“Affordable” Housing Goes Mainstream
By Mindy Tan From the outside, Evergreen Tower 1 looks no different from any other apartment building. Located in the high-rent River North neighborhood of Chicago, it is within easy walking distance of groceries and other amenities. Inside, a bank of computers and a couple of exercise machines line one wall of a sprawling community […]
Value of sports goes beyond playing for female athletes
By Giuliana Allegrotti Before Teri Rodgers took over the girls’ basketball program at New Trier High School in 1999, all the team’s games were played in G110, a smaller practice gym on campus adjacent to the main gym, where the boys played. The whole setup felt stringent to Rodgers; the main gym somehow belonged to […]
A way back home: Art as recovery for rape victims in Chicago
by Ritu Prasad At first, the photographs seem unremarkable—a pair of well-worn shoes, a flannel shirt, gray sweatpants. Floating on a black background, hung on a clean white wall, these 12 photographs show what 12 rape victims wore at the time of their assault. The series, titled “Well, What Were You Wearing?” by Katherine Cambareri, […]
African refugees seek a new life in South Africa
By Emilie Syberg South Africans live, work, and study alongside refugees and migrants from Somalia to Mozambique, drawn by the promise of a better life. But xenophobia has frequently made its presence known, most recently at an anti-immigrant march last month in Pretoria, South Africa’s capital city. Emilie Syberg talked to refugees and migrants in […]
Heads held high: Von Steuben exits season with optimism
By Karl Bullock It’s past 8:30 p.m. at Whitney Young Magnet High School during the first matchup of the IHSA regional playoff matchup between Von Steuben and Riverside Brookfield. With less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, players and coaches on both benches show a stark contrast in body language despite a mere […]
Obama-endorsed alderman holds seat in special election
By Derek Robertson Alderman Sophia King of the 4th Ward won a special election for the office last Tuesday, her first appearance on the ballot since her appointment by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in April of last year. King received 63 percent of the vote, well above the threshold of 50 percent required to avoid a […]
Comic book store: more than superheroes
By Jiefei Liu “Superhero comics are selling best because that’s what people are familiar with,” said Raphael Espinoza, manager at Chicago Comics Inc., but it is other comics that make this store stand out. The store, located on North Clark Street, in Lakeview, sells approximately 55 percent superhero-related comics, 25 percent non-fiction and 20 percent […]
Taking the Plunge to Support Special Olympics
By Katie Watkins Thousands of Chicagoans jumped into Lake Michigan on Sunday morning for the 17th annual Polar Plunge, bearing the almost-freezing water to raise money for Special Olympics Chicago. The Polar Plunge kicked off at North Avenue beach about 10 a.m. with a small ceremony. Bagpipers from the Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band marched […]
IHOP Gives Back to Local Children Hospitals
By Stephanie Rothman IHOP restaurants are giving out some of their signature pancakes for free on national pancake day, but while people are chowing down they’re also being asked to make a donation for children in need. Photo at top: Nova Dean Wells, 4 year-old, cooks pancakes with her mother and Miss Illinois 2016. (Stephanie […]
In Japan, Chinese take jobs to serve Chinese visitors
By Beixi (Bessie) Xu When you walk on Tokyo’s street, it is not surprising to see store signs in Chinese, hear a Chinese accent or see Chinese names on the name tags of waiters or store clerks. In nearly every store one sees Chinese clerks who speak Mandarin to help Chinese shoppers pick out […]