City releases dash-cam video of 2014 slaying of black teenager
By Meggie Morris, Steve Musal and Steven Porter Chicago officials released a dash-cam video Tuesday showing a white police officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times a year ago, as ordered by a Cook County judge last week. The release coincides with Tuesday’s charges against Jason Van Dyke, 37, a 14-year veteran of the Chicago […]
Thousands rally for Chicago teachers and protest budget cuts
By Ziyuan Jasmine Cen Thousands of people dressed in union red packed Grant Park Monday night to support Chicago public school teachers and to rally against the state budget cuts that might result in mass layoffs. “CT-who?” “CTU,” the crowd chanted. Monday’s rally was a signal to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the state Gov. Rauner […]
U.S. consumer confidence took a hit in November
By Eve Fan Consumer confidence in the U.S. declined unexpectedly in November to the lowest level in a year, as Americans became gloomier about jobs and the labor market. The non-profit Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 90.4 from 99.1 in October, missing the economists’ consensus estimate of 99.5, according to Bloomberg LP.
DePue continues 20-year struggle to cleanup toxic pollution
By Kevin Stark Pollution can happen in an instant – a spill, an explosion, a malfunction. But cleanup can take years, adding continuing emotional toll to the people living with toxins in the air and earth. The toll is still growing for the community of DePue, a village of 1,800 tucked in the Illinois River […]
You Can’t Take It With You, and you may not want to
By Alexandra Garfield You Can’t Take It With You takes us back to a depression-era classic that feels all too relevant today. The show centers around the Sycamore family who live their lives on the premise of compulsively pursuing happiness. This eccentric bunch does everything from practicing ballet while baking to making fireworks in the […]
mRelief uses technology to help Chicago’s needy
By Eve Fan Rose Afriyie still remembers the day she spent more than two hours waiting outside a community service center on the South Side of Chicago, only to find out that she was ineligible for food stamps. That experience was the inspiration for mRelief, a web and texting tool for social services eligibility screening […]
Food and wine brings French together in Chicago
By Emiliana Molina At Alliance Française de Chicago cultural events help keep the French community together despite the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Attendees held a moment of silence Wednesday to honor the victims and cheered to the French with a glass of wine and some cheese. Chef Dominique Tounge, owner of Chez Moi, also honored the victims […]
Chicago police ordered to release video of teen shot 16 times
By Steven Porter Chicago police must release video of an officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old boy 16 times last year on the city’s Southwest Side, a Cook County judge ordered Thursday. The footage, which Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass warned “could tear Chicago apart,” was captured by a dashboard camera in a police cruiser that […]
Give kids the gift of language skills but go soft on the noisy toys
By Colette House It’s hard to know which toy aisle to turn down when so many dolls, robots, and video games stand out. Some beckon louder than others, though, in our quest for toys that foster learning, spark imagination, or inspire creativity. Take a few tips from Judy Roman of Northwestern University’s Center for Audiology, […]
Housing activists to CHA: Keep promise to revamp Lathrop Homes
By Alexis Myers Pastor Bruce Ray of Kimball Avenue Church said recently at a housing protest that it is Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “duty and moral obligation” to stop the Chicago Housing Authority’s violence against low-income communities. “The CHA has left a trail of suffering and grief as it breaks promises to residents,” Ray said. Ray […]