Ex-Chicago watchdog criticizes Mayor Lightfoot’s response to lifeguard sex abuse probe
Former Inspector General Joe Ferguson gave Cook County prosecutors information about the scandal at the Chicago Park District.
WBEZ Investigations
![]()
![]()
The Chicago Park District’s board president resigns amid the lifeguard abuse scandal
Politically connected public relations executive Avis LaVelle struggled with the fallout from widespread allegations at city beaches and pools.
![]()
Chicago used the water supply as revenue, then punished those who can’t afford the cost
Tens of thousands of Chicago homeowners — most in majority-Black ZIP codes — are collectively $421 million in debt for a resource they can’t live without.
![]()
How WBEZ analyzed water debt in Chicago
After homeowners said they couldn’t keep up with the rising cost of water, WBEZ submitted 31 FOIA requests to understand whether this was a city-wide trend.
![]()
Chicago Park District board leader will decide her future ‘soon,’ Mayor Lightfoot says
Eight aldermen have called on board president Avis LaVelle to resign over the park district’s handling of widespread allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault involving lifeguards at public beaches and pools.
![]()
As lifeguard abuse scandal deepened, a Chicago parks leader texted Kim Foxx
Cook County state’s attorney quickly shot down the meeting request from politically connected park district board President Avis LaVelle.
![]()
Chicago Park District leaders sat on a lifeguard abuse complaint for more than 6 months, a new report finds
The report by a former prosecutor says the park district didn’t take any corrective action until after WBEZ wrote about the allegations in April.
![]()
Ex Chicago Blackhawks’ Coach Joel Quenneville resigns from Florida Panthers
Quenneville’s decision follows an internal review that found he sat on sexual assault allegations to protect the Blackhawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup run.
![]()
A Chicago Park District supervisor is charged with sex crimes against a teen lifeguard
The 32-year-old is the first person criminally charged in the widening probe of alleged sexual abuse of lifeguards at the city’s beaches and pools.
![]()
Ex-Blackhawks player Kyle Beach speaks out about being ‘John Doe’ in the team’s sexual assault scandal
Beach says he feels vindicated by the Hawks’ internal probe that faulted the team’s response to his sexual abuse claim against an ex-coach.
