Dutch royals focus on business, healthcare in Chicago visit
By Meghan Morris THE HAGUE, the Netherlands — The king and queen of the Netherlands will visit Chicago June 2-3 to meet with leaders in business, healthcare and community organizations. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are visiting the country for three days in their first trip to America since the king succeeded his mother to […]
Community bank shares its recipe for success on its 40th anniversary
By Yimian Wu How does a small, privately-owned community bank compete against the dominant banking giants? Cultivating long-term personal relationships, developing niche products and embracing innovation such as a total interior redesign is how 40-year-old Countryside Bank survived a painful Recession-bred crisis and resumed profitable growth. “Once when we were in Paris,” recalled Chicago customer Karen […]
VIDEO: Rauner budget cuts threaten many with homelessness
by Adriana Cargill Governor Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget cuts for supportive housing and other homelessness prevention services will impact more than 12,500 of Illinois’s most vulnerable households, according to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and Housing Action Illinois. Supportive services, like those offered by Mercy Housing in Chicago, provide safety nets like mental and substance […]
VIDEO: Ice sculptures bring awareness to ALS
By Anne Arntson Jessica Holloway walked by Daley Plaza after finishing jury duty Tuesday afternoon. She saw frozen shapes that looked like people and wanted to learn more. That’s exactly what the Les Turner ALS Foundation wanted her to do, as they debuted seven ice sculptures as part of a three-day, 12-sculpture exhibit to bring […]
VIDEO: High school athletics experiencing budget obstacles
Obstacles from Chicago’s budget deficit are forcing many coaches to spend their own money or suffer the consequences. By Connor Morgan Coaching high school sports in Chicago can be an expensive job. Just ask Bill Curry, Westinghouse College Prep’s boys’ basketball coach. Curry has only been the varsity coach for two years but has seen […]
Fairdale residents look to rebuild; White Sox donate to relief
By Hannah Beery Tornado survivor Tom Marston saw his small farm town of Fairdale, Illinois demolished by an EF-4 tornado last month. “If you had seen what I’d seen, we’re lucky to be alive, ” he said this week. Now, he and other residents of the town 80 miles west of Chicago have finished the […]
With your hand in my hand: Formerly incarcerated move forward
By Kate Morrissey This article also appeared in The Chicago Defender. When Sharon Lacy’s brother approached her excitedly to tell her that he had gotten a drivers’ license, he was 32. She laughed at him. Then she paused. “It was normal to me, but it wasn’t normal to him,” she realized.
VIDEO: Obama Presidential Library will call Chicago home
By Nikki McGee President Barack Obama announced that he wants to go back to his roots, when citing the reason they selected the South Side of Chicago to build his presidential library and museum. The Obama Foundation has not yet announced an exact location for the center, but plans to either build in Washington Park or Jackson Park.
Video: Special Olympics brings Spring Games to Chicago
By Lukas J. Voss Over 3,500 athletes gathered on Chicago´s Southeast Side to celebrate the annual Special Olympics Spring Games. The week-long competition featured athletes from all over the state, who will compete in several track and field competitions.
VIDEO: ‘Strong Girls’ in Chicago plan to empower impoverished women globally
By Sean Froelich “Poverty is Sexist,” according to the ONE campaign, a global advocacy group created to persuade world leaders how women in poverty need education for empowerment.