Under One Roof: A new approach to health care in Nicaragua
By Sarah Kramer On a hill overlooking a steep mountain valley dappled with tropical greens and dry scrub brush, wire fences and a small dirt footpath lead to the main road and the town center of Boaco. Above all this sits the home of Milagro Solano Lira, 29, and her 4-year-old daughter, Yosmiling. She is […]
American malls aren’t dying, but they are tracking your data
By Taylor Hall, video by Siyuan Du Retail industry experts say e-commerce won’t be the death of America’s malls, but the digital evolution will be key in ensuring success for the future. Initial fears over the threat of e-commerce to the shopping mall industry have waned, but with Amazon’s stock up 14 percent after the […]
Morgellons: Straddling the gap between mental and physical illness
By Christina Bucciere Sarah Victor doesn’t bother going to doctors anymore. Victor, a 49-year-old restaurant manager from Bucktown, says she’s been told for years that her illness is all in her head, and that she is causing the pain herself. Now, she prefers to cope in her own way.
Speak Out: An In-Depth Look at Rape in South Africa
By Mariel Turner Charlene Smith was enjoying a typical night at home, nearly 17 years ago, when one stranger changed her life forever. “On April 1, 1999 I was raped in my home by a knife-wielding man.” Smith, a journalist from Johannesburg, said the rape and stabbing attack left her traumatized, fearful and suddenly aware […]
Southeast Siders: No End in Sight For Pet Coke
By Sarah Kramer Jessica Loy had lived in her new two-story home for three months when her youngest son, Carlos Gonzalez, Jr., 5, started showing the same symptoms of asthma his twin sister, Carla Gonzalez. Carla has suffered from asthma since she was a baby, Loy said, but Carlos didn’t have a history of the […]
VIDEO: Adventure Stage Chicago develops new play challenging self-image
By: J’nelle Agee Adventure Stage Chicago is currently developing a new stage play called Worthy. The play, a modern take on a classic fairytale explores how kids view self-image and how technology is so important in the way images are portrayed in the media.
VIDEO: SitStayRead improves its “reading-to-dogs” literacy program
By Courtney Dillard Man’s best friend can also make a pretty good reading teacher. At least according to SitStayRead, a literacy program in Chicago Public Schools. It uses dogs to help kids improve their reading skills by having young people read books aloud to patient canine listeners. Jamese Linton, a second grader at Milton Burson […]
Injuries To Chicago Stars Dampen City’s Mood
By Bennet Hayes Chicago’s winter got a little gloomier Wednesday. Within the span of hours Tuesday night, news broke of injuries to both Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. The ailments – a torn meniscus in the right knee for Rose and a left clavicle fracture for Kane […]
Chicago election turn out hits recent low
By Laura Furr and Emily Hoerner Updated at 11 p.m. Chicago voter turnout for the 2015 municipal election was the lowest it has been in recent history, beating out the 2007 low of 33.1 percent. According to the Chicago Board of Election’s unofficial summary 32.7 percent of the city’s 1.42 million registered voters showed up […]
Chicagoans waste 55 million pounds of food each month
By Sarah Kramer Picture your fridge – the leftovers from last night’s dinner, the half-finished meal from the corner deli, the bag of avocados trucked in from California, the loaf of multigrain bread slowly getting stale. How much of the food in your fridge and the rest of your kitchen at this moment will you […]