Local doctors treat Syrian refugees in Jordan (Video)
By Ryan Connelly Holmes Chicago-area pediatricians Sofia Shakir and Jihad Shoshara have been married 20 years. In 2015 they did something for the first time as a couple: they each went on a medical mission trip to Jordan to treat Syrian refugees. Shoshara had gone on medical trips before, but Shakir had not. Shakir traveled […]
Marine to run world-wide marathon challenge
By Patrick Martin Marine Corps Captain Daniel Cartica will trade his combat boots for running shoes when he takes on the World Marathon Challenge at the end of January to honor five service members killed in a shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He will be one of 15 people from around the world that will attempt […]
SWOOPES’ TRANSITION FROM SUPERSTAR TO HEAD COACH (VIDEO)
By Benji Cohen The transition from a basketball superstar player to a college head coach has been relatively smooth, according to Sheryl Swoopes. No matter what the record indicates. Swoopes, 44, often called the “Michael Jordan of women’s basketball,” is in her third season coaching Loyola University’s women’s basketball team, a program that has “no tradition,” Swoopes […]
A “League” of their own: RMU uses old blueprint to pioneer college esports
By Nick Zazulia “Video games aren’t a sport.” That has been a common refrain heard during the rise of esports. ESPN President John Skipper even famously declared it last year … seven months before his network began broadcasting tournaments. And rise they have, to the point that the 2014 League of Legends Championship in Seoul, […]
Startup seeks to equip cybersecurity pros
By Steven Porter Paul Petefish paced at the front of the room one recent evening, clicking through slides as he told about three dozen prospective students that they, too, could find work as cybersecurity professionals. Petefish, a 33-year-old information technology consultant who’s climbed the ranks of Solutionary Inc. over the past decade, this year co-founded […]
Latinos demand equal access to affordable housing
By Marisa Endicott While the great majority of public housing residents in Chicago are African-American, Latino leaders are looking to public and subsidized housing to alleviate displacement and gentrification pressures in neighborhoods with a strong Latino presence, like Pilsen and Logan Square. With increasing attention on the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), there are more calls […]
China Eastern’s new route brings visitors, ups competition with United, American Airlines
By Harvard Zhang When Yan Wang flew with United Airlines from Shanghai to Chicago at the end of November, she found the flight attendants’ Mandarin very awkward. She also realized her “Chinglish” didn’t help the communication. “I speak some English, but I found it hard sometimes to talk with their crew members,” said Wang, a […]
Burlesque: A Chicago Institution (Video | NSFW)
By Michael Bacos Sultry. Seductive. Shimmy. Quiver. Bump. Grind. These are some of the words in the vocabulary of a burlesque performer. You may think the art of burlesque is dead, only to be remembered by watching old roaring 20s filmstrips in the vault of historical societies. Burlesque faced declining audiences starting in the 1930s. But the art […]
A chance for a change for Cook County Jail women
By Enrica Nicoli-Aldini Several colored posters decorate the walls of Division 17 at Cook County Jail, motivating its women residents with words of encouragement such as “Together we can make it.” Light blue walls lead the way up to the Pink Salon, a beauty shop where women can work or get their hair and nails […]
Graffiti: Making the leap from illegal to legal
By Ashley Altus Before picking up a spray paint can for her aerosol art, Gloe One was writing her nickname on random places she might be visiting throughout Chicago. She got into graffiti because she envisioned herself painting outside on walls just like the graffiti crews did in her neighborhood. The city has taken down her […]