Chinese students flock to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

By Shen Lu The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign enrolls more Chinese students than almost any other university in the country. The 5,629 Chinese students enrolled at the U of I make up more than half of the international student body, according to the university’s International Student and Scholar Services. They have made significant economic […]

Softest, squarest alpacas win ribbons at Wisconsin festival

By Manasi Kaushik For an alpaca to win the WI Alpaca & Fiber Fest competition, it has to be square-shaped. Judges are looking at the body structure and proportions, in addition to the softness of the fleece. “The best alpaca is one that just has a really nice feel to it,” said Vicky Telesko, owner of […]

Sushi Donuts roll into Chicago

By Stephanie Rothman Sushi shaped into different culinary forms is trending and the trend has hit Chicago. Simply Thalia on North States street has created the Chicago inspire sushi donuts. The sushi donut has a donut shaped rice bottom filled with either avocado or spicy mayonnaise and topped with all the sushi fixings including different […]

Food Truck Festival: fueling local small businesses

By Stephanie Rothman The Chicago Food Truck Festival is back! Serving lunch to hungry customers, small business food trucks do more than fill people’s bellies… they’re fueling the local economy. The City of Chicago’s Small Business Center hosts the festival, celebrating the wide array of small business food trucks in the Chicago area. The festival […]

Tens of thousands show up to March for Science Chicago

By Jacob Rogers On April 22, organizers of the March for Science Chicago were expecting around 40,000 people to attend the event. Ultimately, 60,000 showed up to walk from near Buckingham Fountain to the Field Museum to show support for scientific research and evidence-based policy. There were additional marches in over 600 cities worldwide. Marchers […]

Chi-Town Browns Backers keep fingers crossed for Cleveland

By Grace Austin Cleveland Browns fans often speak of the “Factory of Sadness,” a nickname for FirstEnergy Stadium, where the often-losing NFL team plays. Since the team’s return to Cleveland in 1999, the Browns have made the playoffs only once, in 2002. Last season, they won only one game. But in the heart of Wrigleyville, Chicago’s Chi-Town […]

AfriCaribe brings Chicagoans together with Puerto Rican music and dance

By Alissa Anderegg On the last Saturday of each month, up to 200 Chicagoans gather in West Town to celebrate their community through song and dance. These musical gatherings called “bombazos” are held at the non-profit AfriCaribe. They give locals of all ages the opportunity to come together to take part in the traditional Puerto Rican music of […]

Mexican Children’s Day parade raises awareness of children’s rights

By Jiayan Jenny Shi More than 1,000 children participated in the 18th Chicago Día de los Niños/Celebrating Young Americans Parade in Pilsen on April 29. The parade celebrated Mexican Children’s Day and called for awareness of children’s rights. In addition to recognizing children’s importance, the theme this year is “Children’s Rights are DACA Rights” in […]