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Posts published in “Latest News”

Illinois Democrats’ Week At The DNC In Review

Illinois Democrats concluded their party's national convention Thursday night albeit remotely. It was a week of awkward pauses, silent applause lines, and lots of reminders to politicians that their computers were on mute.

Host: Odette Yousef
Reporter...

CPS Teachers Prepare To Work With Remote Learning Plan

Chicago Public Schools is promising a better experience for students than when classes were abruptly cancelled in the Spring. At least, that’s what it says in the remote learning guidelines for the Fall released this week.

Host: Odette Yousef
Reporter...

FDA Authorizes COVID-19 Saliva Test From U of I

This week the FDA authorized a COVID-19 test for emergency use that was created by faculty at the University of Illinois. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called it “game-changing” for statewide and even national testing. Professor Paul Hergenrother helpe...

Read an Excerpt from “Blood Ties: A Story of Falconry and Fatherhood” by Ben Crane

Spring and Summer of 2020 have been unlike any in our collective memory. But as we’ve spent these months in relative isolation, socially distanced from our loved ones, many of us have awakened to details of the changing seasons that we seemed somehow to have forgot in our normal daily lives. We’ve noticed the feel of cool, green moss; the hum of bees in city parks; the smell of blooming lindens. In the news, we’ve read about the return of wild boars, goats, fish, and dolphins to city streets, rivers, and ports. Something in this is comforting. Copublished with UK publisher Head of Zeus, Ben Crane’s Blood Ties is a potent reminder that if we open our senses to nature, we are never truly alone. It is also so much more. Both an uncannily brilliant evocation of the falconer’s art and a moving story of a man’s discovery of how to be a father, Blood Ties is a memoir as compelling and feathered with insights into the natural world and human heart as the beloved H Is for Hawk—and yet, it is a story wholly its own. At once deeply personal and soaring across the globe, bringing us eye to […]

The post Read an Excerpt from “Blood Ties: A Story of Falconry and Fatherhood” by Ben Crane appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

50 Lives: Through Laughs And Tears

Through laughs and tears, family members shared with WBEZ the health journeys and personal stories of people who died from COVID-19.

Host: Greta Johnsen
Producer: Joe DeCeault
Speaker: Antonia Lopez, Darryl Johnson, Britt Anderson, Pat King, Dameon Ma...

Some Food Spots Are Still Thriving During The Pandemic

From jibaritos to rib tips, lines are forming down the block at some comfort food spots in Chicago. “The lines just got longer during the pandemic,” said one owner. “People want something they can’t make at home.”

Host: Greta Johnsen
Reporter: Monica ...

Teens Find A Voice In Radio With ‘After School Matters’

Many teens in Chicago have spent their summers protesting about life challenges and racial injustice. Others are finding their voice through audio storytelling with After School Matters, a program that connects high school students with hands-on experi...

Chicago’s Women Philanthropists Call Out Anti-Black Racism

A group of twenty women of color who are leaders in Chicago’s philanthropy community wrote an op-ed about anti-Black racism. They’re calling on their own sector to combat racial disparities through investment and advocacy.

Host: Becky Vevea
Guest: Fel...

5 Questions with Matthew H. Rafalow, author of “Digital Divisions”

It seems that the effects of COVID-19 persist in each and every arena of our lives. With its emergence, the unjust systemic stratifications of resources, distribution, and access became more apparent than ever. One such area is education. With back to school season upon us again, we must think critically about the divides driving education and schools. In his new book, Digital Divisions: How Schools Create Inequality in the Tech Era, Matthew H. Rafalow explores how different student body demographics receive starkly contrasting responses to their interests and implementations of technology. What lead to you this subject? Were there any particular elements that you were drawn to learning more about? I have always been fascinated by how schools work. Since my parents worked in education, dinner table conversations centered on stories about students. But they were also big supporters of my interests in computers, even though a lot of my peers saw it as rather geeky. As an adult, I watched as the world adopted all sorts of new digital technologies. I wondered if kids’ experiences with technology today were similar or different from my own. I also was curious about what school would be like if everyone liked using […]

The post 5 Questions with Matthew H. Rafalow, author of “Digital Divisions” appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

A ‘Perfect Storm’: In Little Village ‘There’s A Distrust’

Black and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago have been ravaged by the coronavirus. One of the most heavily affected is the 60623 ZIP code, which includes the mostly immigrant community of Little Village and the mostly Black North Lawndale neighborhood.

...

As Chicago Colleges Reopen, Faculty Push Back On Fall Plans

As colleges and universities gear up to restart, faculty and staff are increasingly speaking out about concerns for their safety. So what will colleges look as they try to reopen?

Host: Greta Johnsen
Reporter: Kate McGee

Catholic School Reopenings Draw Criticism From Teachers Over Safety

Over the next few weeks, the Archdiocese of Chicago is opening its schools for in-person learning after shutting them down in March due to COVID-19. The reopening of Catholic schools has been welcomed by many working parents, but it’s also facing criti...

Chicago’s Mostly Black Schools Decide To Keep Police

Almost all the city’s majority black schools voted this summer to keep police officers. The 15 of the 17 schools that will have them removed are mostly Latino or mixed.

Host: Becky Vevea
Reporter: Sarah Karp

Why Do We Still Have Presidential Conventions?

We know who the presidential nominees will be. And this year is all virtual. But here’s three reasons why some Illinois politicos say we still need a national convention.

Host: Susie An
Reporter: Becky Vevea

Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson Dies At 84

Thompson was known as “Big Jim” during his long career, which eventually made him the state’s longest-serving chief executive.

Host: Susie An
Reporter: Dave McKinney

U Of I Freshmen Prepare For Fall Semester Amid COVID-19

College freshmen already had a rough end to high school. Many are nervous and uncertain how their first semester of college will unfold.

Host: Greta Johnsen
Reporter: Kate McGee