EPA Hits 40-Year Lows in Staffing After Trump Targets Its Public Health Experts - Inside Climate News
An Inside Climate News analysis of just-released federal workforce data shows more than 4,000 employees departed between January 2025 and January 2026, including a majority of team leaders.
New federal workforce figures show the radical change at EPA in the first year of the Trump administration Among the 4,000 employees who departed in 2025 were scientists responsible for breakthroughs in testing for health risks of biopersistent chemicals.
07.03.2026 19:35
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Trump administration denies Illinois appeal for summer storms disaster relief
The Trump administration has officially denied an appeal from the state of Illinois for disaster relief funds for summer storms last year that affected 438,000 residents in five Illinois counties.
09.02.2026 23:16
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Extreme weather has spurred national blood supply shortage β hereβs how to help
The American Red Cross warned of a severe blood supply shortage on Jan. 20, ahead of extreme winter weather conditions across the country. Local health care specialists urge people to get out and donate.
29.01.2026 03:46
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Chicago health care workers honor Alex Pretti, call for abolition of ICE and general strike
A group of hundreds, many of them nurses still wearing badges after walking from their nearby hospitals, performed a Nightingale Tribute β a traditional send off for nurses β for Alex Pretti, who was killed Saturday by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis.
29.01.2026 04:16
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Southeast Side residents face Friday deadline for lawsuit over horrible smells
Residents say the odors are so strong they feel ill and itβs impossible to spend time outdoors. They have until Friday to decide if they want to be included or opt out of a class action lawsuit.
13.01.2026 18:41
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Protesters march in Little Village after ICE killing in Minneapolis
More than 100 people gathered under the Little Village arch Wednesday night for a vigil in solidarity with Minneapolis, whereΒ an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a driver earlier in the day.
08.01.2026 14:41
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There's a playlist at the end!
30.12.2025 18:38
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Jeff Tweedy's 30-song release Twilight Override was my favorite album of 2025. Check out the full list in comments.
30.12.2025 17:10
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From the Capitol to the clubhouse, a Sun-Times politics reporter took a swing at covering baseball
A Chicago Sun-Times political reporter fulfills a teenage dream by joining the White Sox beat, drawing parallels between sports and government coverage.
30.12.2025 15:31
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Re-remembering 11 Chicagoans who died in 2025
Chicago lost notable figures in 2025 β a larger-than-life artist, a basketball devotee nun, an Italian beef evangelist and a barkeep from Bridgeport among them.
30.12.2025 17:01
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An Obama quote gets installed atop presidential center
Construction workers at the Obama Presidential Center have begun installing 5-foot letters from a speech the former president delivered in 2015 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights marches.
27.12.2025 02:31
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Suburban business cited for big oily asphalt spill in Chicago canal
The state accused a suburban business of breaking environmental laws after even more asphalt was found in the Sanitary and Ship Canal more than 10 months after a spill of almost a half million gallons of the hot liquid substance.
23.12.2025 02:01
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The most pivotal moments of Operation Midway Blitz, captured by Sun-Times photographers
Raids, protests, shootings, arrests, the use of tear gas β Sun-Times photojournalists captured these moments in hundreds of photos over the last several months.
18.12.2025 22:31
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Illinois running low on power as AI data centers spike electricity demand
Illinois is running out of power. The news is a blow to Gov. JB Pritzkerβs climate change-fighting goals too, as demand from AI data centers soars while wind and solar development stalls.
16.12.2025 19:46
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A. Finkl & Sons to pay state $125,000 over emissions of harmful nitrous oxide at Far Southeast Side plant
A. Finkl & Sons, a Chicago steelmaker, agreed to add pollution controls and pay Illinois $125,000 to settle accusations of releasing excessive harmful gas in violation of environmental laws.
12.12.2025 20:21
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Architect Frank Gehry who designed Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion and foot bridge dies at 96
The visionary West Coast architect had deeply rooted Chicago connections and friendships.
Latest column. In addition to his Millennium Park and other work, Gehry traveled the world with the Pritzkers, briefly held an ownership stake in the Inland Steel Building, was nicknamed 'Frankgooch' by Stanley Tigerman & appeared on The Simpsons.
06.12.2025 03:54
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Chicago, suburbs to get millions from PCB pollution settlement with Monsanto
Monsanto, once the largest makers of a now-banned class of chemicals, agreed to pay the state $120 million and potentially more, under a settlement announced by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday.
02.12.2025 02:01
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State official accuses Trumpβs EPA of abandoning oily cleanup in Chicago canal
The stateβs top environmental official says the feds stopped oversight of the cleanup of an oily mess in a Chicago waterway before the job was done.
26.11.2025 00:31
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Bird watchers perch at Montrose Beach as snowy owls make early Chicago appearance
Two owls that landed on a pier near Montroseβs bird sanctuary have drawn hundreds hoping for a glimpse of the majestic species in an urban landscape. Word of the birds' arrival circulated on birder forums for a week.
26.11.2025 02:01
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Pritzker pleads for federal flood disaster aid after summer storms
The governor is asking the Trump administration to reverse course and provide money to help survivors of flooding across Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.
25.11.2025 00:56
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A pair of snowy owls spotted along Lake Michigan beach draws crowds in Chicago
A pair of snowy owls spotted along a Lake Michigan beach has drawn curious crowds and sparked happy speculation about how long the Arctic birds of prey will call Chicago home.
25.11.2025 02:16
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City lights official Christmas tree at Millennium Park
In one moment, more than 39,000 feet of lights wrapping the 68-foot Norwegian evergreen came to life, as fireworks lit up downtown Chicago and thousands let out a cheer for the holiday season.
22.11.2025 02:56
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