brettchase
Environmental reporter with @chicago.suntimes.com
chicago.suntimes.com/authors/brett-chase
- Reposted by brettchaseZillow scrubbed climate risk data under pressure from California’s real estate brokers and agents who were concerned about its impact on home prices. A plugin in development would restore that data.
- Reposted by brettchaseThe 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseA group of hundreds, many of them nurses still wearing badges after walking from their nearby hospitals, performed a Nightingale Tribute — a traditional send off for nurses — for Alex Pretti, who was killed Saturday by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis.
- Reposted by brettchaseChicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich, along with Roman Catholic leaders in Newark and D.C., calls out Trump admin for actions in Venezuela, threats toward Greenland. By @brettchase.bsky.social As always no paywall at Suntimes.com (though it might ask for your email) chicago.suntimes.com/religion/202...
- Reposted by brettchaseResidents say the odors are so strong they feel ill and it’s 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseMore than 100 people gathered under the Little Village arch Wednesday night for a vigil in solidarity with Minneapolis, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a driver earlier in the day.
- Jeff Tweedy's 30-song release Twilight Override was my favorite album of 2025. Check out the full list in comments.
- There's a playlist at the end!
- Reposted by brettchaseA Chicago Sun-Times political reporter fulfills a teenage dream by joining the White Sox beat, drawing parallels between sports and government coverage.
- Reposted by brettchaseChicago lost notable figures in 2025 — a larger-than-life artist, a basketball devotee nun, an Italian beef evangelist and a barkeep from Bridgeport among them.
- Reposted by brettchaseConstruction 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseThe 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.
- Propietario de planta del lado sureste pagará al estado de Illinois $125,000 por emisiones de gas dañino chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2025/...
- Reposted by brettchaseRaids, protests, shootings, arrests, the use of tear gas — Sun-Times photojournalists captured these moments in hundreds of photos over the last several months.
- Reposted by brettchaseIllinois is running out of power. The news is a blow to Gov. JB Pritzker’s climate change-fighting goals too, as demand from AI data centers soars while wind and solar development stalls.
- Reposted by brettchaseA. 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseLatest 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseMonsanto, 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.
- Pritzker pide ayuda federal por desastre de inundaciones tras tormentas de verano chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2025/...
- Reposted by brettchaseThe state’s top environmental official says the feds stopped oversight of the cleanup of an oily mess in a Chicago waterway before the job was done.
- Reposted by brettchasePHOTOS: A pair of snowy owls have taken roost of Montrose Harbor Beacon Pier, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
- Reposted by brettchaseTwo owls that landed on a pier near Montrose’s 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseThe governor is asking the Trump administration to reverse course and provide money to help survivors of flooding across Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.
- Reposted by brettchaseA 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.
- Reposted by brettchaseIn 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.
- I'm excited to be part of this!
- The USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and the @uscclimate.bsky.social are proud to announce our #USCHealthandClimate Reporting Fellows, who will be joining us on campus starting today. Read the press release: bit.ly/USCHealthandClimateChangeFellows
- Reposted by brettchaseThe Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project has spent years installing memorials throughout the city to honor those killed during the historic event. The latest additions were featured in a walking tour in the Loop on Saturday. trib.al/LCtDC50
- Reposted by brettchaseNearly half a million gallons of liquid asphalt spilled into the storied canal of the Chicago River earlier this year, leading to a massive EPA-led cleanup effort that continues almost nine months later.
- Reposted by brettchaseState lawmakers send Gov. JB Pritzker a plan to increase power in Illinois as demand across the country is hitting ComEd and Ameren utility customers. trib.al/t7h6CCq
- Reposted by brettchaseHalf a dozen people have been detained Friday morning, including a faith leader as protests got underway at the Broadview ICE facility. trib.al/PshoVcb
- Reposted by brettchaseMore than a dozen people were detained by federal agents Thursday at the Swap-O-Rama flea market on Chicago’s Southwest Side, according to Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th).
- A follow to this story I wrote earlier in October: States are now suing Trump for pulling solar funding. chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...
- Here's the latest. chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...
- Reposted by brettchaseCook County will now prohibit the use of county owned property, resources, and personnel for civil immigration enforcement. trib.al/MXnWsRR
- Reposted by brettchaseA week ago, a federal judge forbade agents from using gas and other “riot control” weapons without warning in Chicago as they carried out President Donald Trump’s deportation blitz.
- Reposted by brettchaseLess than 24 hours after federal agents intentionally plowed into an SUV and tear-gassed a crowd in a residential neighborhood on the Southeast Side, community organizers presented a clear message.
- Reposted by brettchaseA car crash involving federal immigration agents late Tuesday morning in the East Side neighborhood led to agents deploying tear gas after a large crowd gathered in protest of the federal agents.
- Reposted by brettchaseAt the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, a Facebook group used by nearly 80,000 people to report sightings of federal immigration agents in the Chicago area has been taken down by the social media giant Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
- Reposted by brettchaseFederal immigration authorities made multiple arrests, including a WGN employee, after apparently targeting a small group of landscapers in Lincoln Square.
- Reanudan demolición de silos de Damen tras la presentación de un plan de control de polvo chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2025/...
- Reposted by brettchaseBREAKING: Sister Jean Dolores Bertha Schmidt, chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team during its Cinderella run to the 2018 NCAA Final Four — has died.
- Reposted by brettchaseUntil June 24, the rule for holding immigrants at Broadview was 12 hours. Then the Trump Admin quietly changed the rule, increasing the max to 72 hours. And still they're holding people beyond that time as well.
- Reposted by brettchaseIllinois sued President Donald Trump early Monday morning over the deployment of National Guard troops into the state against the wishes of Gov. JB Pritzker. The lawsuit names Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem among the defendants. trib.al/VdUdLr0
- Reposted by brettchaseThe city of Chicago has halted the demolition of the historic Damen Silos due to “excessive dust,” according to Ald. Julia Ramirez.
- Reposted by brettchaseAt least 300 Illinois National Guard members will be deployed in Illinois for 60 days to protect federal immigration agents and property, according to a Pentagon memo obtained by NPR.
- Reposted by brettchaseFederal prosecutors have charged a woman who was shot by U.S. Border Patrol on the Southwest Side of Chicago, in what led to a heated confrontation between federal agents and around 100 protesters.
- Reposted by brettchaseA plan to help energy companies, local governments and others pay for programs to reduce harmful methane and other gas emissions was canceled by President Donald Trump’s administration this week. trib.al/mojzic4
- Reposted by brettchasePresident Trump pulled more than $130 million in federal funding that state officials had been counting on to expand rooftop solar programs and related initiatives for low-income residents.
- Reposted by brettchasePolice say they have opened an investigation into federal agents following an allegedly unprovoked attack on a CBS News Chicago reporter’s vehicle near the Broadview ICE facility.
- Reposted by brettchase8-year old Dasha Ramirez was playing with her brother at Millennium Park when Border Patrol took them. They’re now awaiting deportation to Guatemala. “We never imagined our Sunday would end this way, mother Noemi Chavez said. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/29/i...
- Reposted by brettchaseBREAKING: Body camera footage obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows the scene after an ICE agent fatally shot Silverio Villegas González. The ICE agent said his injuries were "nothing major," video shows, but DHS reported the agent was “seriously injured.” trib.al/Utk0Szp
- Reposted by brettchasePHOTOS: Protesters demonstrate at Broadview ICE facility in spite of more pepper balls, rubber rounds READ MORE HERE: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
- Reposted by brettchaseMidwest Generation is seeking city permission to tear down 13 structures, including storage tanks and silos, around the Fisk power plant. A virtual community meeting will be held Sept. 24 to discuss the “environmentally complex” demolition. trib.al/ZmdK2RP
- Reposted by brettchaseThe Chicago Architecture Center revealed this year’s Open House Chicago sites on Wednesday, and it includes 30 new spots on a list of more than 200.
- Reposted by brettchaseElmwood Park's fire chief Michael Terzo resigned after being charged with unlawful restraint, battery, and property damage following an incident where he allegedly tried to lock a tavern employee in a beer cooler and assaulted him.
- Reposted by brettchaseMan fatally shot by ICE in Franklin Park had just dropped off his child at school, Rep. Delia Ramirez says chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/09...
- Hey Chicagoans. You may be able to see neighborhood-level air pollution measurements in the coming months after the city put up 277 sensors. chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...
- Reposted by brettchaseCoal and solar both grew in their shares of the U.S. electricity market. Here’s a breakdown by state and a look at how other power sources fared.
- Reposted by brettchaseIowa residents say a House bill allowing agricultural pollution would be yet another blow to a state already facing a dire water crisis.
