A mosquito can become a video game hero in Japan

Japan video game

By Jessica Xieyang Qiao Medill Reports A lone mosquito patrols the Yamada family to stock up on blood for the coming winter. You are Mister Mosquito, an uninvited guest who pesters the hapless Yamada family. They want you dead. You want to bite. The battle is on. Quirky as it sounds, Mister Mosquito is a […]

Rent control campaign builds momentum in Rogers Park

By Becky Dernbach Medill Reports Sandra imagined getting older as a peaceful time to retire and travel. She didn’t expect to be fighting to stay in her Rogers Park apartment as the rising rent takes up more and more of her fixed income on Social Security every year. “I didn’t see my old age like […]

A thousand marchers bring eating disorder awareness and support to Chicago

People pose for a picture at the NEDA walk.

By Colleen Zewe Medill Reports Despite the brisk October weather, Sami Mikret and her family spent Sunday morning marching along Diversey Harbor to celebrate her completion of eating disorder treatment and show others that recovery is possible. They weren’t alone. More than 1,000 people participated in Chicago’s National Eating Disorder Awareness Walk, making it the […]

Pilsen residents demand rent controls at Town Hall meeting

State Senator Daniel Biss, D-9, speaks at the podium

Nathan Ouellette Medill Reports Demands for rent control and affordable housing took center stage, Monday, in the St. Pius V Church basement, as residents of Pilsen and Little Village rose one by one to voice concerns at Pilsen’s Community Town Hall on Rent Control and Property Taxes. The Town Hall, conducted both in Spanish and English, […]

America’s First Nations compete at World Championship Hoop Dancing Contest

Kailayne Jensen, Dine, Mericopa

Nathan Ouellette Medill Reports PHOENIX, Ariz. – A chorus of voices and the echo of drums engulfed the sunbathed amphitheater at the Heard Museum this month as dancers from American Indian and Canadian First Nations gathered for the 28th Annual World Championship Hoop Dancing Contest. The dances emerged from tribal healing ceremonies. Now, hoop dancing […]

Tokyo’s pachinko parlors look to next generation of players

Entrance to Pachinko Parlor

By Mindy Tan Pachinko, a uniquely Japanese form of gambling, is a popular sport in Japan. But interest in the game has been waning, particularly amongst younger players. Parlor operators are trying to revive interest by rolling out luxurious, air-conditioned parlors with uniformed staff, and the industry endeavors to introduce new games on a regular […]

Vulfpeck’s Theo Katzman breezes through Evanston’s SPACE ahead of second album

Theo Katzman headlining Evanston SPACE

By Grant Rindner Ahead of the January release of his second album, Heartbreak Hits, singer and funk-rock free spirit Theo Katzman took the stage at Evanston’s SPACE this month.  Katzman plays guitar and drums in the successful band Vulfpeck and was joined onstage by bassist Joe Dart of Vulfpeck and independent singer-pianist Joey Dosik and […]

Living a full life in spite of being blind

By Iacopo Luzi Maureen Reid, 44, lost her vision when she was 27 because of  type 1 diabetes. Today she works as a job placement counselor at the Chicago Lighthouse, a non-profit organization that assists visually impaired people all over the country. She agreed to be followed by Medill Reports during the month of May. […]