Illinois unemployment hits 6-year low in January
By Jin Wu Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in January, according to a release Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois reports an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, the lowest since 2009. [field name=”Unemployment”] Illinois unemployment rate has been dropping for six consecutive years, reaching 6.1 percent in January. (Bureau of […]
Video: Do we need another t-shirt printer? Yes!
By Lucy Ren Within three years of operation, Lucky Prints LLC, a custom apparel printing shop located in the industrial district in Nearwest Chicago, has expanded its production line to twice as large, and increased its revenue by 25 percent last year. “It’s a pretty competitive industry, surprisingly,” said Adam Smith, co-founder of Lucky Prints. […]
Jake Chelios seeks to make a name for himself with Wolves
By Sara Romano In a lot of ways, the Wolves defenseman is just like other minor-league hockey players. He dreams of making the NHL. He struggles for playing time and tries to make the most of his opportunities. He talks to his dad after each game. But there is one big difference. His dad is […]
ESL programs in Illinois prisons limited by lack of data, bureaucratic delays
By Dean DeChiaro and Phoebe Tollefson Ten years after bilingual education programs were discontinued in Illinois prisons, the Department of Corrections has initiated a new pilot aimed at meeting the needs of non-English speaking inmates. Meanwhile, red tape has put classes at the state’s only other bilingual prison education program on hold, worsening the daily […]
Parents speak out against PARCC opt out policies
By Taylor Mullaney After the first week of state-mandated PARCC academic testing, some parents are speaking out for the right to exclude their children from taking the examination. The Illinois State Board of Education provided a Frequently Asked Questions sheet about PARCC on its website in January. As to whether individual students or parents can […]
Homeless Chicago couple chooses streets over shelters
By Adrienne Hurst Geronimo Lightfoot has a home. It’s between two concrete pillars underneath the Illinois Center on Michigan Avenue; a cozy nest of blankets, paper bags and empty cans of Natural Light. The 54-year-old endures Chicago’s biting winters in the wind-sheltered underpass of Lower Michigan Avenue. Though this one’s coming to an end, he’s kept […]
Window washers on wheels do the dirty work
By Meredith Wilson Soon after launching their window washing business, Urban Street Window Works, Scott Baermann and his partner Ryan Hoban couldn’t find a place to park their van to do a job. “Man, we should really do this on bikes,” Scott said to Ryan.
Possible fraud an issue in Caesars’ bankruptcy filing in Chicago
UPDATED: This story has been updated to include new developments in the case. By Matt Yurus Why did dozens of creditors strive to head off Caesars Entertainment Corp.’s filing bankruptcy in Chicago for its largest subsidiary, Caesars Entertainment Operating Company Inc.? Essentially, they believed that Caesars Entertainment Corp. “robbed CEOC of its assets in order […]
Chicago Irish dancing world champ celebrates heritage, community
By Megan Kramer Sofia Kennedy’s career in Irish dance started with a flier. Now nearly 13 years old, Sofia is a member of the World Championship team at the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance. Her parents brought home a flier with information about Trinity, which has locations throughout Chicago, when she was just a toddler, […]
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Badminton Duo Thriving in Evanston
By Tim Penman Young players can face a multitude of issues when they compete on a team in which their parent is coach, everything from higher expectations to unclear definitions of roles. Luckily for the Evanston High School badminton team, the dynamic between coach Karilyn Joyce and her daughter Keegan hasn’t been a distraction, they […]