Charmaine Runes
Data/Visuals Reporter
Prior to moving to Chicago, Charmaine was a public policy researcher at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, where she focused on the 2020 Census and the implications of potential miscounts; the implementation and impact of multi-generational anti-poverty interventions; and structural racism in policy, research, and evaluation. She has produced and presented data visualizations at multiple conferences, including the 2016 White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders data convening.
More recently, Charmaine served as South Side Weekly’s as its Director of Fact-checking; on the side, she reported and developed several data visualizations for the Weekly. She previously worked with the City of Chicago’s Chief Data Officer and Design Director to re-imagine the requester-side FOIA experience, and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Chicago Department of Public Health to develop social media strategy and graphics. Charmaine has also covered local government as part of City Bureau’s Documenters network.
Charmaine graduated from Macalester College with a B.A. in Economics and the University of Chicago with a M.S. in Computational Analysis and Public Policy.
Stories by Charmaine Runes
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Chicagoans who live near heavy-traffic corridors are breathing the most polluted air
Data from a new sensor network shows the highest rates of pollution in Little Village, Austin, Englewood, Irving Park and other neighborhoods.
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Updated: The WBEZ guide to 80-plus summer farmers’ markets in Chicago and the suburbs
With inflation boosting grocery store prices, farmers say the place to find a deal on food are the outdoor markets. Here’s WBEZ’s guide to great ones in the city and suburbs, with days, times and special features.
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This chemist-turned-baker created an ube croissant that’s totally worth the trip
Available only twice a week at a cafe in Logan Square, the vibrant purple pastries are a gateway to Filipino food culture.
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Meat cost 13% more than a year ago in the Chicago area. Produce isn’t far behind.
Inflation is eating away at the pocketbooks of many Chicagoans, even at the grocery store.
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We ranked City Council members by meeting attendance. Check your alderman’s score.
Between May 2019 and December 2021, the average Chicago alderman attended about 86% of the meetings required of them.
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Desperate to dine out? Here’s where you can raise a fork at a sidewalk cafe.
We mapped the city’s hot spots for outdoor dining permits. The highest-density areas are River North, downtown and west of the Loop.
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Chicago gas prices are up more than a dollar per gallon. It could get worse.
Gas in Chicago still isn’t as expensive as 10 years ago, when a gallon cost a whopping $4.47.
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Don’t take a snow day on shoveling the sidewalks. City fines totaled $155,000 last year.
Chicago property owners — and sometimes tenants — are responsible for removing snow from sidewalks. Failure to do so can lead to fines of $500.
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New research maps wealth gaps in Chicago and Cook County
A typical household’s wealth in the richest part of the Chicago area is 206 times that in the poorest area, according to the Urban Institute.
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The Garfield Park Conservatory has an incredibly tall plant that you’ve got to see
Named Guien, the giant agave is astounding visitors and staffers alike with its growing prowess. We compared her to other neck-kinking Chicago icons.
