Shannon Heffernan
Company offers free taxi rides to polls
Businesses across Chicago are offering incentives to vote such as free desserts or drinks if you bring in a voting receipt. But a phone app is actually getting people to the polls for free.
Sarah Pt. II | For one single mom, parenting in poverty
There’s little doubt that Sarah and her family have an unstable life. But the question of why that is, and how it should be fixed is a sharply divided debate.
Sarah Pt. I | The Cliff Effect: When work doesn’t pay
Sarah is a model of how welfare has moved people into jobs. But if welfare’s bigger goal is getting people out of poverty, then she’s a portrait of what’s gone wrong.
Strike continues as teachers weigh proposal
Across Chicago, teachers are wading through the 180-page contract proposal as the strike continues into its second week. Union delegates are scheduled to take another vote on Tuesday, but the city is seeking legal action to force teachers back into classrooms.
GED fees more than double in Illinois
In Illinois, the GED testing fee will more than double, rising from $50 to $120.
GED may do more harm than good
The GED is sometimes called the largest high school in the world. Dropouts think of it as a second chance to move up in the world. But research shows, it might not work.
Are mimes a solution to Chicago’s pedestrian crossing problem?
A listener asked us why more Chicago drivers don’t stop at crosswalks. Getting to the bottom of it led us to an experiment about what’s more effective: tough laws or a combo of wagging fingers, make-up and silent expressions.
Library’s cyber-navigators help digitally illiterate patrons
At the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, a cyber navigator’s central job is to help people learn to use computers. But because much of what they do is help people access government services or find a job, cyber navigators are almost like digital social workers.
Less adult education available on South and West Side, where need is greatest
Chicago’s highest literacy needs are on the far South and West side, but most literacy programs are located further north.