TV is fascinated by ‘zombie’ fungus. So is this Chicago scientist.
Field Museum researcher Matt Nelsen took WBEZ deep into collections to see the mind-controlling fungus that inspired HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Here’s what we learned.

WBEZ’s Patrick Smith explains how police accountability works in Chicago and how much power the mayor has in that process.
Get instant results to help you make a smart choice at the polls on Feb. 28.
The Factotum, the debut from Chicago baritone Will Liverman, is not your grandparents’ opera.
From school closings to shrinking enrollment and finances, the candidates for mayor have a lot to talk about for the future of Chicago’s schools.
The decision marks an about-face from his stand in 2019, when he returned a donation from Deborah Quazzo.
In a testy debate between nine mayoral candidates, businessman Willie Wilson was targeted for his repeated calls for police to be allowed to “hunt people down like rabbits.“
Illinois law bars insurers from charging out-of-network rates for neonatal care at in-network hospitals. But that didn’t keep it from happening to this Chicago family.
Marie Leaner was one of the few Black members of a covert abortion network active in Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s. On the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, she tells her story.
“Testimonies on Paper” features 13 poems crafted in response to works of art from Chicago’s South Asia Institute.
She joined the paper in 2017, leading it through new digital efforts and its conversion to nonprofit status as part of Chicago Public Media.
Frayed public health leaders left their posts in droves as the pandemic wore on. Not Arwady — she is steeling herself for her next front.
It’s a chance for these shops “to have exposure outside their neighborhoods,” said Tamieka Hardy of the Greater Chatham Initiative.
Nearly 11% of eateries taking part in Restaurant Week are adding surcharges to checks. The fees that started during the pandemic are illegal in New York.
Some residents say the wall serves as a “historic monument” to those who lived in the community. It’s in danger of being demolished.
Vallas gave back $500 from Deborah Quazzo in 2019, but the businesswoman has donated $7,500 to his campaign in next month’s election.
How to register to vote, find your polling place and mail your ballot in Chicago’s election for mayor, aldermen and district council races.