For the People...around Chicago

Medill Reports on what's working and what’s not

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We know almost nothing about where tax increment financing (TIF) dollars come from and go to. We shine a light on one of the city’s most important—and least transparent—development programs.
Thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer, or will suffer, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet only a small percentage will get counseling or treatment. How come?
There’s a debate over how best to manage public open space in urban areas. Some say let “nature” run its course. Others know better … especially with invasive species like humanus irresponsibilius.
Planners aren’t just talking about 2016 as a “walk-able” Olympics. They’re counting on it, witness a lack of parking at major venues. So how’s that going to work?
Everyone knows about the homeowners, but renters get hammered even worse when a landlord is foreclosed. We examine Chicago’s epidemic of “surprise” evictions … and what can be done to ease the pain.
Many have tried and failed to bring back good jobs and a viable tax base to Chicago’s poorest suburbs. Now long-overlooked assets, like rail lines and expressways, may become lifelines of recovery.

Family abuse

Erica Green/Medill

The Broderick family reunited in their Chicago home after emerging from a DCFS safety plan that separated them.

In protecting children from abuse, the state has implemented “safety plans” that were challenged up to the U.S. Supreme Court. With the Court deciding not to take the case, Erica L. Green and Sandi Villarreal look into how families who have lived under the plans deal with the emotional and financial strain of a system they say is forcing them to do greater injury to their children.

Christina Zdanowicz/Medill

Who's who in capital funding and what they want out of a bill that's divided the governor and legislature. Hear what they have to say.

Capital improvement

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has proposed a $30+ billion program to improve the state’s neglected roads, bridges, school buildings, airports and transit systems. Sure, it’s needed, lawmakers agree, but how to find the revenue needed, a problem that continues to derail a capital bill from being passed. Phil Taylor and Christina Zdanowicz look into what it will take to repair Illinois' crumbling infrastructure.

Greg Trotter/Medill

The Rev. Jim McLoughlin celebrates Mass with immigrant detainees at McHenry County Jail.

Immigrant detentions

Hundreds of immigrants are being detained in Illinois jails, as a way station to deportation. Kahrin Deines and Greg Trotter look at what this does to the families from whom they’ve been separated and the spiritual challenges they face.

Greg Trotter/Medill

Lil' Ed performing at Rosa's Lounge in Humboldt Park with his band, the Blues Imperials.

Nightclub safety

The E2 nightclub stampede took the lives of 21 people, putting into question Chicago's emergency response and public safety infrastructure, as the city directed responsibility at the club's management. Five years later, what, if anything has been done? David Handelman explores the ways in which Chicago has coped with E2's legacy, and Kerry Leonard delves into what it takes to start and run a club in the city.

Catherine Guiles/Medill

Dyett High School near Washington Park, one of the schools chosen for the Chicago Public Schools' Transformation Plan.

Chicago schools

The Chicago Public Schools are two years into what it called a groundbreaking initiative that set out to transform its high schools in which 46 percent of ninth graders drop out before graduation. Catherine Guiles and Jonathan Katz examine what the new curriculum looks like and how teachers and students are adjusting.

Sydelle Moore/Medill

Interactive road map of the key issues voters should consider in deciding if to vote in November for a constitutional convention in Illinois.

Constitutional convention

Illinois voters must decide in November whether to call for a constitutional convention to rewrite the state’s constitution. Sydelle Moore examines the arguments pro and con and Rob Runyan dives into the recall issue that is hogging the headlines.

Courtesy of Anne Evans/Friends of the Chicago River

Chicago waterways

The Chicago River is polluted with sewage and trash but people continue to enjoy the waterways for recreation and its wildlife. The Illinois EPA is proposing water quality improvements to allow for the river’s “highest attainable use,” as required by the Clean Water Act. Lea Radick explores the benefits of cleaning the Chicago River and what might happen if it remains polluted.

Illinois Dept. of Corrections/Medill

Drug crimes

Illinois ranks second only to California in the number of drug offenders in prison. Rachel Irwin looks into the impact the drug enforcement policies have on their families and communities.

Expert witness report/Medill

Government funding for housing for the disabled.

Disabled citizens

Illinois is now ranked last in its funding for community-based housing for the developmentally and intellectually disabled. Marisol Rodriguez reports on the obstacles people with disabilities face in securing community-based housing, despite legal precedent that they may be entitled to it, and Elizabeth Tenety looks into the opposition to the transition away from state-operated developmental centers, led by family advocates and by AFSCME, which represents workers in institutional settings.

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Medill Reports: For the People...around Chicago

For the People....around Chicago
Medill Reports on what's working and what's not.

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