‘Lifebooks’ help kids in foster care track their history
Illinois DCFS embraces a storytelling tool to help foster kids maintain sense of where they came from.
Patrick Smith
Reporter, Criminal Justice
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Sheriff Dart to investigate unlicensed rehab centers
Heroin addicts being sent from Puerto Rico to Chicago often end up in rundown residences. City and state officials playing ‘not it’ when it comes to oversight.
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Election results mean new power at beleaguered College of DuPage
Vice Chair Katharine Hamilton says new majority will ‘clamp down’ on school’s financial problems.
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Cook County sends bill to state for kids left waiting in jail
The county is sending a bill to Illinois for the cost of holding state wards left waiting behind bars by the Department of Children and Family Services.
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Judge takes action on kids left behind bars by DCFS
A federal judge has set in motion improvements to Illinois’ troubled Department of Children and Family Services. The action came after WBEZ found some minors were waiting behind bars even after they were cleared to go home.
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Illinois kids spent 7,300 days left behind bars
The state’s child welfare system leaves hundreds of kids stuck in juvenile jail after their time is served. One juvenile was left in jail by DCFS last year for 190 extra days—that’s longer than a school year.
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Chicago Ald. JoAnn Thompson dies
Thompson, 58, represented the 16th Ward on the South Side for almost eight years.
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Chicago remembers Ald. Berny Stone
Stone, known for his outspoken and hands-on approach, served as the 50th Ward alderman for almost 40 years. He died early Monday morning at the age of 87.
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Waukegan woman seeks to trademark ‘I can’t breathe’
Woman wants to sell clothing featuring the dying words of Eric Garner.
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Emanuel unveils youth safety plan
Commission’s ‘Plan for 2015’ is heavy on past accomplishments, light on details.
