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Posts published in “Latest News”

Elderly Get Vaccine Help From An Evanston 13-Year-Old

The local teen started by finding appointments for his grandparents. When word got out, he built a website to help the elderly figure out where to sign up on their own. Host: Marie Lane; Reporter: Edie Rubinowitz

Celebrate Wayne Booth’s 100th with an Excerpt from “The Rhetoric of Fiction”

On the occasion of what would have been the 100th birthday of distinguished critic Wayne C. Booth (1921–2005), we invited Press author and University of Chicago professor James Chandler to offer a tribute to Booth to accompany an excerpt from Booth’s The Rhetoric of Fiction, which transformed the criticism of fiction. Wayne Booth’s was a career famously dedicated to “intellectual community,” a value that organized his energies and marked virtually everything he achieved. His commitment to this value was a matter of constant vigilance on his part, even in relatively casual circumstances. When he attended lectures, he would often position himself in such a way as to be able to watch both to the speaker and the effect the speaker was having—or not having—on an audience. When a member of an audience asked a question whose point was lost on a speaker, Wayne would instinctively jump in to clear things up. It drove him mad to see people talking past one another. In the classroom, the creation of intellectual community was, arguably, the true object of Wayne’s teaching. He had a rare genius for turning a given assortment of students into a group of productive discussants. This, too, was born in part of his diligence. He obsessed […]

The post Celebrate Wayne Booth’s 100th with an Excerpt from “The Rhetoric of Fiction” appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

Ex-Cook County Assessor Pays $100K Ethics Settlement

Berrios lost his reelection bid for Cook County assessor in 2018, but he had continued to fight ethics board rulings against him. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

You Knew That I Wasn’t Just Using You For Toilet Paper

Jes Scheinpflug and Tiffany Favers met on a dating app in the early days of the pandemic. On StoryCorps Chicago, they discuss the challenges and surprises of dating in the midst of a global health crisis. Producer: Bill Healy

IL Speaker Madigan Resigns Amid ComEd Bribery Fallout

Michael Madigan is no longer a member of the Illinois House. The historically long-time former Speaker resigned his Southwest Side seat on Thursday. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dave McKinney

Report Details Chicago’s Failures During Summer Unrest

A new report by an independent investigator for the city of Chicago says failures by city leaders during last summer’s protests put the public and police officers at risk. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Patrick Smith

The Career Of Former Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan

Former House Speaker Michael Madigan has resigned from the Illinois House of Representatives. The House that Madigan built turned against him after nearly 40 years, amid a federal corruption scandal in which Madigan’s not been charged. Host: Melba Lara...

Have Allergies? What To Expect From The COVID-19 Vaccine

Chicago’s Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Allison Arwady says COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people with many common allergies. People with more severe allergies should talk to their doctor or allergist for more specific guidance. Find all our covera...

Michael Madigan Resigning From Illinois House

After 50 years in office, the Democratic boss is resigning his Southwest Side seat amid the continued federal investigation into his potential ties to a ComEd bribery scheme. Host: Sasha-Ann Simons; Reporter: Dave McKinney

Deported Veteran Laid To Rest In Chicago Cemetery

Javier Ramirez was a Vietnam-era marine who was deported almost two decades ago. On Tuesday, he was laid to rest at the Abraham Lincoln National cemetery southwest of Chicago. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Maria Ines Zamudio

What’s My Best Source To Find A COVID-19 Vaccine?

First, call your doctor. But if you don’t have one, or your doctor doesn’t have the vaccine, get ready to scour the internet. Dr. Vineet Arora, with the University of Chicago, says try the city’s vaccine appointment system at ZocDoc.com - find all our ...

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Hard To Get For Black Chicagoans

With relatively little COVID-19 vaccine to go around, access to a shot has been incredibly tight. It’s been particularly difficult for Black Chicagoans, even though they’ve been disproportionately hit hardest by the coronavirus. Host: Mary Dixon; Repor...

IL COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Overlooks Non-English Speakers

For more than three weeks, seniors in Illinois have been eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. But some seniors who don’t speak English are having to wait longer, just to add their names to the vaccine wait list.
Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Maria I...

Read an Excerpt from Rebecca K. Marchiel’s “After Redlining”

Some of the most quietly pernicious manifestations of American racism can be found in the discriminatory actions of financial and real estate institutions, particularly in the urban segregation policies that came to be labeled “redlining.” In this excerpt from Rebecca K. Marchiel’s After Redlining: The Urban Reinvestment Movement in the Era of Deregulation, we get an inside look at pioneering efforts to recognize these unjust actions and fight them on their own turf. In 1970, in the midst of the ongoing battle with panic peddlers, Shel Trapp led members of the West Side Coalition against Panic Peddling into the offices of Chicago’s second-largest savings and loan association, Bell Federal. The group had a meeting scheduled with the bank president to ask why his institution wasn’t lending in their neighborhood, leaving new homebuyers at the mercy of panic peddlers and contract sales. Several West Siders came to Trapp complaining that the bank had rejected their applications for loans with no explanation. Trapp reasoned the best way to get answers was to confront the president face to face. That afternoon, when the West Siders huddled into the banker’s office, they saw something that changed their understanding of what was going on in […]

The post Read an Excerpt from Rebecca K. Marchiel’s “After Redlining” appeared first on The Chicago Blog.