A Ride Worth Taking: Family Raises Big Money for Type 1 Diabetes
By Chris Hayre Ed and Shannon Gritzenbach have turned a life-changing diagnosis into a cycle for change. Since their 11-year-old daughter Anna was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in September 2011, the family has used the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure event as a platform to help find a cure for the disease. Ed […]
State budget crisis clouds manufacturing education at community colleges
By Harvard Zhang The state’s financial crisis is undermining community college efforts to equip Illinoisans, particularly from low-income families, with high-tech manufacturing skills at a time when manufacturing jobs are again on the rise after a decade-long decline. Manufacturing departments at some community colleges shortchanged by the budget-less state of Illinois have been tightening their belts […]
Nairobi Girls Chorale from Kenya visit Chicago to support their dreams using music as a tool
By Hannah Gebresilassie “I call it the trip of God,” says David A. Isindu, founder and director of Nairobi Girls Chorale. A group of 17 girls from Nairobi, Kenya visit Chicago to challenge stereotypes, gain exposure and raise tuition money. Isindu founded the Nairobi Girls Chorale in 2008 to empower young women in Africa. “I […]
Grappling with grief: the Frances Flowers story
By Iacopo Luzi Frances Flowers is trying to overcome the hardest tragedy of her life: she lost her daughter Taylor almost three months ago. Taylor Flowers was killed by her boyfriend on March 11th of this year. He later killed himself. Flowers was shot with an illegal gun after a domestic dispute. The couple had […]
The farm that refugees call home
By Nikita Mandhani The Global Gardens Refugee Training farm is a one-acre plot of land in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago that serves about 100 refugee families mostly from Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and Congo. For Linda Seyler, the founder, director and the farm manager, the program is a way to help refugees segue into the American […]
No budget, not even K-12 funding as Illinois legislature adjourns
By Harvard Zhang Springfield, Ill.— No K-12 funding plan, let alone a fiscal 2017 budget, cleared the Illinois legislature before midnight Tuesday when the spring legislative session ended, threatening to throw the financially-beleaguered state into a second budget-less year with alarming economic, financial and social implications. Disagreement among the legislature-controlling Democrats derailed two bills their […]
Madigan snubs Rauner’s stopgap budget as deadline nears
By Harvard Zhang Springfield, Ill. — Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan showed no rush to advance a short-term budget Governor Bruce Rauner proposed on the last spring-session day to fund public entities and avoid a government shutdown. Governor Rauner and Republican leaders proposed passing a stopgap spending plan to float public schools, universities and social […]
Clock ticking for Springfield to resolve budget crises
By Harvard Zhang Springfield, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have until midnight Tuesday to push the brakes on the state’s entering a second budget-less year, which would continue to take a toll on a large swath of Illinoisans and dim the state’s future. House Speaker Michael Madigan said Monday he had scheduled House special sessions for […]
Here’s why you need to pay attention to rising water levels in Lake Michigan
By Caley Chelios Lake Michigan’s water levels have risen significantly since hitting an all-time low two years ago. Levels are three feet higher than they were in January 2013. The resurgence of water has had a positive effect on commercial shipping, recreational boaters and our ecosystems. However, not all the effects have been positive. The […]
Hospital drug shortages: What is really causing them?
Valerie Lapointe Most of us assume that a saline IV drip for dehydration or a nitroglycerin injection for heart attack symptoms would be available at any hospital any time in the U.S. Yet both are on a growing list of drug shortages. Currently, the FDA’s Drug Shortage Program (DSP) lists 60 drugs, mostly generic injectables, […]