Last winter’s heating costs were bad. This year could be worse. – Chicago Tribune

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Children with the respiratory illness RSV are filling Chicago-area children’s hospitals, leading to longer ER waits, occasionally delayed surgeries and difficulty transferring pediatric patients between hospitals.

RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, can cause a runny nose, coughing and fever, and in most people is mild and resolves within a week or two. But sometimes it can be more serious, especially among babies, causing pneumonia and inflammation of the small airways in the lung. Each year, about 1% to 2% of babies younger than 6 months old who catch RSV may need hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Lisa Schencker.

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On Tuesday, puppeteer Jerry Halliday brought out one of his puppets during a show celebrating Touché’s 45th anniversary and put on a performance that attendees have called racist and transphobic — and which has since plunged the bar into controversy.

One of four featured on Halliday’s website, the puppet in the show was called “Sista Girl” and resembles a Black woman. The act prompted people who were present to speak up — with two of them calling it a “huge slap in the face” — and even caused a bartender to walk out in the middle of his shift.

Our annual Top Workplaces report spotlights what companies are doing to recruit and retain the best employees while also cultivating loyalty.

Strong leadership, a culture of collaboration and communication, and a commitment to helping employees advance in their careers are fundamental strengths that the companies in our report share. Some go a little further by offering generous perks, including free massages, education reimbursements and access to company-owned vacation condos. See if your company made the list.

It may cost hundreds of dollars more to stay warm this winter in Chicago and the suburbs, with rising natural gas prices and ongoing ratepayer-funded repair work projected to raise bills by as much as 30% over last year.

Residential customers of Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas and Nicor Gas will all likely feel the pricing heat as temperatures drop, adding to the broader inflationary pressures weighing on many households.

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A few days a month, Dr. Esgar Guarín hits the road in his mobile vasectomy clinic, crisscrossing the Iowa heartland to reach patients throughout the state, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles from his Des Moines-area office.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, Guarín and other medical providers across the country encountered a surge in patients rushing to get a vasectomy, a highly effective male sterilization procedure.

After a week of trying to refocus following trades of team captains Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn, the Chicago Bears will host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Dolphins (5-3) have won both games since quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion, while the Bears (3-5) are trying to pick up the pieces from a lopsided loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.

As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the game.

Cheesesteak, the iconic Philadelphia sandwich, could be a cousin to the Italian beef of Chicago.

Since the Phillies made it to the World Series — loaded with three former Cubs, no less — it’s a good time to explore what makes a classic cheesesteak great, and where to find them around our city.