Homeless women face heightened threats of violence on streets
The woman’s full name in this story is being withheld to protect her privacy. By Sally Ehrmann Medill Reports Jen struts through the Harold Washington Library Center, stopping only to drop a few fraying books into the return bin. She produces a deep guttural laugh as she steps outside into the brisk November air and […]
Auto-voter registration in Illinois not complying with law, experts say
By Megan Sauer Medill Reports Jay Young celebrated in 2017 when then-Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the automatic voter registration bill into law. Young, among several other nonprofit and voting rights advocates, thought Springfield’s approval signaled the end of a long, painstaking process that had required months of political appeasing and redrafting legislation. “It felt like […]
CPS teachers take on second jobs to keep their ‘heads afloat’
By Zoe Collins Rath Medill Reports Tara Stamps is hunting for another job in either a hotel or an airport. The STEM teacher at Laura S. Ward Elementary School said she loves teaching but she needs another source of income because she will have to stretch $119 for another week. “Cost of living in the […]
Single parents spend 90% of their incomes to pay for child care
By Esther Bower Medill Reports Valisha White knows there is no sacrifice too great for her two children, Harmony, 9, and Alandis, 5. White, a single parent in Uptown, said she strives to provide the most for her kids amid strapped finances and high child care prices. “I just had to go get the kids […]
Waitlisted CHA applicants face homelessness due to delays
By Alison Saldanha Medill Reports In 2009, three years after her son Joseph was born, Diana Scott, a resident of West Rogers Park, filed an application for subsidized rental housing with the Chicago Housing Authority. A decade later, with four children in tow, she remains a candidate on the CHA’s waitlist. Scott, 40, has moved […]
Mapping the way to five of Chicago’s spiciest restaurants
By Harrison Liao Medill Reports In a way, the term “spicy food” is a misnomer. Adding heat to a dish is a global game changer for the palate but can be achieved with myriad techniques and ingredients – from herbs to pastes and sauces to fresh chili peppers and peppercorns. Spice, in this sense, can […]
