Photos: April was a colorful month for Daily Herald photographers
Becky Waltz and her Great Dane Piper with some of her 19 puppies Thursday, April 23, 2026 at her home in Batavia.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Jose Antonio Vital portrays Jesus as he marches with his cross as Catholics observe Via Crucis (Way of the Cross or Stations of the Cross) on Good Friday during a passion march along Anderson Drive Friday, April 3, 2026 departs from St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Palatine.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Doctor Bassam Kawadry of Ascension Saint Alexius Hospital talks to the Daily Herald Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Hoffman Estates about precautions for using e-bikes and e-scooters as the weather warms.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Cynthia Brooks pushes a walker to check dogs’ reactions during an Endeavor Health testing session for its Animal-Assisted Therapy program at Edward and Elmhurst hospitals. Dogs and their handlers were put through temperament testing to see if they fill the bill.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Ranger Skillings, 8, rakes while his mom, Randi distributes wildflower seeds during a Spring Clean Up event at Vogelei Park in celebration of Earth Day on Saturday, April 25, 2026 in Hoffman Estates.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Three-year-old Xuri Negron, of Elgin is not quite sure what to make of all the animals as she feeds them during the planet party for Earth day Saturday, April 25, 2026 at Randall Oaks Zoo in West Dundee.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
A young Easter egg enthusiast gets a head start before being called back with the others during the Sleepy Hollow Service Club Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 4, 2026 in Sleepy Hollow.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
The Easter Bunny arrives during the Sleepy Hollow Service Club Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 4, 2026 in Sleepy Hollow.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
With sun streaming in through a skylight inside the Chapel of St. Joseph, Fr. Esequiel Sanchez delivers Easter Sunday mass in English to a full audience on Sunday, April 5, 2026 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines. Held in Spanish and English, services for Holy Week are one of the most attended events of the year at the Shrine.
Ryan Rayburn / for the Daily Herald
Jessica Tamay, of Chicago, attends the English Easter Sunday mass at the Chapel of St. Joseph on Sunday, April 5, 2026 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe In Des Plaines. Services for Easter week were held in Spanish and English and open to the public.
Ryan Rayburn / for the Daily Herald
The Mundelein Police Department held a Cops ‘N’ Bobbers fishing derby on Saint Marys Lake at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake seminary.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com, 2018
Receding Des Plaines River floodwaters leaves debris and dead fish on Camp Ground Road on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
The now-closed Family Aquatic Center in Wheeling is being demolished and will be replaced by a new facility on the same site. On Wednesday, the bucket in the Tsunami Splash area dumped water for the last time before being torn down.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Emma Bradford, 2, of Buffalo Grove plays with a checker drop game at the Wheeling Earth Day on April 26, 2026 in Wheeling.
Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald
Anthony Catalano, a professional kite handler from Elmwood Park, keeps this large kite in the air in low winds at the Wheeling Earth Day on April 26, 2026 in Wheeling.
Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald
Petting Taz,a white-throated monitor lizard include, from far left, Alisa Plots, 5, of Wheeling and third from left, Sabrina Sovych, 5, also from Wheeling during the reptile show at the Wheeling Earth Day on April 26, 2026 in Wheeling.
Karie Angell Luc/for the Daily Herald
Firefighter Gino Casciola of the Addison Fire Protection District is receiving the Illinois Fire Service Medal of Valor for rescuing two fellow firefighters who were trapped in a burning building in May.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson enters a ceremony to be inducted to the Elgin High School Hall of Fame Tuesday, April 28, 2026 in Elgin.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Stroke survivor Kathy Baraban, of Oak Forest and her boyfriend Steve Bilski of Tinley Park view the Mobile Stroke Unit that Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital has unveiled, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Winfield. The specialized ambulance is equipped with personnel, equipment and imaging capability to diagnose and treat stroke patients before they reach the hospital.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Construction continues on the new stadium at Larkin High School Friday, April 3, 2026 in Elgin.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Father Chris Mihalopoulos blesses parishoners with rose water during the traditional Good Friday service at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine on Apr. 10, 2026.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
The ornate Epitaphios, which represents the tomb of Christ, is carried out of St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine on Holy Friday, Apr. 10, 2026. 1,500 parishioners followed it with lighted candles.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
About 1,500 people followed a Epitaphios, a representation of the tomb of Christ, through the parking lot of St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine during the traditional Good Friday service on Apr. 10, 2026.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Five-year-old Wyatt Zick, of Warrenville fist bumps spider man during the WPLD FanCon Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Warrenville Public Library.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Carter Millen sits alongside a stuffed bear while Lincoln Jacobson enjoys custard as the pair of eight-year-olds from Lake Zurich sit in bleachers while a dance demonstration takes place during the Everything EXPO at the Foglia YMCA on Saturday, April 11, 2026 in Lake Zurich.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Olympic speed skater Ethan Cepuran was celebrated during a reception at the Glen Ellyn Historical Society on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Patrick Kunzer/ for the Daily Herald
Owner Michael Okun, of Broken Bridge Treats in Long Grove, with employee Karen Klancnik, has a museum of sorts to the beleaguered Long Grove bridge.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Custom pool cue builder Tim Prince displays some of his current work Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026 in his workshop at his home in Hanover Park. Prince’s intricate cue work has received high praise from both players and other top cue makers.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Prince installs some intricate inlays into a cue he is building Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 in his workshop at his home in Hanover Park.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Tim Prince at Pyramid Sports Bar & Pizzeria Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Addison.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Marc Weinhofen, of Round Lake participates in a rehearsal of the Buffalo Grove Symphonic Band at Aptakisic Junior High School recently. The band will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with an upcoming concert.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
A large tree ripped from the ground by wind lays across W. Chicago Street near N. Commonwealth Ave. Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Elgin. Heavy wind blew through the area causing damage late Tuesday evening.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Crews from JPC Tree Care remove a large tree Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Elgin after strong spring winds.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville Central High School teacher Seth Brady tries to hide his emotion as a roomful of students and co-workers applaud him for being named Illinois Teacher Of the Year Thursday. His wife Allison and daughter Grace are pictured at left.
Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
Lena DeBlasio, 3, of Prospect Heights plants a mairgold as she and her grandmother attend the Earth Day event at Crabtree Nature Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Barrington.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Mary Beth Nebrow, of Aurora sits on a sofa at the conclusion of a tour of the McCormick House on Friday, April 17, 2026 in Wheaton. Cantigny has reopened the McCormick House after a renovation.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Construction continues on southbound Tri-State near Elmhurst Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
A gazebo and picnic table along the Fox River in West Dundee are flooded on Monday, Apr. 20, 2026.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Vivian Almeda, left, Ava Thattil and Melissa Kari of St. Isidor School smell wild onion found on a guided eco walk during an Earth Day celebration at Hearthwood Senior Living in Bartlett.
Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com