B-Sides Coffee and Tea spins tunes and brews coffee for the South Side
By Xinyi (Ethel) Jiang Medill Reports Kevin and Karen O’Malley, Beverly residents and music lovers, are thrilled to be part of the community on a small business level. The couple opened B-Sides Coffee + Tea on the South Side of Chicago. The shop, located near the 99th Street Metra depot, is a throwback, decorating its […]
Speakers Call for Chicagoans to Break the Silence on Gun Control
By Xinyi (Ethel) Jiang and Jinitzail Hernandez Medill Reports Politicians and 11 different community organizations came together to appeal for gun control at the Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago on Oct. 9. The event was held as a vigil for the shooting victims in Las Vegas and as a rally against the National Rifle […]
South Side School First To Be Certified in Social Emotional Learning
By Cade Shultice and Clarissa Jones Medill Reports Executive Director Natalie Neris of McKinley Park’s Namaste Charter School is changing the way its teachers and staff address the unique needs of students in an area struggling with poverty, crime and gun violence. Namaste is implementing a new curriculum that emphasizes social emotional learning, using new […]
Women in Southern Illinois must travel longer distances to abortion clinics
By Sofi LaLonde Medill Reports Women in southern Illinois are disadvantaged when seeking an abortion, according to data on distances to abortion clinics from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and policy group, published in early October. Residents in Illinois have more access to abortion than in other states in the Midwest region, both […]
Growing Home produces a bountiful harvest for Englewood residents
By Eunice Wang and Natalya Carrico Medill Reports Growing Home came to the South Side of Chicago in 2006 under the Englewood Quality of Life Plan. The organization offers a paid, 14-week job training program for adults with varying employment barriers. Approximately 30 percent of the program participants come from the greater Englewood neighborhood. The […]
For Minimum Wage Workers, Affordable Housing is Further Out of Reach, New Study Shows
By Sydney Boles Medill Reports A new report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows that affordable housing is further out of reach for minimum wage workers in Chicago than it was in 2015. Someone working at the Chicago minimum wage would have to work 1.6 full-time jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment, up […]
Bucktown nail salon owner calls her business a “passionate hobby”
By Eunice Wang and Natalya Carrico Medill Reports Jacqueline Van, owner of Fantasy Nails, has been passionate about nail art since she worked at her parents’ nail salon in Michigan. Even while attending college, she had a part-time job at a salon. After she graduated, Jackie realized that she didn’t want to be stuck in […]
Community efforts bring about theme of ‘Englewood Rising’ in the South Side neighborhood
By: Hannah Wiley and Joey Mendolia Medill Reports Tina Hammond has brought a splash of color and a message of hope to her Englewood neighborhood. Buying a vacant lot next to her home for $1 through a city program, Hammond and her husband transformed the once bleak empty space into a garden of positivity.
More Than 1,000 Eligible DACA Recipients in Illinois Miss Renewal Deadline, USCIS Reveals
By Griselda Flores Medill Reports More than 1,000 eligible DACA recipients in Illinois did not meet the Oct. 5 deadline to renew their temporary legal status application, according to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. By the renewal deadline, 6,670 individuals out of 8,650 eligible submitted their DACA renewals in Illinois, which means […]
In tough times, influential women unite to inspire one another
By Caroline Tanner Medill Reports CHICAGO – “Every woman is a pioneer,” rang loudly through the Chicago Theatre on October 24, during a night of honest talk between eight women on a couch, designed to portray a conversation you’d have with your friends in your living room. Aimed at uniting public figures with fellow women, […]