A grandfather’s battle against the lead in drinking water
By Henry Ren Medill Reports Hyde Park resident Gordon Berry had never imagined that the drinking water in his century-old house could be contaminated by lead, until his 2-year-old granddaughter, who resided with him, had a routine blood test in January 2016. “They found lead in her blood,” Berry said. Horrified by the result, Berry […]
Incumbent doesn’t object to challengers’ nominating petitions despite their expectations
By Samone Blair Medill Reports “We know the games that they unfortunately play and the tactics they utilize to basically try to silence the voices of anyone who dares to challenge the establishment,” said Anthony Clark, Democrat candidate for Illinois’ 7th U.S. Congressional District in the March 17, 2020 primary election. Sure enough, Kina Collins, […]
Leaders prepare for census throughout city, focus on hard-to-count areas
By Samone Blair Medill Reports City officials are teaming up with civic organizations to prepare for the 2020 Census, especially in hard-to-count neighborhoods like predominantly Latino Humboldt Park. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Chicago households responded to the 2010 census at a rate of only 66% whereas 74% of households responded nationwide. […]
No more rubber stamps: How city council’s new left is embracing socialism and calling for change
By Beth Stewart Medill Reports Mayoral budgets have a history of sailing through the Chicago City Council with little to no opposition. Rahm Emanuel’s first budget saw unanimous support, and in his last year the controversial mayor had a lone dissident. Only one year of his contentious time in office did opposition rise above single […]
Community drives three independent bookstores to thrive despite digital-heavy environment
By Hannah Farrow Medill Reports Between same-day shipping and instant Kindle ebooks, Amazon dominates book sales. Borders went out of business in 2011. Barnes & Noble was sold this year after its worst year in sales to date; they’ve also closed over 150 stores in the last decade. Yet the entire country is seeing a […]
Chicago’s Illegal drug market likely to thrive in the wake of marijuana legalization
By Shirin Ali Medill Reports Illinois will soon become the 12th state in the country to legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana on January 1, 2020, but legalization doesn’t come without significant uncertainty and risk. In particular, the law establishes a high barrier of entry for individuals interested in entering the industry, which […]
Obstacles in front of building art center with affordable space in Wicker Park
By Yilin Xie Medill Reports Alma Wieser’s plan of building an art center in Wicker Park needs to cross over many obstacles. Raising money is the first. Achieving sustainable affordability in a gentrified area is the second. Alma Wieser, the owner of Heaven Gallery, hopes to build a not-for-profit art center on North Milwaukee Avenue. […]
Pop-up shop in Pilsen supports women with cancer
By Esther Bower Medill Reports ELLAS pop-up shop in Pilsen provides apparel for the community at discounted prices, with all funds supporting women with breast cancer. The thrift shop is located inside The Resurrection Project and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-5 p.m. ELLAS hopes to extend business hours soon, according to Juanita […]
Compulsive loyalty at Starbucks and clues to it from a neurology lab
By Annie Krall Medill Reports Starbucks has learned how to make customers keep coming back for more thanks to their rewards program. And they’re not alone. Thousands and thousands of businesses use rewards programs to draw customers in and keep them loyal. But why is potentially getting the next stamp or another level up so […]
Mayor Lightfoot is trying to rejuvenate Chicago’s mental health care system. But is it enough?
By Maura Turcotte Medill Reports It began with a 15-year-old boy shooting a 7-year-old girl on Halloween. Then, over the course of a month, seven more residents of Chicago’s Little Village were hit by gunfire. One incident proved fatal — a 32-year-old nurse walking home from his shift, shot by an unknown assailant. The string […]