Via no longer sees Uber and Lyft as direct competitors: Its operations chief discusses strategy and the future of transportation
By Kari McMahon Medill Reports Via, Chicago’s third largest ride-hailing service behind Uber and Lyft, expanded its reach in the city in August 2019 with novel strategies such as partnering with Northwestern University on a new and improved Safe Ride program, which provides free rides to students in the evening hours to prevent students walking […]
Protestors demand new trial for inmate who alleged torture
By Samone Blair Medill Reports Protestors gathered at Daley Plaza Feb. 25 to call for the release of Gerald Reed, an inmate who was allegedly tortured by Chicago detectives, after a Circuit Court Judge reversed a decision that had granted him a new trial. On Feb. 14, Judge Thomas Hennelly reversed the December 2018 decision […]
How the islanders of Vieques used cinder blocks to build a protest movement on health care
By Alison Saldanha VIEQUES, Puerto Rico — On Valentine’s Day eve, colorful string-lights run through the green buttonwood and mango trees of La Plaza, the town square of Isabel Segunda in the heart of Vieques, a 52-square-mile island off the coast of Puerto Rico. On the ground, painted cinder blocks lay in irregular rows and […]
Virginia Rounds wants to save America’s manufacturing industry with apprenticeships
By Amy Sokolow Medill Reports Last month, 12,000 Americans who work in manufacturing lost their jobs. But Virginia Rounds, 44, has a plan to get them back to work: apprenticeships. Popular in Europe, these salaried training programs teach people on-the-job skills such as metalworking and also give them stipends for community college classes. Rounds, director […]
Amid COVID-19 pandemic, empty store shelves are showing people’s concerns
By Wanying Zhao Medill Reports Michelle Kwong stocked up more than usual during her regular grocery shopping trip for her family of four at the Freshmart in Chicago’s Chinatown. She pushed two carts to the checkout counter — one full of snacks, vegetables, meat, and some frozen foods, and another one stuffed with three bags […]
Good Things Come in Threes at the Big East Tournament
By Roderick Diamond II Medill Reports For the third consecutive year, DePaul University hosted the Big East Conference women’s basketball tournament at Wintrust Arena March 6-9. The prize, as usual, a tournament championship and an automatic pass to the NCAA Women’s Tournament. DePaul would be attempting their first three-peat in tournament history. Day 1 The […]
Let the girls play: How one girl’s love of baseball opened doors for hundreds more
By Beth Stewart Medill Reports When Taylor Daniels got cut from her all boys baseball team at age 13, she didn’t let that roadblock stop her from playing the sport she loved. Instead, she addressed the setback by building her own playing field, the organization Illinois Girls Baseball. The non-profit organization, which the Winnetka teen […]
Spidey-senses and an entrepreneurial spirit: a Q&A with Balodana founder Dana Todd
By Ruiqi Chen Medill Reports Dana Todd founded Balodana, an online made-to-order retail platform for women, in fall 2019 after many years in and out of the corporate world and entrepreneurship. Todd said the freedom of entrepreneurship ultimately led her to pursue this startup, which she hoped can give women greater confidence in their appearance […]
Kim Foxx maintains her ‘tough on crime’ message, avoiding more controversy
By Shirin Ali Medill Reports As she navigates a highly politicized reelection campaign, Kim Foxx appeared at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics Seminar in February ready to discuss her office’s work thus far and why she’s equipped to take on four more years as Cook County’s State’s Attorney. “As a proud Chicago resident, […]
Local officials bring mock Warren, Sanders debate to Chicago stage
By Beth Stewart Medill Reports As Chicagoans prepare to cast their vote in the Democratic Presidential primary on March 17, many took a closer look at the campaign platforms of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders during a mock debate at the Hideout Inn in West Town. Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and 35th Ward […]