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Posts published in “Latest News”

Are we teaching reading all wrong? What parents need to know

A mounting body of research shows specific ways students should be taught to read. But many popular lessons aren’t aligned with that science. Host: Melba Lara; Reporters: Lauren Frost, Cassie Walker Burke

Read an Interview with Srikanth Reddy, Editor of the Phoenix Poets Series

As we enter the relaunch of the Phoenix Poets series, we’re introducing the new editors and poets through a series of short interviews. Here, we spoke with the new editor, poet and literary scholar Srikanth Reddy, who is the first publicly named editor of the series since the 1990s. Reddy

How winter road salt impacts our aquatic ecosystems

Road salt, meant to clear roads and sidewalks of ice and snow, often ends up in our local waterways, where it raises chloride levels and can harm aquatic life. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Indira Khera

Jesse White discusses career, racism that shaped it

You may know White because his name is on your driver’s license or you’ve seen his tumblers at parades. But there’s a lot more to White’s legendary political career as it comes to an end. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dave McKinney

Read an Excerpt from “Rethinking Hypothyroidism” by Antonio C. Bianco, MD

Hypothyroidism affects approximately five out of a hundred Americans, and hundreds of millions worldwide. It occurs when the thyroid gland malfunctions or after thyroid surgery, causing thyroid hormone levels in circulation to drop. Thus, treatment is aimed at bringing these hormone levels back to normal, usually with daily tablets of

What can aldermen do to reduce crime in Chicago?

With crime once again a top issue in Chicago, some aldermen running for reelection face challengers who say their way of combating it is outdated. Host: Melba Lara; Reporters: Mariah Woelfel, Tessa Weinberg and Lauren Frost

Chicago’s NASCAR race raises questions on security, parks

Critics want to know who will pay for security and physical damage to downtown. But the bigger question is: Is anyone clamoring for this? Host: Melba Lara; Reporters: Lauren Frost and Mark Guarino

Jury awards CPD whistleblower Isaac Lambert nearly $1 million

The veteran detective was demoted for speaking out about a shooting of an unarmed teen by an off-duty officer in 2017. Lambert’s lawyers had sought as much as $2 million. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Chip Mitchel and Cianna Greaves

Chicago’s Field Museum tells the story of the Calumet region

A new exhibit at the Field Museum highlights areas not often associated with each other, parts of Chicago’s South Side and Northwest Indiana known as the Calumet Region. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Michael Puente

CPS spent $308M on school technology. Now what?

Chicago Public Schools lacks a cohesive plan for using computers in the classroom or a reliable way to track them, WBEZ and Chalkbeat found. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

Read an Excerpt from “States of Plague” by Alice Kaplan and Laura Marris

In their new book, States of Plagues: Reading Albert Camus in a Pandemic, Alice Kaplan and Laura Marris examine Camus’s novel as a palimpsest of pandemic life, an uncannily relevant account of the psychology and politics of a public health crisis. Both personal and eloquently written, this book uncovers for us the mysterious way

Embracing Hygge could stave of Chicago’s winter blues

Have you heard about the Danish expression of hygge? We talk to an expert who will tell us how to incorporate its principles into our our lives this winter. Host: Araceli Gomez-Aldana; Reporter: Araceli Gomez-Aldana

United Flight 553 crashed in Chicago 50 years ago

The day United Flight 553 crashed in Chicago “was just like someone dropped a big, huge anvil on the ground.” Host: Mary Dixon: Reporter: Cianna Greaves