Michael Hawthorne

Another Illinois coal plant is closing — the fifth announced in a month

September 17, 2019 at 1:37 p.m.

One of the dirtiest coal plants in Illinois will close within the next three years, the latest sign that the lung-damaging, climate-changing source of electricity is on the way out...

Aerial view of the General Iron Industries plant on the the North Branch of the Chicago River in Chicago on Sept. 28, 2018.

Reversing one of Emanuel’s last decisions, Lightfoot ensures clout-heavy scrap shredder leaves North Side by 2020

September 12, 2019 at 7:06 a.m.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot short-circuited one of her predecessor's last deals Wednesday, announcing an agreement that ensures a clout-heavy scrap shredder abandons its troubled North Side operation by the end of...

Lauren Kaeseberg voices her opposition to a judge's ruling that the Sterigenics plant can reopen, outside of the DuPage County Courthouse on Sept. 6, 2019.

DuPage County judge rules that Sterigenics plant can reopen in Willowbrook

September 6, 2019 at 6:46 p.m.

Sterigenics is a step closer to reopening its sterilization plant in west suburban Willowbrook, but local officials and community groups are pushing new measures that could drive the company out...

People protesting against Sterigenics and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency applaud during a public meeting in Willowbrook on Aug. 1, 2019.

A year later, fight against ethylene oxide persists: ‘These folks aren’t going away.’

September 6, 2019 at 5:45 p.m.

Cited as a public health threat for releasing cancer-causing ethylene oxide, Sterigenics remains closed under state order in west suburban Willowbrook. About 40 miles away, executives at Medline Industries and...

A Texas company is closing 4 Illinois coal plants but plans to keep some of its dirtiest units running

August 22, 2019 at 7:33 a.m.

Illinois will take another step away from coal by the end of the year when a Texas company shutters four downstate power plants that burn the lung-damaging, climate-changing fossil fuel....

The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk beach in Porter, Ind., is closed on Aug.15, 2019, after a chemical spill in a tributary of Lake Michigan.

Toxic spill from northwest Indiana steel mill kills fish, forces closure of Lake Michigan beaches

August 18, 2019 at 2:22 p.m.

Three Lake Michigan beaches remain closed after a northwest Indiana steel mill dumped toxic chemicals into a tributary earlier this week, an incident that was not reported to the public...

A person walks in front of Viant, a medical device manufacturer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 18, 2019. Grand Rapids residents face high cancer risks due to ethylene oxide gas coming from Viant.

More than half a million Americans exposed to toxic air pollution face cancer risks above EPA guidelines. Check the Tribune’s interactive map to see if you might be one of them.

April 15, 2024 at 5:11 p.m.

Neighbors used to barely notice the drab, low-slung industrial building across the river from downtown. The corporate name on the sign out front had changed a few times over the...

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