Inconclusive DNA results in Chicago female homicides, investigator still certain of serial killer
By Kira Leadholm Medill Reports All 21 DNA samples from a series of female homicides that have occurred in Chicago since 2001 have been analyzed, a Chicago Police Department representative confirmed. However, the results complicate the theory that a serial killer is behind 50 unsolved strangulation and asphyxiation cases. None of the 21 samples cross […]
George Washington High School rallies against their new toxic neighbors
By Natalie Eilbert and Emily Little Medill Reports When yet one more industrial facility planned to move operations to the Southeast Side, they likely didn’t think their main opponents would be high schoolers. But the students of George Washington High School weren’t going to back down. After Lincoln Park residents fought for its removal, General […]
Rewinding to Election Day at eleven Chicago polling sites
By Caroline Catherman & Grace Rodgers Medill Reports Illinois voted blue this year, just as it has every other year since 1992. The 2020 presidential election brought an unprecedented number of registered voters to cast ballots in the state. Early voting and absentee voting became much more popular, and several polling administrators reported seeing more […]
Chicago’s shuttered storefronts left in limbo as Trump refuses to concede election
By Grace Rodgers & Marisa Sloan Medill Reports After nearly a week of counting ballots, Joe Biden was declared president-elect early Saturday morning. Many storefronts along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile thanks in part to its grand architecture and designer brands, boarded up their windows days in advance, anticipating election unrest. […]
Media company provides essentials for business during pandemic
By Bennett Baker Medill Reports Since 2006, Terraboost Media has been combining wellness and marketing by pairing sanitizing gel and wipe stations with advertisements in malls, grocery stores and other businesses. For businesses trying to keep their doors open during the pandemic, keeping patrons safe is paramount. With the spike in demand for hand-sanitizer and […]
Cook County ecologist protects natural areas for every generation
By Carlyn Kranking Medill Reports Kristin Pink remembers coming to Spears Woods as a child, walking the paths with her sled in the winter. She knew what time of year the lily pads on the wetland bloomed and visited the woods to look at them. Now, she walks the same paths with her red Cook […]
Ready for 100 Coordinator calls for equitable energy transition in Chicago
By Emily Little Medill Reports Clean energy is no small feat for a city like Chicago. It’s not enough to move homes and businesses to renewable power; there must be an equitable transition that addresses systemic discrimination in marginalized communities all over the city. Kyra Woods is the Ready for 100 Coordinator for the Illinois […]
Dr. Richard Novak: The man behind UIC’s COVID-19 vaccine Phase III clinical trial
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports As COVID-19 unraveled the world, many scientists and leaders struggled to find direction amid unprecedented uncertainty. For Dr. Richard Novak, though, the situation was all too familiar. Novak, 66, heads the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Illinois-Chicago and has led HIV clinical care and vaccine research efforts […]
The race for COVID-19 vaccines: A deep dive into Moderna’s frontrunner candidate
By Shivani Majmudar Medill Reports COVID-19’s sudden emergence as a catastrophic global pandemic, and the absence of medical treatment, left scientists grasping for any means to meet the overwhelming demand for care. In the historic race to develop a vaccine, Moderna Therapeutic’s candidate, mRNA-1273, stands out as a frontrunner. The biotechnology company went from genetic […]
Election Day in Oak Park: Spending referendum is haunted by ghost of past pool fiasco
By Helen Quinn Pasin Medill Reports On election day Nov. 3, 2020, Oak Parkers had to decide how to vote on the local referendum: “Shall any capital expenditure of $5 million or more by any local taxing body within Oak Park be subject to a binding referendum for approval or rejection by voters?” This referendum […]