Rafaela Jinich

1 month ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Rafaela Jinich

Parishioners filled the pews of the Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on Sunday to celebrate an unprecedented moment in Catholic and American history: the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff — and a son of Chicago’s South Side. Presiding over the Mass was Bishop Daniel Turley, a fellow member of the Augustinian order and close friend of the newly elected pope. The two worked side by side in Peru decades ago, and Turley was one of the pope’s supervisors.

2 months ago | wbez.org | Rafaela Jinich

Eden Essex and her partner, Daniel Eastman, have long dedicated Saturday evenings throughout the summer to their “date night with the plovers.”As the birds’ monitors, they regularly don bright orange shirts and settle in at Montrose Beach to watch over Chicago’s piping plovers. “We love watching the birds, but we also love sharing that joy with others,” Essex said. Essex and Eastman were among the first monitors to sign up in 2019 when piping plovers returned to Chicago’s beaches.

Mar 28, 2025 | chicago.suntimes.com | Matt Moore |Rafaela Jinich |Genevieve Bookwalter |Cindy Hernandez

Back in 2019, piping plovers returned to Chicago’s beaches for the first time in nearly 65 years. They’ve since become objects of fascination for local bird lovers, as the small, sand-colored shorebirds return each spring. Some plover fans have taken on the role of monitor, in hopes of helping these endangered birds once they come back to the city. In today’s newsletter: How piping plover monitors are preparing for their feathered friends’ arrival.

Mar 23, 2025 | chicago.suntimes.com | Rafaela Jinich

Eden Essex and her partner, Daniel Eastman, have long dedicated Saturday evenings throughout the summer to their “date night with the plovers.”As the birds’ monitors, they regularly don bright orange shirts and settle in at Montrose Beach to watch over Chicago’s piping plovers. “We love watching the birds, but we also love sharing that joy with others,” Essex said. Essex and Eastman were among the first monitors to sign up in 2019 when piping plovers returned to Chicago’s beaches.

Mar 20, 2025 | chicago.suntimes.com | Rafaela Jinich

Chicago’s airports are buzzing with travelers as spring break kicks off, marking the start of what officials say could be a record-breaking travel season. The Chicago Department of Aviation expects more than 3.36 million people to pass through O’Hare and Midway airports between March 20 and March 31 — up 4% from last year.