All posts by noahbroder2019

Noah is a graduate journalism student at Northwestern. He is covering state and local politics for the Medill News Service. Before his time at Northwestern, Noah studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Solar Decision: The long road and hard work required to bring solar energy to Puerto Rico

By Noah Broder
Medill Reports

For people in the mountain town of San Salvador in Puerto Rico, recovery from Hurricane Maria was a community effort. “This community was the one that cleaned up this community after the hurricane, nobody else,” said resident Tara Rodriguez Besosa as she stood in the center of this rural town.

San Salvador is a small town about 30 miles south of San Juan in the municipality of Caguas. It is the most rural and least populated town in the municipality, and like other small towns across the island, Besosa said they were without power for nearly a year following the hurricane.

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Political priorities: A review of key bills in the current Illinois legislative session

By Noah Broder
Medill Reports

With a progressive legislature and Democrat J.B. Pritzker as governor, a law raising the minimum wage to $15 swiftly passed in Illinois. Other proposals such as raising the age for purchasing cigarettes to 21 and the legalization of recreational marijuana could take hold for Illinois residents in the near future.

While the general assembly often hears and votes on hundreds of bills in the state house and the senate, only a few new high-profile laws affect the lives of most everyday residents.

Gov. Pritzker ran on a platform that considered issues ranging from legalizing marijuana to raising the minimum wage to criminal justice reform. While Pritzker makes these promises, it is the work of the members of the state house and senate to turn the promises into proposals and concrete laws. Continue reading →

Who’s running for Chicago Mayor – and why?

By: Noah Broder
Medill Reports

As the February 26 election moves closer and early voting begins, 14 mayoral candidates are working to win the critical  50 percent of the vote.

If no candidate receives over half of the vote, there will be a runoff election on April 2 between the top two candidates who receive the most votes.

 The race for Chicago mayor began in earnest in September when current mayor Rahm Emmanuel declared that he would not be seeking re-election. Continue reading →

What’s on the ballot in Chicago’s 2019 election?

By Noah Broder
Medill Reports

The Chicago mayor’s race is the top-line ballot consideration for voters as the Feb. 26 citywide elections approach. With 14 candidates in the mayoral race, voters have a less than a month to decide how they want to cast their votes.

But Chicagoans also must consider other key races. While the mayoral election impacts the entire city, so do other offices and proposals.

Let’s take a look at some of the other races that will appear on ballots in February.
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