Illinois
Chicago Reporter
- Particulate Matter Pollution in Chicago: What it is, Why it Matters, and How to Stay Safe
On days when wildfire smoke is bad, it looks like Chicago is covered in fog. The iconic city skyline disappears in a hazy sea of grays and blues. It’s hard to even see buildings a couple of blocks away. This smoke doesn’t just give the city a spooky atmosphere. It brings in fine particulates–microscopic pieces The post Particulate Matter Pollution in Chicago: What it is, Why it Matters, and How to Stay Safe appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.
- Talking about suicide can feel impossible. In and around Chicago, support spaces are opening the conversation.
Ten minutes – for some in a mental health crisis, that’s all the time it may take to decide to end their life. Caught in a state of tunnel-vision and unable to make rational decisions, suicide can seem like the only way to end the pain to an individual in distress. These intense moments of The post Talking about suicide can feel impossible. In and around Chicago, support spaces are opening the conversation. appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.
- What else could be on the table for Illinois property tax reform?
TCR spoke to fiscal, education and policy experts to understand options that go from creating new revenue sources from scratch to reforming existing ones Property taxes are a recurring topic in discussions at Chicago City Hall and Chicago Public Schools during this budget season. Will Mayor Brandon Johnson increase property taxes in the next fiscal The post What else could be on the table for Illinois property tax reform? appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.
- Inside The Loop with Christian Perry: Perspectives on Power, Politics, and Progress in Chicago
Critical Patriotism Can Save Our Democracy. Are We Too Late? Christian Perry is a community organizer, leadership strategist, and political operative from the Southside of Chicago who currently serves as Political Director to Mayor Brandon Johnson. To love America is not to recite her myths and encourage delusion-it’s suturing her open wounds with thread spun The post Inside The Loop with Christian Perry: Perspectives on Power, Politics, and Progress in Chicago appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.
- Community Groups Turn Air Monitoring Into a Tool for Action
Local climate justice activists are using community-run air sensors to track pollution and push residents to connect air quality with health. Yvette Piña began getting headaches after she moved to Pilsen in 2005. Piña, who works as a website developer, said it’s hard to do her work whenever one strikes. “It’s just that heaviness when The post Community Groups Turn Air Monitoring Into a Tool for Action appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.
South Side Weekly
- Best Cruise: Lakeshore Drive
t’s no secret that Chicago boasts the best skyline and one of the most beautiful coasts in the country. So cruising on Lake Shore Drive—renamed in 2021 as Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive—has got to be one of the best things about living in Chicago. If you decide to drive or even The post Best Cruise: Lakeshore Drive appeared first on South Side Weekly.
- Best Taste of Cultura: Plaza Garibaldi — Little Village
was too young to get into the clubs. But with my best friend or cousin, we would walk about a mile from our house, going east, passing corner stores, eloteras, and el Arco de La Villita, following the faint sound of the tambora. We’d try to balance on the tracks in front of Cook County The post Best Taste of Cultura: Plaza Garibaldi — Little Village appeared first on South Side Weekly.
Investigate Midwest
- Court dismisses lawsuit alleging EPA failed to protect farmers from PFAS in fertilizer
This story was originally published by The New Lede. A federal district court this week dismissed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failed to prevent the contamination of farmland across the country with toxic PFAS in sewage sludge used as fertilizer. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday dismissed the The post Court dismisses lawsuit alleging EPA failed to protect farmers from PFAS in fertilizer appeared first on Investigate Midwest.
- Federal worker-safety commission has zero members as backlog grows
The federal agency that oversees disputes of workplace safety violations, including in meatpacking plants, has been without leadership for more than five months. The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an entity independent from both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Labor, has had no commissioners since the beginning of May. The post Federal worker-safety commission has zero members as backlog grows appeared first on Investigate Midwest.
Block Club Chicago
- Trump Sending 300 National Guard Troops To Chicago, Governor Says
The escalation comes after weeks of President Donald Trump threatening to send the National Guard to Chicago.
- Family, Grocery Shoppers Run As Masked Agent Throws Smoke Bomb Onto Busy Chicago Street
Federal immigration agents appeared to be targeting Rico Fresh grocery store in Logan Square. “I thought this is a country where I can have freedom," one witness said. "Did I think this would happen to me in America? No."
- Federal Agents Handcuff Chicago Alderperson At Hospital ER
In another incident caught on video Friday, federal agents inside a car randomly threw tear gas into a Logan Square street while people — including a 2-year-old — were outside nearby.