WATCH: Andrea Metcalf: From TV news health expert to full-time Pilates instructor
By Kennedy Chase Medill Reports Former television news health expert Andrea Metcalf is now the founder and owner of Pilates studio Heat 3.0 in Lincoln Park, Chicago. She now brings her health and fitness expertise to her studio as the head Pilates instructor. TRANSCRIPT: [Andrea Metcalf’s Workout Wednesday archived video] Kennedy Chase: HEALTH […]
WATCH: Poetry Foundation kicks off Chicago event season with Latinx poetry celebration
By Julia Lowe Medill Reports On the heels of Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March comes the powerful recognition of poetic voices through National Poetry Month in April. The Poetry Foundation regularly hosts in-person and live-streamed readings to highlight the work of minority poetry communities. Watch how Latinx poets in Chicago are using the spoken […]
Antisemitic incidents at all-time high, new Anti-Defamation League report finds
By Damita Menezes Medill Reports The Anti-Defamation League released its annual report on March 23, which showed a 36% increase in antisemitic incidents in the country compared with last year. A record-high 3,697 confirmed cases of targeted harassment, vandalism and assault toward Jewish people in the United States marks the third time in the past […]
WATCH: Chicago This Week — Episode 1
On the latest episode of “Chicago This Week,” Medill reporters cover the latest on the Chicago mayoral election, the arraignment of former President Donald Trump, the story of the missing bodies of two women in Little Village, the NCAA champions update and more. “Chicago This Week” is a half-hour show that features news, […]
‘I’m not that scared kid anymore’: Highland Park’s Rachel Jacoby on her path to becoming an anti-gun violence activist
By Jordana Comiter Medill Reports In June 2022, Rachel Jacoby, a national organizer for March for Our Lives, planned a rally in her hometown of Highland Park, Illinois, to end gun violence. While she was publicizing it, commenters on neighborhood-based social networking site Nextdoor said, “We don’t have gun violence in Highland Park,” and “Why […]
Q&A: Josh Zagoren, the puppeteer whose alter ego is Chad the Bird, talks about TikTok success and how the pandemic changed him
By Koster Kennard Medill Reports When actor-turned-comedian-turned-puppeteer Josh Zagoren, 41, heard the Green Mill was shutting down indefinitely because of COVID-19, taking away one of his primary sources of income, he crumpled. As the puppeteer whose alter ego is live op-ed columnist Chad the Bird, Zagoren has entertained audiences at the Green Mill’s variety show […]
WATCH: ‘Live theater … was no more’: Chicago performers reflect on major comeback 3 years after beginning of COVID-19 pandemic
By Jordana Comiter Medill Reports It’s been three years since the world shut down and people’s lives were interrupted. With live performances halted, the theater industry took one of the biggest hits. Three years later, Cabaret Zazou performers, crew and audience members are reflecting on how their lives have changed since the return of the […]
WATCH: Evanston girls defy status quo in sports
By Lena Folke Medill Reports Held at Evanston Township High School, Girls Play Sports is a nonprofit organization designed to encourage young girls to participate in and enjoy sports. Recognized for its impact during Women’s History Month, Girls Play Sports was selected as a winner for M&M’s Flip the Status Quo contest, awarding them $10,000. […]
Little Village Community Council welcomes Venezuelan refugees with open arms, stresses need for mental health services
By Brenda Ordoñez Medill Reports A Chicago organization with strong Mexican roots is proving it doesn’t take a big village to make a difference. TRANSCRIPT: Inside the Little Village Community Council edifice awaits a beige-colored room lined with tables disguised by donations. Standing in the center of the room is the council’s community organizer, Kristian Armendariz. […]
First of its kind: Cannabis seed bank opens in Chicago
By Damita Menezes Medill Reports A new store has opened in Irving Park, becoming one of the first physical stores in the country to sell cannabis seeds. Transcript: Thomas Wilson, Money Tree Genetics co-owner: We are at MoneyTree Genetics, Chicago, Illinois. Damita Menezes: When people grow cannabis at home, they generally buy seeds online, not […]