Stories by erica gunderson

(WTTW News)

Highland Park Council Member Andres Tapia on July 4 Shooting: No One Escapes the Impact of What Happened

Highland Park city council member Andres Tapia was present at the parade, and posted his personal account of the events on LinkedIn. Tapia said that publicly sharing his experience and talking about seeking help for the trauma he endured was important for him to do as a community leader.

(WTTW News)

Google’s Latino Founders Fund Awards 5 Local Startups

Five local Latino-led startups received some welcome news this week. Each of their businesses was awarded $100,000 from Google’s Startups Latino Founders Fund. 

(WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, July 9, 2022 - Full Show

Healing in the aftermath of the Highland Park mass shooting. Plus, the demand local food pantries are seeing. The push for transit-accessible housing. And a psychedelic soul band. 

Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.

Discovery of Unserved Warrant in Emmett Till Lynching Case an Emotional Moment for Family

In the basement of a Mississippi courthouse in late June members of the Minnesota-based Emmett Till Legacy Foundation discovered an unserved warrant. Now the foundation, which includes members of Till’s family, is demanding that the warrant be served.

“Rita Finds Home” illustration by Elisa Chavarri.

Free Ballet Production ‘Rita Finds Home’ Debuts at Navy Pier

A new ballet production made its debut at the Navy Pier Lake Stage. “Rita Finds Home” is a family-friendly production resulting from a collaboration between the Joffrey and Miami City Ballet telling the story of a young artist who is swept from her tropical island home by a hurricane and must make a new life for herself.

(Credit: Sones de Mexico)

More Than Mariachi: Sones de Mexico’s Mexican Music Camp

The Sones de Mexico Ensemble wants your children to learn all about the richness of Mexico’s musical traditions.Through a partnership, the Grammy-nominated musicians are offering an immersive music and cultural experience for children in their week-long Fiesta Mexicana camp next month.

Pan de Vida Fresh Market (WTTW News)

Battling Food Insecurity in Chicago’s Latino Communities

As anyone who’s gone grocery shopping recently knows, food prices are on the rise. In Chicago, 28% of Latino families with kids are facing food insecurity according to a study done in 2020. And, families that rely on schools to provide meals for their children are feeling an extra pinch with kids at home during the summer break.

(WTTW News)

Psychedelic Soul Band Late Nite Laundry Creates Sonic Synergy

Local band Late Nite Laundry’s uniquely intimate sound combines dreamy vocals with elements of pop and Latin jazz. At a recording session in Belmont Cragin’s Bim Bom Studios, the foursome explained how for them, delivering that intimate feeling to a live audience starts with taking one deep breath.

 (Ramapasha Laksono / Unsplash)

Proposed Ordinance Promotes Equitable Transit-Oriented Development

In Chicago, many of the areas with the most public transportation options are also the most expensive to live in. The proposed Connected Communities Ordinance introduced to City Council aims to make public transit options more accessible to all. 

(WTTW News)

Hermosa’s Lopez Brothers Bring Mexican Flavors to Craft Beer

For lovers of a craft brew, Chicago’s beer steins overflow with options, you can belly up to more than 160 craft breweries in the city. But even here, it’s rare to find a microbrew crafted by Latinos. Lucky for Chicagoans, there’s a spot that offers brews with all the flavors of Mexico, created by a pair of hermanos from Hermosa.

(WTTW News)

In the Wake of Roe Overturning, a Look to the Future of LGBTQ Rights

The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade raises the question of whether the constitutionality of gay marriage could soon be on the table. Also, activists are mobilizing as about 12 states are proposing legislation affecting LGBTQ Americans. So, what’s next for LGBTQ rights? 

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown speaks about the department’s new foot pursuit policy that was unveiled Tuesday, June 21 2022. (WTTW News)

Community Reacts to New Police Foot Pursuit Policy

The policy prohibits officers from pursuing people for only running from police nor can they pursue people for parking and ordinance violations and certain traffic offenses. The finalized version comes a year after officers shot and killed 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez and 13-year-old Adam Toledo in separate shootings that followed foot pursuits.

(WTTW News)

Big Mural With a Big Message: Artist Asend on ‘Love Always Wins’

Not many muralists can say their work is seen by hundreds of thousands of people every day, but Chicago artist Asend can make that claim. His towering work on the side of Carnivale Restaurant in the West Loop is hard to miss at its site overlooking the Kennedy Expressway.

On July 1st, a scheduled increase to Chicago’s minimum wage and enhancements to the fair workweek ordinance take effect. (WTTW News)

Minimum Wage Boost, Fair Workweek Enhancements Take Effect July 1

Some changes are coming soon for Chicago’s workers. July 1, a scheduled increase to the minimum wage takes effect, as well as enhancements to the Fair Workweek Ordinance.

Univisión’s Alex Hernández guest hosts the June 18 episode of “Latino Voices.” (WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 18, 2022 - Full Show

Preventing health issues in Latino men. A look at upcoming changes for the city's workforce. A taste of Chilean music. And Class of 2022 high school graduates reflect and look ahead.

Former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez speaks about the launch of Our Nation’s Future at the Union League Club of Chicago, Friday June 17, 2022. (WTTW News)

Luis Gutierrez, Sen. Dick Durbin Form Organization to Modernize Immigration

Former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez and Senator Dick Durbin announced the formation of a new immigration reform organization called “Our Nation’s Future.” 

(Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash)

Get Dad to the Doc: Improving the Health of Latino Men

This weekend, many Latinos will come together to celebrate the men who hold a cherished place in their families. It may be a good opportunity to give them a nudge to see their doctor. 

(Courtesy Pascuala Ilabaca)

Chilean Musicians Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna Come to Chicago

Composer, singer, accordionist and pianist Pascuala Ilabaca and her band Fauna are playing in Chicago for the first time next week. The band’s music blends traditional instruments and rhythms with lyrics reflecting a feminist perspective.

(Courtesy Hope Chicago)

CPS Class of 2022 Grads Look Back on Learning in a Pandemic, Forward to What Comes Next

Like all of the nation’s high school graduates, the Chicago Public Schools class of 2022 has spent more than half of their high school experience navigating the pandemic. But CPS students also had to contend with contention between the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS administration, including two strikes.

A group from Thomas Kelly High School in Chicago help plant trees. (Credit: Openlands)

Grant Offers Free Tree Planting to Chicago, South Suburban Groups

The nature conservation group Openlands and search engine Ecosia are hoping to boost the number of trees in underserved areas through their TreePlanters Grant Program. 

(WTTW News)

New Law Requires Lifesaving Equipment Along Illinois’ Lake Michigan Shores

The Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act, signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday, means lifesaving equipment like life rings are mandated at all access points to the lake, as well as warning signs in more dangerous areas. 

The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons apartments opened in May 2022 near the Logan Square Blue Line station. (WTTW News)

Efforts to Create Affordable Housing Gaining Ground in Logan Square, Pilsen

The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons apartments opened in May near the Logan Square Blue Line station. The seven-story complex, which features retail space and 100 affordable units. In Pilsen, the Pilsen Housing Cooperative offers a blueprint for community-led affordable housing. 

(Courtesy Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas)

¡Viva La Fiesta! Latino Festivals Return to Back of the Yards and Humboldt Park

Festival season is in full swing, and two upcoming fiestas are back in full force next weekend.

Eighteen monumental versions of the folk art known as alebrijes are in the park as a part of the exhibit “Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” brought to Cantigny Park by the Mexican Cultural Center Du Page in collaboration with Meztli Artist Collective in Mexico City. (WTTW News)

Big Dreams Come to Life in ‘Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World’ at Cantigny Park

The art of alebrijes started with a dream. In 1936, a feverishly ill Mexico City paper artist, or cartonero, named Pedro Linares said he dreamt of magically mishmashed creatures exclaiming “alebrije!” When he recovered, he began making and selling colorful papier mache versions of the beasts.

(WTTW News)

How Improved Bike Infrastructure Can Save Lives

Despite the city’s stated plans to do more to protect cyclists, transit advocates say there is a long way to go to make the streets welcoming for bikes.

The 442-acre Lake Calumet is perhaps the most visible remnant of the rise and fall of industry on Chicago’s Southeast Side over its years as part of the Port of Chicago.  (WTTW News)

A New Plan for Lake Calumet Places Recreation and Industry Side-by-Side

The 442-acre Lake Calumet is perhaps the most visible remnant of the rise and fall of industry on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Earlier this year, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning issued its master plan for Lake Calumet, which it says creates a place where industry, nature, and recreation can coexist.