Chicago

Poll: Over Half of Households in America's Biggest Cities Dealing With Financial Difficulties

Budget problems, which have coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, are especially acute for Black and Latino residents.

  • By Bill Lucia

Poll: Over Half of Households in America's Biggest Cities Dealing With Financial Difficulties

Budget problems, which have coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, are especially acute for Black and Latino residents.

  • By Bill Lucia
Chicago

Poll: Over Half of Households in America's Biggest Cities Dealing With Financial Difficulties

Budget problems, which have coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, are especially acute for Black and Latino residents.

  • By Bill Lucia

Chicago Police Will Monitor Social Media in Response to Looting

"Social media platforms have repeatedly been used to organize large groups of people to engage in illegal activity," said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

  • By Emma Coleman

Chicago Leaders Condemn Looting As ‘Brazen and Extensive Criminal Destruction’

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | A judge sides with California in lawsuit about new gig worker law … New York lawmakers to probe storm power outages … Texas AG says state legislature likely needs to decide about moving a statue of a former Texas A&M University president and Confederate general.

  • By Laura Maggi and Emma Coleman

Four Perspectives on the Christopher Columbus Statues

When Chicago removed two statues last week, it did so in the middle of the night without public announcement. What does that mean for communities invested in the decision making process?

  • By Logan Jaffe, ProPublica

As Moratoriums End and Bills Come Due, Cities Offer Utility Relief

Many residents are struggling to pay utility bills during the pandemic, dealing with escalating balances. But local relief programs aren't designed to help everybody.

  • By Emma Coleman

California Child Care Providers Struggling, With Some on the Financial Brink

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Missouri AG intervenes in local gun case … New York Assembly passes bill to protect undocumented immigrants … Shooting in Chicago leaves 15 wounded.

  • By Bill Lucia and Emma Coleman

Opioid Overdoses Keep Surging in Chicago, Killing Black People on the West Side

Half of Cook County’s confirmed opioid-related deaths have been among Black residents, even though they make up less than a quarter of the county’s population. Officials warn that the coronavirus pandemic has overshadowed the crisis.

  • By Melissa Sanchez and Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica

Hoping to Spur Participation, City Unleashes the Census Cowboy

The "census cowboy" will ride on horseback to 10 neighborhoods in Chicago with the lowest participation rates in the federal census, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said this week.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Millions of Homeowners Who Need Flood Insurance Don’t Know It—Thanks to FEMA

It is FEMA’s job to warn homeowners about major flood risks, but its approach is notoriously limited. In Cook County alone, researchers found about six times as many properties in danger as FEMA estimated. Look up your address with a new tool.

  • By Lisa Song and Tony Briscoe, ProPublica

Know a Teen Who Needs a Summer Job? Covid-19 Response Is Hiring.

Officials in several states are expanding existing seasonal job programs to include new opportunities to help with government-led coronavirus response efforts.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Black Homeowners Pay More Than ‘Fair Share’ in Property Taxes

Many tax assessors still routinely saddle Black and minority residents with property tax bills that are too high given the value of their homes.

  • By Teresa Wiltz, Stateline

One City Considers Creating a Reparations Commission

In Chicago, the city council is discussing a measure that would create a group to investigate ways the city could redress systemic racism.

  • By Emma Coleman

Featured eBooks

County Government in a Time of Crisis
What’s Next for Smart Cities
New Initiatives in Public Health

Senior Citizens in Subsidized Housing Have Been Dying Alone at Home, Unnoticed Because of Coronavirus Distancing

The patchwork system of well-being checks in some of Chicago’s public and subsidized housing was not enough to prevent deaths in heartbreaking circumstances.

  • By Mick Dumke and Haru Coryne, ProPublica

A City Looks to Expand Its Virus Tracing Workforce in Distressed Neighborhoods

Chicago is one of the latest jurisdictions around the U.S. seeking to beef up its contact tracing program. Experts say it’s a key step towards reopening the economy.

  • By Bill Lucia

Chicago Is Making the Case for Releasing Pregnant Inmates

Women in jail typically have limited prenatal support and return to custody soon after giving birth. One program is testing a different approach.

  • By Sarah Conway, The Atlantic

Cities and States Look to Tap More Tax Revenue From Expensive Real Estate Sales

“It basically allows for luxury housing to pay for affordable housing,” said a Boston city council member describing a "transfer" tax proposal there.

  • By Bill Lucia

Chicago Mayor Wants an Exception to Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Louisiana governor election results … New York to consider commercial rent controls … Shooting in California high school. 

  • By Emma Coleman

Why Chicago Is Backing Off Collecting All Its Ticket Debt

Chicago has built a significant percentage of its city budget off of fines and fees. City leaders are now saying that isn’t fair.

  • By Emma Coleman

As the Strike Approached in Chicago, Teachers Taught Labor

“I asked the kids, ‘Do you want to know what we’re fighting about?’” said one teacher. They did.

  • By Jack Crosbie, The Atlantic

People Who Live in Violent Neighborhoods Are More Likely to Be Lonely

A new study from Chicago finds that adults in places with high rates of violent crime are more likely to say they feel lonely, a consequence that can come with health repercussions.

  • By Emma Coleman

A Plan to Spruce Up Vacant Lots to Reduce Gun Violence

A program in Chicago that beautifies abandoned properties is aimed at providing work and reducing crime. But some local residents say more needs to be done to involve people in the neighborhood.

  • By Emma Coleman