Facebook class brings older adults into the 21st century

Jeanine Tobin, 75, sits in a Facebook class at Mather's - More than a Cafe on Wednesday. (Emily Hoerner/Medill)

By Emily Hoerner Older adults in Chicago’s Norwood Park neighborhood are jumping into the 21st century to learn a new skill: Facebook. With Facebook’s popularity garnering 890 million daily active users as of December 2014, according to the company’s website, the social network is arousing the curiosity of older adults.

By the numbers: Chicago’s 2015 elections

By Laura Furr & Emily Hoerner Updated 4:30 p.m. 2/25/15 Hours after the polls closed, unofficial summary data from the Chicago Board of Elections show new lows in voter turnout, with many races left unanswered. The polling results show that fewer voters turned out in the chilly February weather than in the last decade, at […]

Garcia, supporters mobilize to bolster support

Jesus "Chuy" Garcia

By Meg Anderson Mayoral candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and nearly 4,000 supporters were making last minute stops across the city Tuesday to bolster Garcia’s bid to oust incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel of his seat. Garcia, 58, already visited four polling locations as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, including voting with his wife at Daniel J. Corkery Elementary School at […]

Child hunger makes learning difficult, especially in harsh winter

Coppin Pantry

By Emily Hoerner For Chicago’s food insecure children, this season’s blistering cold temperatures may present additional barriers to learning in the classroom. When weather is especially harsh, people turn to food services like pantries, soup kitchens and shelters more frequently, said Jim Conwell, communications director at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Measles vaccination rates at public schools lowest in poorest areas

Location of low measles vaccinations

By Emily Hoerner Less than 90 percent of students at 14 Chicago Public Schools were vaccinated for measles last school year, according to data by the Illinois State Board of Education. Nearly all of those schools are located in low-income neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides. Francis M. McKay Elementary in the Chicago […]

Rauner’s call for union reform stirs talk before state address

Karen Lewis, CTU President

By Emily Hoerner Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner ignited conversation by sending a memo to the Illinois legislature, calling on lawmakers to prune union rights and government spending just two days before Wednesday’s State of the State address. The memo prefaced the governor’s cost-saving measures, including state employee rule reforms that Rauner described in the memo […]

2014 GED exam changes lead to major dip in Illinois test takers

Road to education success bulletin board

By Emily Hoerner Nearly 27,000 fewer Illinois residents tried for a GED certificate in 2014 than in 2013 after major changes to the high school equivalency exam, according to data by the Illinois Community College Board. The new GED exam, introduced to test takers in January of 2014, is aligned with Illinois Common Core standards, […]

At South Side meeting, disputes erupt over Obama library

By Emily Hoerner Nearly 1,000 community leaders and residents gathered in Hyde Park for a public meeting Tuesday night, where tensions flared over using roughly 20 acres of Chicago Park District land for the Barack Obama Presidential Library. The two sites, Washington Park and Jackson Park, proposed by the University of Chicago belong to the […]