“16 shots” echoed as protestors took to Chicago’s streets (video)
By Jasmine Cen About two hundred protestors took over the streets in downtown Chicago after the release of police shooting video of Laquan McDonald. “Sixteen times”, the crowd chanted, as they started the march from Halsted and Roosevelt. The protest initially started with about a hundred participants. As the group marched north, more joined in. According […]
The Laquan McDonald case: A timeline of the past year
By Aryn Braun and Max Greenwood THE STORY BREAKS — Oct. 20, 2014 Laquan McDonald, 17, was shot and killed by Chicago Police near 41st Street and Pulaski Road around 9:45 p.m. in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side, after a 911 call reported suspicious activity. When responding officers arrived at the scene, […]
In Chicago, a murder charge and a police video as a city holds its breath
By Misha Euceph and Raquel Zaldivar Cook County prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges Tuesday against white Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in the October 2014 shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald. As Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for calm and others called for protests, the police prepared to release a graphic dash-cam video of […]
City releases dash-cam video of 2014 slaying of black teenager
By Meggie Morris, Steve Musal and Steven Porter Chicago officials released a dash-cam video Tuesday showing a white police officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times a year ago, as ordered by a Cook County judge last week. The release coincides with Tuesday’s charges against Jason Van Dyke, 37, a 14-year veteran of the Chicago […]
Thousands rally for Chicago teachers and protest budget cuts
By Ziyuan Jasmine Cen Thousands of people dressed in union red packed Grant Park Monday night to support Chicago public school teachers and to rally against the state budget cuts that might result in mass layoffs. “CT-who?” “CTU,” the crowd chanted. Monday’s rally was a signal to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the state Gov. Rauner […]
U.S. consumer confidence took a hit in November
By Eve Fan Consumer confidence in the U.S. declined unexpectedly in November to the lowest level in a year, as Americans became gloomier about jobs and the labor market. The non-profit Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 90.4 from 99.1 in October, missing the economists’ consensus estimate of 99.5, according to Bloomberg LP.
DePue continues 20-year struggle to cleanup toxic pollution
By Kevin Stark Pollution can happen in an instant – a spill, an explosion, a malfunction. But cleanup can take years, adding continuing emotional toll to the people living with toxins in the air and earth. The toll is still growing for the community of DePue, a village of 1,800 tucked in the Illinois River […]
You Can’t Take It With You, and you may not want to
By Alexandra Garfield You Can’t Take It With You takes us back to a depression-era classic that feels all too relevant today. The show centers around the Sycamore family who live their lives on the premise of compulsively pursuing happiness. This eccentric bunch does everything from practicing ballet while baking to making fireworks in the […]
Food and wine brings French together in Chicago
By Emiliana Molina At Alliance Française de Chicago cultural events help keep the French community together despite the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Attendees held a moment of silence Wednesday to honor the victims and cheered to the French with a glass of wine and some cheese. Chef Dominique Tounge, owner of Chez Moi, also honored the victims […]
Chicago police ordered to release video of teen shot 16 times
By Steven Porter Chicago police must release video of an officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old boy 16 times last year on the city’s Southwest Side, a Cook County judge ordered Thursday. The footage, which Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass warned “could tear Chicago apart,” was captured by a dashboard camera in a police cruiser that […]