for drug dealers
• Prostitution: Survivors talk harsh realities of the industry
• Campus crime: How severe are gender-based crimes at universities?

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