Everything you should do this fall is on this list
Updated for 2023: Whether you’re seeking pumpkin patches or corn mazes, hikes or scenic drives, here are 10 ways to revel in the Midwest’s most glorious season.

Musician AMAYO talks about his work in the Afrobeats genre ahead of his performance at the World Music Festival on Saturday, September 30.
The measure, if cleared by the full Council, would give restaurants 5 years to raise wages.
Here are the tools Chicago Public Schools is using to help close the gap.
A top Johnson aide said the INVEST South/West development program on the South and West sides, a hallmark of the Lori Lightfoot administration, is perceived as “an unfulfilled promise.”
Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. as of July 31 can sign up for Temporary Protected Status. Homeland Security officials estimate that roughly 472,000 more people will now be eligible for work permits.
The district had lost students for 11 consecutive years and last year gave up its status as the nation’s third-largest public school system. CPS has lost more than 80,000 kids in that time.
Regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time, tennis legend Serena Williams blazed a trail for generations to come.
Dogs must be vaccinated and have a permit to visit a dog park. But is anyone checking?
Chicago alderpeople advanced a plan to raise tipped workers’ pay to the city’s minimum wage over five years. It still needs full council approval.
Nationally, about a third of foster care youth identify as LGBTQ+, and researchers say they are at significantly higher risk of experiencing homelessness and physical harm.
The county was already helping rent the former hotels in Evanston and Oak Park. The plan won approval from a county board committee, though some commissioners want low-income south suburbs prioritized.
The age 65+ crowd is the fastest-growing age group of cannabis users.
It’s not quite marijuana but sellers promise a marijuana-like buzz. Reset gets the details on Delta-8 and other hemp products.
Mayor Johnson’s salary could increase $4,800 due to an automatic pay raise tied to inflation. But his office won’t say if he took the money.
Research shows midwives help improve outcomes for both parent and child. But hospitals across the Chicago area are not investing in midwife programs.
WBEZ visited a school CPS hopes can lead the way for other schools struggling with math as state elementary school test scores are released.
Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to abolish cash bail. The historic change took effect on Monday, prompting confusion and long days.
Supporters say Mexican Independence Day celebrations are no different than St. Patrick’s Day or sports championships.
A look at the joys of a closed-down street, passed down from generation to generation.
Despite a frenzied morning of last-minute preparations, the hearings at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse were not substantially different from the old cash bail system.
The program is social and educational. Attendees can expect sensory experiences, low-impact physical activity and lessons about wildlife.
Dozens of people in prison wrote to WBEZ’s Prisoncast! asking for updates on efforts to expand parole and clemency in Illinois. Here’s what we learned.
Illinois Democrats said they cut ties with the prominent public relations firm SKDK following reporting by NPR about an undisclosed conflict of interest in a sexual harassment case.
It’s been two years since the Pretrial Fairness Act was passed, but questions remain on who will be jailed and who will not.
“Things aren’t going to be too different for us,” said Cook County Judge Mary Marubio. “It’s just that money will no longer be a condition of release.”
The parade landed on the holiday for the first time in its 26 years, bringing out more spectators after bad weather and COVID had dampened the event in recent years.
Without the federal funds that saved the child care sector during the pandemic, the industry risks collapse, policy experts say.
Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck says residents need to battle pandemic fatigue and “boost up,” even if they are feeling “boosted out.”
Local librarians say the unfounded bomb threats have become almost routine and represent a deeper political and cultural divide.
The fest will host dozens of events over the next two months with actors, writers, chefs and other big thinkers taking center stage.
La Tanya Jenifor-Sublett was released from prison a decade ago. Despite having years to prepare, her transition back was not easy.
The ambitious $2.2 billion initiative focused on neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides.
From a tax to help the unhoused to raising the minimum wage for restaurant workers, a slew of plans progressives have long wanted got introduced — but passage remains miles away.
The online application GoCPS opened this week for 2024-25 enrollment, kicking off the annual scramble for K-9 students looking to get into the city’s test-in elementary and high schools.
Chicago Public Library branches and some suburban libraries closed their doors after “digital bomb threats” later deemed to be a hoax.
In a relationship, who loves more? And is there such a thing as loving equally, and if so, show us the tutorial!
Michael Miles, who will play Bach’s Suites for Cello on the banjo this weekend at Evanston Space, has a new album that challenges what you think the instrument can do.
Judges will be limited in who they can hold in jail pretrial. Rural leaders say they don’t have the staffing to handle the change.
Newly disclosed evidence revealed an apparent conflict of interest for Biden adviser Anita Dunn, when she consulted for Michael Madigan as he faced #MeToo related allegations in 2018.
Winters shares her experience growing up in the South Side neighborhood of Beverly and how it shaped her journey in comedy.
CPS data shows that the number of suspensions across the district dropped from 49,708 in 2014 to about 10,000 in 2022.
The resumption comes after a judge ruled that an 1849 law that seemingly banned the procedure actually didn’t apply to abortions.
Mike Petryshyn, whose festival returns this week for its 17th edition, connects the condition to his early love of punk music and his tendency to think of solutions but have trouble executing them.
Johnson has criticized past mayors’ reliance on raising property taxes, saying he won’t burden working families. The budget hole is due in part to the influx of migrants and pension costs.
An earthquake in Morocco and a flood in Libya killed thousands. Chicagoans are working to provide aid and resources for survivors.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy opened an inquiry Tuesday into President Joe Biden, claiming a “culture of corruption” in the Biden family.
The new column ‘Starting Over’ will focus on redefining what it means to be an older American. It publishes on Sundays.
A top board official says the courts, not the election board, would determine if Trump’s ties to the insurrection disqualify him from being on the ballot.
Poverty rose 12.4% in 2022 according to census data released Tuesday. So, why the rise? And how are Chicagoans stepping up?
The Pulitzer-winning playwright has come a long way since feeling intimidated by theater kids years ago at freshman orientation at the University of Chicago.
Neighborhoods on Chicago’s West and Northwest sides have experienced the biggest increases. Citywide numbers are still lower than 10 years ago.
Libraries in Chicago, Aurora, Addison and Evanston were targeted. The incidents were investigated and deemed unfounded. “It’s a little horrifying,” said a student studying at Harold Washington Library Center.
WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times showcase the work of its award-winning visual journalists along the walls of the popular tourist destination.
The proposal aims to stop using police station lobbies and airports as points of intake, where nearly 2,000 migrants are currently staying.
Universal fare passes. A new governing structure. Here’s how a planning group wants to patch up CTA, Metra and PACE.
A new study finds moving to restorative practices to respond to student misconduct has led to a significant reduction in suspensions and arrests.