Adriana Pérez
@adrianaperez.bsky.social
she/her/ella ✶ Environment and climate change for @chicagotribune.com 🌱 Sometimes immigration and breaking news. Notre Dame alum. Ecuadorian.
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160 million problem.
Very proud of this investigation for @chicagotribune.com with Jonathan Bullington, graphics by Claire Malon and photos by E. Jason Wambsgans. Gift link:
Very proud of this investigation for @chicagotribune.com with Jonathan Bullington, graphics by Claire Malon and photos by E. Jason Wambsgans. Gift link:
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160M problem.
Abandoned oil and gas wells pose environmental and public health risks. For three decades, the state has mismanaged funds earmarked for minimizing the threat.
www.chicagotribune.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:44 PM
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160 million problem.
Very proud of this investigation for @chicagotribune.com with Jonathan Bullington, graphics by Claire Malon and photos by E. Jason Wambsgans. Gift link:
Very proud of this investigation for @chicagotribune.com with Jonathan Bullington, graphics by Claire Malon and photos by E. Jason Wambsgans. Gift link:
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
"Left unplugged, some of these wells leak toxic chemicals hundreds of feet below the surface, potentially contaminating groundwater, and spit climate-warming methane gas into the atmosphere." Jonathan Bullington and @adrianaperez.bsky.social
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160M problem.
Abandoned oil and gas wells pose environmental and public health risks. For three decades, the state has mismanaged funds earmarked for minimizing the threat.
www.chicagotribune.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:33 PM
"Left unplugged, some of these wells leak toxic chemicals hundreds of feet below the surface, potentially contaminating groundwater, and spit climate-warming methane gas into the atmosphere." Jonathan Bullington and @adrianaperez.bsky.social
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160M problem. Great story by Jonathan Bullington and @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/i...
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160M problem.
Abandoned oil and gas wells pose environmental and public health risks. For three decades, the state has mismanaged funds earmarked for minimizing the threat.
www.chicagotribune.com
January 18, 2026 at 3:21 PM
At one time, Illinois was a top oil producer. Today, that legacy is a $160M problem. Great story by Jonathan Bullington and @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/i...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Bison return to Kane County after 200 years, a crucial step for conservation and Indigenous connection. Come for @adrianaperez.bsky.social great story, stay for Jason Wambsgans' great photos www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/25/b...
Bison return to Kane County after 200 years, a crucial step for conservation and Indigenous connection
Citizens can help monitor the prairie and bison, and Native Americans can reconnect to their roots under a community science program.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 25, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Bison return to Kane County after 200 years, a crucial step for conservation and Indigenous connection. Come for @adrianaperez.bsky.social great story, stay for Jason Wambsgans' great photos www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/25/b...
Chicago just had its snowiest start to the season since 1978. But predicting how much snow it'll get over the next few months can be tricky. Here's what's happening to seasons in Illinois — including increasingly warming falls, like the one we just had. For @chicagotribune.com:
A snowy, cold start to winter follows a very warm fall. How are Illinois seasons changing?
In Chicago, fall is the second fastest-warming season after winter, and outliers, like this week’s cold, don’t lessen the impact of climate change, experts say.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Chicago just had its snowiest start to the season since 1978. But predicting how much snow it'll get over the next few months can be tricky. Here's what's happening to seasons in Illinois — including increasingly warming falls, like the one we just had. For @chicagotribune.com:
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
A snowy, cold start to winter follows a very warm fall. How are Illinois seasons changing? Story from environmental ace @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/i...
A snowy, cold start to winter follows a very warm fall. How are Illinois seasons changing?
In Chicago, fall is the second fastest-warming season after winter, and outliers, like this week’s cold, don’t lessen the impact of climate change, experts say.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:17 PM
A snowy, cold start to winter follows a very warm fall. How are Illinois seasons changing? Story from environmental ace @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/i...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
I'm in the @chicagotribune.com today calling on @govpritzker.illinois.gov to protect the Illinois wetlands that keep floods out of our basements & our water clean.
EPA's new rule would strip the vast majority of Illinois wetlands of Clean Water Act protections.
Article by @adrianaperez.bsky.social
EPA's new rule would strip the vast majority of Illinois wetlands of Clean Water Act protections.
Article by @adrianaperez.bsky.social
Illinois lawmakers urged to ‘step up’ and ‘fight like hell’ as EPA moves to cut wetlands protections
New U.S. EPA rule would strip protections from 72% of the state’s remaining wetlands, which play a crucial role in mitigating flooding and filtering drinking water.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I'm in the @chicagotribune.com today calling on @govpritzker.illinois.gov to protect the Illinois wetlands that keep floods out of our basements & our water clean.
EPA's new rule would strip the vast majority of Illinois wetlands of Clean Water Act protections.
Article by @adrianaperez.bsky.social
EPA's new rule would strip the vast majority of Illinois wetlands of Clean Water Act protections.
Article by @adrianaperez.bsky.social
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
The state has already lost 90% of its original wetlands to urban development and agriculture. Advocates want the state to protect what remains now that the EPA is cutting protections. By @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/i...
Illinois lawmakers urged to ‘step up’ and ‘fight like hell’ as EPA moves to cut wetlands protections
New U.S. EPA rule would strip protections from 72% of the state’s remaining wetlands, which play a crucial role in mitigating flooding and filtering drinking water.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:28 PM
The state has already lost 90% of its original wetlands to urban development and agriculture. Advocates want the state to protect what remains now that the EPA is cutting protections. By @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/i...
Illinois lawmakers urged to 'step up' and 'fight like hell' as EPA moves to cut federal protections for wetlands.
The state has lost 90% of its original wetlands and currently has no comprehensive safeguards. For @chicagotribune.com:
The state has lost 90% of its original wetlands and currently has no comprehensive safeguards. For @chicagotribune.com:
Illinois lawmakers urged to ‘step up’ and ‘fight like hell’ as EPA moves to cut wetlands protections
New U.S. EPA rule would strip protections from 72% of the state’s remaining wetlands, which play a crucial role in mitigating flooding and filtering drinking water.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Illinois lawmakers urged to 'step up' and 'fight like hell' as EPA moves to cut federal protections for wetlands.
The state has lost 90% of its original wetlands and currently has no comprehensive safeguards. For @chicagotribune.com:
The state has lost 90% of its original wetlands and currently has no comprehensive safeguards. For @chicagotribune.com:
In my first collab with @chicagotribune.com data reporter Claire Malon, we take a look at the bird flu and how the 2 million (!) cases in turkeys this year are affecting wholesale and retail prices ahead of Thanksgiving — as well as recurring challenges since the start of the outbreak in 2022 🦃
Bird flu cases are on the rise again, including 2 million turkeys. Will that affect your Thanksgiving dinner?
Turkeys make up approximately 2% of the entire U.S. poultry inventory, but account for 24% of new cases in commercial and backyard flocks.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:32 PM
In my first collab with @chicagotribune.com data reporter Claire Malon, we take a look at the bird flu and how the 2 million (!) cases in turkeys this year are affecting wholesale and retail prices ahead of Thanksgiving — as well as recurring challenges since the start of the outbreak in 2022 🦃
For the last 16 years, this Winnetka couple has helped plant almost half a million fruit trees — mostly breadfruit — across the Caribbean and Africa, about 250,000 of those in Jamaica alone.
Breadfruit trees are climate-resilient and ensure food security post-hurricane. Gift link:
Breadfruit trees are climate-resilient and ensure food security post-hurricane. Gift link:
In hurricane-torn Jamaica, Winnetka couple’s climate-resilient breadfruit program offers food and hope
After Hurricane Melissa’s exceptionally strong winds subsided, the roots of breadfruit trees clung deep into the fertile Jamaican soil — offering hope and a step toward food security in the f…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
For the last 16 years, this Winnetka couple has helped plant almost half a million fruit trees — mostly breadfruit — across the Caribbean and Africa, about 250,000 of those in Jamaica alone.
Breadfruit trees are climate-resilient and ensure food security post-hurricane. Gift link:
Breadfruit trees are climate-resilient and ensure food security post-hurricane. Gift link:
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
"In areas densely packed with tall cattails," @adrianaperez.bsky.social reports, "muskrats create a 'patchwork' of small openings that allow plants of different heights to grow. That, in turn, creates habitat for diverse native wildlife."
Muskrats fight invasive cattails and help restore biodiversity in Great Lakes wetlands, Loyola study finds
Dam-building beavers are known for changing their ecosystems; muskrats can substantially alter vegetation structure.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:40 PM
"In areas densely packed with tall cattails," @adrianaperez.bsky.social reports, "muskrats create a 'patchwork' of small openings that allow plants of different heights to grow. That, in turn, creates habitat for diverse native wildlife."
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
A great read about the environment and muskrats: With their surgical nibbles, these large, semi-aquatic, buck-toothed rodents have emerged as crucial helpers for ecologists restoring degraded wetlands across the Great Lakes. By @adrianaperez.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/m...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/m...
Muskrats fight invasive cattails and help restore biodiversity in Great Lakes wetlands, Loyola study finds
Dam-building beavers are known for changing their ecosystems; muskrats can substantially alter vegetation structure.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A great read about the environment and muskrats: With their surgical nibbles, these large, semi-aquatic, buck-toothed rodents have emerged as crucial helpers for ecologists restoring degraded wetlands across the Great Lakes. By @adrianaperez.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/m...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/m...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
A man is in the hospital after a violent arrest by an immigration agent. Disturbing video below. @adrianaperez.bsky.social with the story for @chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/02/m...
November 3, 2025 at 2:28 AM
A man is in the hospital after a violent arrest by an immigration agent. Disturbing video below. @adrianaperez.bsky.social with the story for @chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/02/m...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
November 3, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Videos on social media show Ricardo Aguayo Rodriguez struggling on the ground while a federal immigration agent keeps him in a headlock during an arrest in Melrose Park, IL.
“Por favor, amigo,” he pleads as he groans and yells in pain. He has been hospitalized.
w/ @staceywescott.bsky.social:
“Por favor, amigo,” he pleads as he groans and yells in pain. He has been hospitalized.
w/ @staceywescott.bsky.social:
Man hospitalized after violent federal immigration arrest in Melrose Park, family says
Videos shared on social media show man struggling on the ground while a federal agent keeps him in a headlock.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Videos on social media show Ricardo Aguayo Rodriguez struggling on the ground while a federal immigration agent keeps him in a headlock during an arrest in Melrose Park, IL.
“Por favor, amigo,” he pleads as he groans and yells in pain. He has been hospitalized.
w/ @staceywescott.bsky.social:
“Por favor, amigo,” he pleads as he groans and yells in pain. He has been hospitalized.
w/ @staceywescott.bsky.social:
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Important story: In Chicago, immigrants who thought they were following the legal path are also facing deportation under Trump crackdown. By @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/05/i...
In Chicago, immigrants who thought they were following the legal path are also facing deportation under Trump crackdown
If immigrants entered the country illegally or are without granted status, attorneys say they have no protections under a second Trump administration.
www.chicagotribune.com
October 5, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Important story: In Chicago, immigrants who thought they were following the legal path are also facing deportation under Trump crackdown. By @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/05/i...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
As masked government functionaries invade Chicago neighborhoods on behalf of Trump, members of the clergy stand up and bear witness: @tesskenny.bsky.social @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/i...
October 4, 2025 at 4:24 AM
As masked government functionaries invade Chicago neighborhoods on behalf of Trump, members of the clergy stand up and bear witness: @tesskenny.bsky.social @adrianaperez.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/i...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Pritzker: "In any other country, if federal agents fired upon journalists & protesters when unprovoked what would we call it? If officials marched down streets harassing civilians & demanding their papers, what would we say? I don't think we'd have trouble calling it what it is: authoritarianism"
September 29, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Pritzker: "In any other country, if federal agents fired upon journalists & protesters when unprovoked what would we call it? If officials marched down streets harassing civilians & demanding their papers, what would we say? I don't think we'd have trouble calling it what it is: authoritarianism"
Police investigate after CBS Chicago reporter’s truck shot out with a pepper ball outside ICE facility in Broadview, a day after an independent journalist was detained by agents while covering a protest there. For @chicagotribune.com:
Police investigate after CBS Chicago reporter’s truck shot out with a pepper ball outside ICE facility in Broadview
The alleged shooting happened the same day a journalist was released after being detained by federal immigration agents while covering a protest outside the ICE facility Saturday.
www.chicagotribune.com
September 29, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Police investigate after CBS Chicago reporter’s truck shot out with a pepper ball outside ICE facility in Broadview, a day after an independent journalist was detained by agents while covering a protest there. For @chicagotribune.com:
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Roughly 20 bystanders and passersby started following the officers through downtown Chicago, chanting “ICE, go home!”
The crowd of protesters around them grew bigger, yelling “shame.”
📝 @adrianaperez.bsky.social + Cam'ron Hardy
📷 @briancassella.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/i...
The crowd of protesters around them grew bigger, yelling “shame.”
📝 @adrianaperez.bsky.social + Cam'ron Hardy
📷 @briancassella.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/i...
September 29, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Roughly 20 bystanders and passersby started following the officers through downtown Chicago, chanting “ICE, go home!”
The crowd of protesters around them grew bigger, yelling “shame.”
📝 @adrianaperez.bsky.social + Cam'ron Hardy
📷 @briancassella.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/i...
The crowd of protesters around them grew bigger, yelling “shame.”
📝 @adrianaperez.bsky.social + Cam'ron Hardy
📷 @briancassella.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/i...
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Reportedly some ICE detainees are held for days, even up to a week. Our room stank of sweat & pepper ball powder after just a few hours. Their room appeared dirty, filled with men dressed for labor, trying to get comfortable to sleep in chairs or on the cold floor in the cinder block room.
September 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reportedly some ICE detainees are held for days, even up to a week. Our room stank of sweat & pepper ball powder after just a few hours. Their room appeared dirty, filled with men dressed for labor, trying to get comfortable to sleep in chairs or on the cold floor in the cinder block room.
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
I saw one man sitting in the room who had gauze wrapped around his head like he had a serious head wound. The room looked uncomfortably full at half "capacity." Keep in mind, this is seating capacity. Imagine a conference room with max capacity 80, and then holding people in there for days.
September 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I saw one man sitting in the room who had gauze wrapped around his head like he had a serious head wound. The room looked uncomfortably full at half "capacity." Keep in mind, this is seating capacity. Imagine a conference room with max capacity 80, and then holding people in there for days.
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Their rooms were maybe 30x30. Each room was marked with a sign reading "Capacity: 83" (I think, it was low 80s). There were roughly 40 men in one room, with an open bathroom area to the side. It was harder to get a look at the women's holding room, but looked like 10-12 women.
September 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Their rooms were maybe 30x30. Each room was marked with a sign reading "Capacity: 83" (I think, it was low 80s). There were roughly 40 men in one room, with an open bathroom area to the side. It was harder to get a look at the women's holding room, but looked like 10-12 women.
Reposted by Adriana Pérez
Yes, arresting a journalist for doing their job is a big flashing red light. But I don't want people to forget the whole reason everyone is out there.
This is what I saw inside:
Four holding rooms. Two smaller rooms were being used for holding protesters. Two larger rooms held ICE/CBP captives.
This is what I saw inside:
Four holding rooms. Two smaller rooms were being used for holding protesters. Two larger rooms held ICE/CBP captives.
September 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Yes, arresting a journalist for doing their job is a big flashing red light. But I don't want people to forget the whole reason everyone is out there.
This is what I saw inside:
Four holding rooms. Two smaller rooms were being used for holding protesters. Two larger rooms held ICE/CBP captives.
This is what I saw inside:
Four holding rooms. Two smaller rooms were being used for holding protesters. Two larger rooms held ICE/CBP captives.