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Posts published in “Latest News”

Are High School Students Ever Returning To Class?

WBEZ’s education team has been following teachers and students during this semester of the coronavirus pandemic. While a lot of activities high school students look forward to during the year have been sidelined, that’s not stopping some kids from enjo...

How What We Eat Has Shaped Our World

As we enter the holiday season, many of us are beginning to plan festive meals to share with our family and friends (virtual turkey-carving, anyone?). Visions of roasted meats, fresh breads, heirloom vegetables, herbs, spices, and sweet sweet pies abound. But what shaped our modern diets? Why do we eat what we eat, and what does the cultivation of our menus look like? We checked in with the authors of a range of foodie tomes to hear their response to a central question: how has food production and consumption shaped our modern world? Carolyn Cobbold, author of A Rainbow Palate: How Chemical Dyes Changed the West’s Relationship with Food “Man-made chemical additives and industrialization have democratized food consumption by bringing cheaper products with a longer shelf life to more people. At the same time, our trust in food, producers, and science has diminished. We fret about not knowing the provenance of our food while forgetting that billions of people can now eat like kings in cities devoid of farms. We worry about the long-term impact of consuming food filled with synthetic chemicals, but we forget that modern preservatives help to kill the bacteria that rots food and makes us ill. […]

The post How What We Eat Has Shaped Our World appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

How What We Eat Has Shaped Our World

As we enter the holiday season, many of us are beginning to plan festive meals to share with our family and friends (virtual turkey-carving, anyone?). Visions of roasted meats, fresh breads, heirloom vegetables, herbs, spices, and sweet sweet pies abound. But what shaped our modern diets? Why do we eat what we eat, and what does the cultivation of our menus look like? We checked in with the authors of a range of foodie tomes to hear their response to a central question: how has food production and consumption shaped our modern world? Carolyn Cobbold, author of A Rainbow Palate: How Chemical Dyes Changed the West’s Relationship with Food “Man-made chemical additives and industrialization have democratized food consumption by bringing cheaper products with a longer shelf life to more people. At the same time, our trust in food, producers, and science has diminished. We fret about not knowing the provenance of our food while forgetting that billions of people can now eat like kings in cities devoid of farms. We worry about the long-term impact of consuming food filled with synthetic chemicals, but we forget that modern preservatives help to kill the bacteria that rots food and makes us ill. […]

The post How What We Eat Has Shaped Our World appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

A Lot Depends On Who’s President, EPA Workers Say

Workers at the Midwest branch of the Environmental Protection Agency have a heightened interest in this year's presidential election results. They say the Trump administration has made detrimental changes to their workplace and their ability to protect...

Illinois Charter School Operator Faces $4.5M Fine

The $4.5 million settlement comes more than six years after agents raided the suburban offices of Concept Schools Inc.

Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos, Sarah Karp

Kim Foxx’s Reelection Signals Progress For Reformers

Criminal justice reformers are cheering the re-election of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Foxx beat back a law-and-order challenge from former judge and prosecutor Pat O’Brien.

Host: Melba Lara
Reporter: Patrick Smith

What We Can Learn from Election Day 2020

While it may be a while before we learn the final results of Election Day 2020, there is still much that gleaned from the returns to date. Four of our political science authors share their initial takeaways from the outcome so far. Michelle Oyakawa, coauthor of Prisms of the People: Power & Organizing in Twenty-First-Century America From the 1980s forward, the United States government has been increasingly controlled by corporations and the super-rich, who have used their power to institute policies that serve their interests. This has resulted in a highly unstable economy and society, where most workers, through no fault of their own, are unable to forge a secure, decent quality of life. This is not the fault of Republicans or Democrats alone, both parties’ leaders are subservient to super wealthy donors. No matter who ultimately wins the presidential election, the US government will face a crisis of legitimacy driven by the basic realities of extreme inequality, an out-of-control pandemic, and escalating ecological crises because of unchecked climate change. The answers for how to solve these huge problems will not come from researchers in think tanks, academics, pundits on cable news, or members of the existing political establishment. Elites […]

The post What We Can Learn from Election Day 2020 appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

What 2020’s Election Meant For Chicagoans This Year

Election Day has come and gone in Chicago. And given the worries about a global pandemic, potential unrest related to a heated presidential race, and the worry of poll staffing and lines things went very smoothly.

Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Claudia Mo...

In Chicago, Key Races Remain Undecided After Elections

Voters all around the country and here in Chicagoland are waking up to uncertainty. Several of the key races we’ve been watching leading up to Tuesday's election are still too close to call.

Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Dave McKinney

Pro-Immigration In Little Village Gets Out The Vote

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights partnered with dozens of community organizations to push for pro-immigrant policies and candidates. During this election cycle, immigration advocates have made over 1.3 million calls and sent hund...

Renters Brace For Illinois’ Eviction Moratorium Ending

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, many people are out of work and can't pay their rents. Illinois has a statewide moratorium on evictions. But renters worry what happens when the moratorium is lifted.

Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Natalie Moore

A Look Inside “Matisse: The Books” with Louise Rogers Lalaurie

Louise Rogers Lalaurie’s Matisse: The Books is a lavishly illustrated exploration of Henri Matisse’s livres d’artiste, or “artist’s books,” that brings new clarity to the artist’s life and work. Lalaurie recently visited the retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in honor of Matisse’s 150th birthday and here shares her experience of the extraordinary works on display. Art lovers everywhere know the feeling: the thrill of an eagerly anticipated exhibition or permanent collection, as you enter and glance around, spotting shapes, colors, and motifs you may never have met in person but know from photographs, or last saw years ago in another place, or have never seen before all together in the same room. It’s like walking into a party—a distant memory in the weird world of 2020, but one that springs to mind as I follow Marine Prévot, press officer at the Centre Pompidou Paris, from the staff entrance opposite the Tinguely/Saint-Phalle fountain on Place Stravinsky, through a backstage labyrinth of wooden crates. We emerge into Matisse, comme un roman (“Matisse, like a novel”), the 150th birthday retrospective that was planned for spring of this year and postponed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gathered in a space with magnificent […]

The post A Look Inside “Matisse: The Books” with Louise Rogers Lalaurie appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

Meet Mary Al-Sayed, Our New Editor for Anthropology & History

We’re excited to welcome Mary Al-Sayed, who recently joined the Press as editor in the Books Division, acquiring new titles in anthropology and history. Mary comes to us from Palgrave Macmillan, where she was senior editor for anthropology, sociology, and migration studies. Ordinarily, we would look forward to introducing Mary in person at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), where you’d have the opportunity to chat with her directly about her interests. Alas, here we are. AAA will be virtual, as will our booth. But we didn’t want you all to miss the chance to get to know Mary, so we’ve put together this little Q & A. Enjoy the interview, and then click through to our Virtual AAA booth to browse the latest, best books in the field, which are available for 40% off with free shipping. We’ll look forward to seeing you in person at next year’s AAA! What are you looking for in a book, and what kind of project gets you excited? I approach most proposals with a really rude question in mind, one that my mother forbade me from asking around second grade: “So what?” (Yes, I was an obnoxious child.) Most proposals an […]

The post Meet Mary Al-Sayed, Our New Editor for Anthropology & History appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

CPS Wants To Resume In-Person For Special Education

Chicago Public schools want to return some students with special needs to the classroom, saying these students need more support and services. But many parents of students with disabilities are against that.

Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Adriana Cardona...