Chicago groups prepare for Nov. 8 election
By Christen Gall With six weeks until election day, organizations across the city are working to include voters that may otherwise be left out. “There’s a lot of energy in the Latino and Arab communities about what it [the election] means,” said Villanueva, youth engagement manager of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. […]
The evolution of the circus ‒ from spectacle to therapy
By Pat Nabong The circus once was associated with P.T. Barnum’s “freak show,” which for almost a century made a spectacle out of Siamese twins, the vertically challenged and people with deformities. Things have changed. People have begun to see the circus as more than a form of entertainment. Now, in different cities in the […]
Fate of key economic support program for Illinois pending
By Nona Tepper Congress will soon decide on the fate of an increasingly popular and controversial green card program that has generated millions of dollars in foreign investment in Illinois the past few years. Lawmakers are expected to extend the 16-year-old the EB-5 program past the September 30 deadline, but will mostly likely change its […]
English is Syrian refugees’ ‘key to survival’
By Maryam Saleh She couldn’t visit a doctor’s office without a translator. Or communicate with her children’s teachers. Or get around a city that felt daunting yet safe. Her Syrian high school education had taught her the very basics. And the two years she spent helping her kids with their homework in Jordan had forced […]
Siding with Standing Rock at the Naperville Powwow
By June Leffler [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] Every year, west suburban Naperville welcomes the Harvest Powwow, a rare occasion for non-natives to experience some representation of what Native American culture is. This year, the powwow took a strong stance on environmental justice issues facing Native Americans.
Illinois blood centers to implement testing for Zika
By Teresa Manring LifeSource blood centers will implement testing of donated blood supplies for the Zika virus by Nov. 18 to meet a Food and Drug Administration recommendation that all U.S. blood centers test for the disease. LifeSource operates community blood donation centers in the state and distributes blood to approximately 60 area hospitals. Blood […]
With threat of teacher strike looming, CPS problems pile up at board meeting
By Emily Olsen and Meredith Francis [Update: The Chicago Teachers Union announced Wednesday evening that the teachers will strike starting Oct. 11 if it does not reach a contract deal with the school district.] As dozens of teachers and parents crowded into a packed room at the Chicago Board of Education’s Wednesday meeting to voice […]
Oswego football team finds unity in the age of Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter
By Alex Ortiz In a sea of Oswego East Wolves football fans wearing the school’s color blue, one red speck stood out at the Plainfield North High School game Friday. Glen Lane wore a San Francisco 49ers jersey as he watched his grandson, Oswego East defensive back Shakur Long, help his team remain undefeated.
Women’s wrestling wins gold, gains in popularity, but still faces adversity
By EmmaKate Austin When Rio Olympian Elena Pirozhkova was in seventh grade, her brother persuaded her to join wrestling. Not knowing what she was getting herself into, she assumed it would be something along the lines of the WWF or WWE’s Monday Night Raw. She thought she would be jumping off of ropes, tackling her […]
Paralympian Josh George Making His Mark in Wheelchair Racing
By EmmaKate Austin [vimeo 179340363 w=474] At just four years old, Josh George survived a 12-story fall from a window. He lost the use of his lower body, but hasn’t let that hold him back from succeeding as an athlete. Four-time Paralympian Josh George has a long list of racing accomplishments, but his impact on the […]