Citizen scientists use their eyes, ears and smartphones to protect birds, frogs and other wildlife
By Teresa Manring Ribbit. Croak. Chirp. Peep. Every frog has a unique call. You can stand at the edge of the pond in your local forest preserve and listen for the throaty, exuberant rattle of the cricket frog, or try to pick out the high-pitched chortle of the northern leopard frog — and you can […]
Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race heats up, and experts expect a Democratic victory
By Maryam Saleh Wisconsin’s unusual U.S. Senate race between an incumbent Republican and the former three-term Democratic senator he unseated in 2010 is heating up, but experts say Russ Feingold, appears almost guaranteed to defeat Ron Johnson, R-Wis. Besides the significance of such a rebuff to the GOP’s surge in the state, Feingold’s win would […]
Artist couple exhibits pillows to highlight immigration injustice
By Wen-Yee Lee T-shirts and other clothing donated by undocumented immigrants become memoirs of collective experiences as artist Cara Megan Lewis and her husband Alejandro Figueredo Diaz-Perera turn them into pillows. Their “34,000 Pillows” exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center represents the 34,000 beds in U.S. detention centers for undocumented immigrants. The couple makes the […]
Cosmic rays from the galaxy help track retreat of glaciers on Earth
By Lakshmi Chandrasekaran Cosmic rays, hurling across the galaxy near light-speed, generate a time machine on Earth for us to measure the retreat of the glaciers and the pace of climate change. Ph.D. student Peter Strand, at the University of Maine, drilled samples of quartz from boulders in Mongolia’s Altai Mountains this summer to tap […]
Chicago Muslim group uses billboard to slam ISIS
By Muna Khan A group of Muslims in Chicago has banded together to denounce the militant group ISIS with disparaging messages on billboards posted in four cities — Phoenix, St. Louis and Miami, as well as in Chicago. The billboards, the first of which went up in Chicago on Aug. 5, read “Hey ISIS, You […]
Writer, actor and producer Fawzia Mirza uses comedy to jump start conversations and challenge stereotypes
By Muna Khan Fawzia Mirza stands on a practically bare stage. Her only companions are three chairs situated on a colorful carpet, suggesting a movie theater where Mirza is pretending to be attending a screening of a film starring famed Indian actor Sharmila Tagore. Mirza tells the audience at the Steppenwolf Theatre about how much […]
Bitter consequences: Pipeline protesters batten down the hatches for North Dakota winter
By Pat Nabong and June Leffler [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] CANNON BALL, NORTH DAKOTA — Opponents of a controversial oil pipeline being constructed near Standing Rock Sioux Reservation are about to face a bitter winter. Camping near tents near Cannonball River, current temperatures hover in the mid-30s and are […]
Resilient Syrians could use community support
By Maryam Saleh Wadad Elaly likely has much in common with her classmates at Sullivan High School. Her favorite subject is math, and least favorite class is gym. She likes to draw, and hopes to someday be a doctor. And like many Chicago residents, she doesn’t much enjoy the weather. But unlike many of those […]
All-points call for more deputies to police Standing Rock protest draws critics
By June Leffler and Cloee Cooper [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] The words “Sheriff Mahoney, No Pipeline Guards, Bring Them Home” were found chalked outside a sheriff’s office in Madison, WI, last week in response to the deployment of deputies to North Dakota to police the protest of a […]
Chicago Marathon champion outruns cancer
By Siyan (Jen) Huang Cancer, a relentless killer, gave hope to Serena Burla. Her cancer in her right hamstring brought her the courage and strength to run marathons. Burla, 34, was the first American woman to cross the finish line in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9. With an overall rank of […]