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As 2023 comes to an end, Sun-Times Executive Editor Jennifer Kho reflects on the top Chicago area stories of the year

After I learned that my grandmother was admitted to the hospital, telling the stories of immigrants selling flowers for Mother’s Day became all the more important to me.

Photography has the power to make visible life’s fleeting moments. Here are the stories behind the images.

Sun-Times photographers captured the biggest storylines in the Chicago area. Here’s a look back at some of 2023’s best photos.

New arrivals and a new mayor grabbed city headlines while old political figureheads went down and long-standing conflicts flared up. The Sun-Times was there for it all.

Hitting the streets, I saw the glaring proof of why so many migrants can’t go back home, despite the beautiful things they miss from there.

A 5-year-old boy died after living in a crowded migrant shelter in Pilsen, the Blackhawks unveiled Rocky’s Bar at the United Center, and former Ald. Edward Burke (14th) was found guilty of racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion.

The disgraced — and now guilty — former member of the Chicago City Council enters his eighth decade as a convicted felon.

There’s affection and respect for the man who mentored far more colleagues than he bullied during his record 54-year reign. Ald. Ray Lopez said Burke’s ‘fingerprints are on so much of what is Chicago. To have this as the final act of a remarkable career is a tragedy.’

Sun-Times photographers fanned out across Chicago’s South, West and North Side neighborhoods to capture their favorite displays.

Former President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to a pre-kindergarten class at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore, people enjoyed hot tub rides down the Chicago River, andthe Humboldt Park Puerto Rican flag at Western and Division was lit up for the holiday season for the first time…