Poet Ellen Bryant Voigt composes the music of poetry
By Lauren Ball Ellen Byrant Voigt smoked and hugged a light coat to her chest outside the Poetry Foundation in the crisp air on a recent autumn evening. Casually studying the cars as they passed by, she appeared poised, yet relaxed. Her reading was scheduled to begin in 20 minutes, and visitors began to crowd […]
Local officials react to limitations on election day registration
By Christen Gall and Guy-Lee King UPDATE: Oct.6, This has been updated, see latest news here. After U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan ruled election day registration unconstitutional in Illinois last week, election officials in Chicago are scrambling to figure out the logistics for Nov. 8. Voters hoping to register to vote and cast a ballot […]
Chicago’s ‘Lasagna Lady’ triumphs over tragedy on the road to Whole Food’s grand opening
By Jasmine Minor “I forgave the man who murdered my daughter,” says Samantha Kendall, creator of Sam’s Gourmet Lasagna, one of several local businesses that is being featured in the newly opened Whole Foods Market. It is an initiative that is trying to change the image and trajectory of Englewood, a neighborhood that tends to […]
Study links morning sickness to lower miscarriage risk
By Hannah Moulthrop Expectant mothers experiencing morning sickness may have less cause to worry about a miscarriage, a new study by the National Institutes of Health suggests. That does not mean women who feel well should be concerned, doctors say, warning that morning sickness does not measure how a pregnancy will fare.
Should you take that mosquito bite personally?
By Mariah Quintanilla Some mosquitoes would rather not suck your blood but they do it anyway because you are the closest warm-blooded animal around. So why do some mosquitoes prefer biting humans to biting other animals? The scientific answer: it’s complicated. The same factors that regularly influence what you eat for lunch also affect whether […]
Illinois blood centers to implement testing for Zika
By Teresa Manring LifeSource blood centers will implement testing of donated blood supplies for the Zika virus by Nov. 18 to meet a Food and Drug Administration recommendation that all U.S. blood centers test for the disease. LifeSource operates community blood donation centers in the state and distributes blood to approximately 60 area hospitals. Blood […]
Oswego football team finds unity in the age of Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter
By Alex Ortiz In a sea of Oswego East Wolves football fans wearing the school’s color blue, one red speck stood out at the Plainfield North High School game Friday. Glen Lane wore a San Francisco 49ers jersey as he watched his grandson, Oswego East defensive back Shakur Long, help his team remain undefeated.
Women’s wrestling wins gold, gains in popularity, but still faces adversity
By EmmaKate Austin When Rio Olympian Elena Pirozhkova was in seventh grade, her brother persuaded her to join wrestling. Not knowing what she was getting herself into, she assumed it would be something along the lines of the WWF or WWE’s Monday Night Raw. She thought she would be jumping off of ropes, tackling her […]
Chicago junior tennis rallies against decline in sportsmanship
By Erin Barney The world would have forgiven Novak Djokovic if he threw his racquet after losing to Sam Querrey in the third round of Wimbledon Sunday. Fans have understood when Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Andy Murray and countless other pros took anger out on their equipment, and would have given the No. 1 player […]
Pat Summitt’s reach and inspiration seen in Illinois athletes
By Erin Barney Pat Summitt was a game changer. Not just in the cliché sense of the phrase, though. The former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach and winningest coach in Division I history certainly was a pivotal figure. But she transcended the common expression and literally changed women’s basketball. Summitt died yesterday in Knoxville, […]