Always compete: Tyler Uberstine fulfills dream of playing college baseball
By Forest Stulting Medill Reports In his number 28 black jersey and gray pants, Tyler Uberstine stood atop the artificial mound inside Northwestern’s Trienens Performance Center. He took a deep breath and fired home. “Strike one,” yelled the umpire. Uberstine finally had his chance. “It was great to find a coaching staff that supported and […]
Chicago youth unemployment hits African Americans hardest, driving population declines
By Alison Saldanha Medill Reports More African Americans are out of school and out of work than among any other racial group in Chicago, according to a new report released recently by the Great Cities Institute of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Professor Teresa Cordova, director of the Great Cities Institute, linked this disparity […]
Blurring borders: A Chicago-based Turkish artist explores changing identities, gender-based art
By Zack Fishman Medill Reports Hale Ekinci’s portraits don’t have faces. Her life-size paper images depict blank-slate figures surrounded by collages of Turkish culture: military lineups, women’s protests, wedding celebrations. In other pieces Ekinci obscures already blurred faces in textile-mounted family photos with small black dots. And in more than a dozen of her creations, […]
Ski jumping competition lives on for 115 years in Illinois
By Leah Vann Medill Reports An uncharacteristically large, steep hill lies in the depths of the Fox River Forest Preserve in Fox River Grove. More than 100 years ago, a group of Norwegian immigrants deemed it fit for one of their favorite sports, creating a tradition that persists today. Every year, world-class ski jumpers migrate […]
Chicago organizers worry New Way Forward Act won’t pass
By Anabel Mendoza Medill Reports A sparsely attended town hall discussion on a major immigration bill intended to advance racial justice for immigrant communities showed the challenges of gaining local support for more inclusive immigration policies. The Organized Communities Against Deportations, a local nonprofit focused on advocating against the deportation, detention and criminalization of immigrants, […]
For legacy Wrigleyville stores, change is good
By Jake Meister Medill Reports Upscale new commercial venues and stalwart old ones are making Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood a year-round destination even when the Cubs’ season ends at Wrigley Field. Whether it’s the slew of swanky new bars and restaurants such as Happy Camper Pizza on Clark Street or the bright lights that populate Gallagher […]
$750 million INVEST South/West initiative kicks off in Austin
By Alison Saldanha and Joel Jacobs Medill Reports Loud applause rang through the Kehrein Arts Center auditorium in Austin on the city’s West Side as newly appointed Chicago Planning Commissioner Maurice Cox presented Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s new INVEST South/West initiative earlier this month. Residents and business owners, hopeful for an economic renewal, attended to hear […]
Bronzeville Boutique connects women with trendy Chinese fashion designs
By Wanying Zhao Medill Reports China, the world’s largest clothing manufacturer, is also taking a rapid lead in clothing design. At the Bronzeville Boutique on Chicago’s South Side, owner Treva Salaam discovered her favorite land of fashion is Guangzhou, China. “I go to a lot of clothing shows. I go to major shows in Vegas, […]
Inspiration Corp. tackles food insecurity: ‘We need to give a damn’
By Briana Garrett Medill Reports Take a two-minute walk around the corner from the Wilson Red Line station to find Inspiration Corp., a non-profit organization waging war on food insecurity and hunger in Chicago as it has since 1989. In Cook Country, one in seven people are food insecure, meaning that they are vulnerable to […]
Fourth annual Women’s March Chicago rallies thousands of supporters
By Shirin Ali Medill Reports Thousands of people gathered in Grant Park on Saturday to march for climate change solutions, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and getting out the vote, issues highlighted at the annual Women’s March since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump. Women’s March Chicago organized the event and estimated that 10,000 people […]
