U.S. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge gives Chicago $60 million to fight homelessness
The city received the largest sum of federal funds toward combating the issue.
Race, Class & Communities
The Race, Class & Communities Desk seeks to provide enterprise reporting on broad themes and trends related to race and income in the Chicago metropolitan area and to provide beat coverage of topical issues including housing, immigration, work/opportunity and demographics.
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A Woodlawn migrant shelter sparks anger — and reflection — among Black and Latino residents
Woodlawn residents say they’ve been kept in the dark about the shelter by the city, but some see this as an opportunity to come together.
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This activist’s life shows abortion access is not just a ‘white woman’s movement’
Marie Leaner was one of the few Black members of a covert abortion network active in Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s. On the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, she tells her story.
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Death in shelter for migrants highlights mental health challenges asylum seekers could face
As hundreds of asylum seekers arrive in the Chicago area, the death of one newly arrived immigrant illustrates the complex mental health problems they could face.
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Chicago to strengthen planned security for Lunar New Year parades
Additional security measures will surround Lunar New Year parades this weekend in Chinatown and Uptown in the wake of two California mass shootings.
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Glen Ellyn pedestrian tunnel is filled with trees, thanks to Pilsen artist’s mural
Juan De La Mora’s mural, completed in December, is part of a broader effort to create and celebrate public art in DuPage County.
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As book bans rise, Chicago-area libraries fight to protect access to reading materials
Libraries of all sizes across the Chicago area are taking on fights about the First Amendment in their children’s sections.
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From state regulations to finding financing, Illinois cannabis craft growers face multiple obstacles
Craft grower marijuana licenses are supposed to help Black and brown communities, yet only one business is open.
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Everybody’s late, and everything smells like weed: What nearly 2,000 CTA riders told us
In a wholly unscientific WBEZ survey of regular commuters, many expressed concerns that service, safety and cleanliness have eroded since the pandemic began.
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On MLK Day, don’t shortchange the message
With civil rights and its history in peril, the upcoming biography, “King: A Life,” is a groundbreaking book by Chicagoan Jonathan Eig.
