Amidst pandemic, rural New York teachers struggle to access high-speed internet
By Sidnee King and Emine Yücel Medill Reports On a snowy day in mid-March, Sandra Wilkins had a meltdown in the parking lot of the Saranac Lake Free Library. Bundled in hats and mittens and cramped in a grey 2009 Honda Accord, Wilkins and her two children were racing to finish the day’s work while […]
George Floyd protests and ongoing pandemic push attorneys to provide free counsel
By Sidnee King and Emine Yücel Medill Reports As hundreds of protesters wait in jails across the country after a weekend of raucous demonstrations, lawyers from Chicago to Los Angeles are taking to social media, offering free counsel. Legal professionals say pro bono work is especially important given that the pandemic is still ravaging the […]
The Rev. Randall Harris: A man of service
By Emine Yücel Medill Reports The Rev. Randall Harris is vacuuming the Faith Community Church floors before his weekly Wednesday night Bible study for the East Garfield Park and North Lawndale communities. After a minute or two, the 70-year-old slowly lowers himself into one of the 60 red chairs facing the pulpit. The tiny church […]
NFL teams are tackling injuries with acupuncture and cupping
By Emine Yücel Medill Reports Ifeadi Odenigbo, a defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings, limps into the treatment room following a Sunday night game against the Chicago Bears. He just pulled his hamstring, but he needs to be out on the field, ready to go in less than 48 hours. “You’re just always trying to […]
Amid Trump’s travel ban, fencers keep their weapons raised
By Emine Yücel Medill Reports Kamali Thompson, a Team USA saber fencer training for the 2020 Olympics, woke up Thursday morning to 30 missed messages. Her friends and family in the U.S. were calling, urging her to cut her training trip short and return home from Paris immediately. “Luckily for me, I was able to […]
CPD’s ongoing battle with mental health calls
By Emine Yücel Medill Reports CHICAGO — In September 1987, answering a 911 call, Memphis police officers found a man stabbing himself more than 100 times with a butcher knife at LeMoyne Gardens, a public housing project. When police approached, they said, the man swung the knife towards them and they shot and killed him. […]
Dropping the saber for the silver screen: Director discusses his Oscar-shortlisted documentary
By Emine Yücel Medill Reports Luther Clement, a fine graduate of Northwestern University and a U.S. fencing champion, still looks like an elite athlete, though he stopped competing eight years ago and became a director. At the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Clement, 34, premiered “Stay Close,” which he co-directed with Shuhan Fan, about 2008 Olympic […]
