WATCH: Wicker Park pizza place thrives with back-to-basics approach
By Adam Babetski Medill Reports Many of Chicago’s small businesses have been forced to close in recent years due to the lasting economic effects of the pandemic. The Wicker Park location of Paulie Gee’s, a local pizza chain, has survived the changes by simplifying its menu and hiring process. TRANSCRIPT: Adam Babetski: Paulie Gee’s in […]
WATCH: From studios to sales: Black Friday Night Market features unique art finds to back local artists
By Yiqing Wang Medill Reports Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro organized its annual Black Friday Night Market on Nov. 24. Featuring fine handmade goods by Chicago-area artists, the market stood out this year with the participation of four teenage artists and a diverse selection of crafts from jewelry to unusual textiles and paintings. […]
WATCH: Mission of cinema: Repertory film center creates a lineup beyond Marvel blockbusters during 59th Chicago International Film Festival
By Yiqing Wang Medill Reports The Gene Siskel Film Center partnered with the 59th Chicago International Film Festival to present a list of best films in October. Specializing in showing classic and notable older films, the film center strives to deliver top-tier cinematic experiences and foster a strong bond with its audience. […]
Illinois law holds crisis pregnancy centers accountable for fraud, misinformation
By Laura Stewart Medill Reports On a gray Saturday morning in May, eight people lined up outside a small, unassuming building on North Cicero Avenue on Chicago’s Northwest Side. In one of the windows below the building’s sign, “The Women’s Center,” pink baby clothes hung on a steel clothing rack. They held signs toward passing […]
Difference Makers: 2 Chicago nonprofits helping families with child care, child loss
By Julia O’Leary Medill Reports Xavier and Damian Llamas were born prematurely with medical complexities. After spending 10 months in the NICU, the twins received care at Almost Home Kids for three months. Their mother, Francennett Llamas, received training and practiced providing care in the home-like setting. Kasey Macha and Kristi Noonan both experienced stillbirth […]
Live with Five: Vietfive owner shares struggles, journey to establishing West Loop coffee shop
By Chloe Xu and Ying Julia Jing Medill Reports In the upscale West Loop neighborhood stands Vietfive, a Vietnamese coffee shop owned by Tuan Huynh, who is widely respected as a leader in the Chicago Asian American community. However, he also has a complicated personal and family history. When he first arrived in the United […]
Chicago Foundation for Women President Felicia Davis wants to embrace the ‘others’
By Prerana Sannappanavar Medill Reports Felicia Davis, 53, sits at home in Chicago, wearing her glasses, which are a rare sight in her many TV appearances about her work as a social impact executive. During a Zoom chat earlier this year, she references two significant experiences that molded her understanding of equity and inequity. While […]
Newest crafting craze rug tufting isn’t so tough
By Julia O’Leary and Abby Bustin Medill Reports Rug tufting is the newest crafting craze taking over social media. #Rugtok on TikTok has garnered millions of views. It’s the hottest DIY (do it yourself) project – and you really can do it yourself! With the help of Keaton Wade from Tuft-A-Rug, Illinois’s first rug-tufting workshop, […]
Pranita Nair brings South Asian performing arts, culture, folklore to the West
By Prerana Sannappanavar Medill Reports Pranita Nair, director of Chicago’s Mandala South Asian Performing Arts organization, first came to the United States in 1985. She had been married to an Indian man who had made a life for himself in the U.S. and was accompanying him as his dependent. This was the story of many […]
Payamédicos: Healing with laughter in Buenos Aires
By Chloe Xu and Sijing Yang Medill Reports In the heart of Buenos Aires, the Hospital Posadas becomes a canvas of vibrant colors, harmonious melodies and infectious laughter, breaking through the silence of a February night. Amid this scene, a program known as Payamédicos — a combination of “clown” and “doctor” in Spanish — is revolutionizing […]