From dry campus to ‘Drunk Shakespeare’: How Caleb Harbin found freedom
By Sydney Meyer Medill Reports Beginning in October 2024, Caleb Harbin regularly stood onstage in front of an eager audience, downed four shots of a liquor of his choice, and performed the classical titan “MacBeth.” Between “doths” and “thous,” Harbin created a Shakespearian playground for four other actors, who perform the show sober, through an abundance of improv and two additional drinking challenges. By […]
WATCH: Day in & Day Out — As Illinois spends $900 million on new prisons, people coming home invest in art instead
By Morgan Norris Medill Reports Henry Broomfield spent 26 years inside Stateville Correctional Center, where, according to the John Howard Association, inmates lived with hazardous water and falling ceilings. Now free, he and others are turning to art to rebuild their lives, even as the state invests $900 million in new prisons the community says it doesn’t want. TRANSCRIPT: HENRY BROOMFIELD: This a poem I wrote while I was in prison. AUDIO: Now, this may […]
Lessons in painting: As Wicker Park studio celebrates 5th anniversary, owner shares words, and brush strokes, of wisdom
By Phoebe Bock Medill Reports Even as a 4-year-old doodler, sitting at a picnic table and coloring with crayons, Christina Villa knew she wanted to be an artist. At 13, she got an acrylic paint set from her parents, sketched a still life of her grandmother’s teapot and thought, “I’m a real artist now.” Now 37, she […]
Purdue earns no. 2 seed on Selection Sunday after Big Ten Tournament Championship win, set to play in first round Friday
By Katherine Silva Medill Reports Minutes into the Big Ten Tournament championship, struggling to find his shot, Purdue’s Braden Smith tore off his No. 3 jersey “superman-style” in frustration. An hour later, after a tough and-1, Smith was flexing to the Boilermaker crowd in a nameless No. 41 substitute jersey. Shortly after that, he was hoisting the […]
Illinois 9th district primary race tight as large voter share is undecided, national issues emerge
By George Alexandrakis Medill Reports EVANSTON — Standing along a frigid Evanston street on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, lifelong Evanston resident Clif Brown held up a Palestinian flag and wore a two-sided sign opposing two of the leading contenders in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District Democratic primary. “It’s very cold, and I was kind of […]
Boyd, Blackwell set program records as Wisconsin rallies past Illinois, before falling to Michigan in Big Ten Tournament
By Justin Parmer Medill Reports Despite being down by double digits at multiple points throughout Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, Wisconsin put its trust in its veteran guards, rallying to defeat Illinois 91-87 in overtime. For the first time since 1968 the Badgers had two players score 30 or more points, with graduate senior Nick Boyd […]
In chilly San Francisco Bay, open-water swimmers find warmth in community
By Lucy Roberts Medill Reports SAN FRANCISCO – The water in the San Francisco Bay rarely rises above 60 degrees, even in the summer. But these chill temperatures do not stop swimmers from diving into the bay, chasing not just the shock of the cold water, but also the warmth of community they find in […]
An orchestra reborn: How Chicago, the cuatro and a car crash reinvigorated Orlando Rivera’s career
By Mallory Evans Medill Reports As the auditorium lights dim, some 20 orchestral musicians pick up their various stringed instruments and begin to play lively tunes including Puerto Rico’s national anthem, “La Borinqueña.” The dream of creating this orchestra has been a long time coming. In December, 67-year-old Orlando Rivera will celebrate 30 years as the executive director and co-founder of the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra. Based in Humboldt Park, this nonprofit […]
Third time’s the charm: Maryland earns first-ever win over Oregon before falling to Iowa in Big Ten Tournament
By Khuyen Dinh Medill Reports It doesn’t take long for familiarity to build in college basketball. In just the third meeting ever between Maryland and Oregon — and the second this season — the Terrapins flipped the script with a statement 70–60 victory in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament before their run […]
WATCH: Chicagoans remember life, legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson
By Morgan Norris Medill Reports The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the iconic civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, died Tuesday surrounded by family at his Chicago home. His church community remembers him not only as a humanitarian but also as their reverend. TRANSCRIPT NARRATION: As Chicagoans lay flowers and letters to mourn the loss […]