Stories by paris schutz

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Belmont Cragin

One of the new COVID-19 testing sites Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday will be in some of Chicago’s hardest-hit neighborhoods, including this largely Latino neighborhood on the city’s Northwest Side.

The Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Humboldt Park

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently highlighted the high rate of COVID-19 in Latino communities. As part of our reporting series, we spent the day in a predominantly Latino neighborhood on the city’s Near West Side.

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Hyde Park

The Hyde Park-Kenwood area is the home of former President Barack Obama, and in many ways it is the intellectual and academic heart of the city, with the University of Chicago laid out along the midway. 

Rogers Park in Chicago (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Rogers Park

The community is marked by waterfront apartment buildings, Loyola University and a racially and economically diverse population. We see how the pandemic is changing daily life in Rogers Park.

Gary, Indiana (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Gary, Indiana

The city of Gary has struggled mightily, even in economic good times. The COVID-19 pandemic and statewide shutdown have only exacerbated existing problems. 

A passenger waits in line at O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. (WTTW News)

O’Hare, Midway Grapple with Near Shutdown of Air Travel

O’Hare International Airport is one of the engines of Chicago’s economy. But what happens when that engine is operating at about 5%? We check out the scene at one of the world’s busiest airports.

The Auburn Gresham neighborhood of Chicago. (WTTW News)

Auburn Gresham Officials Say COVID-19 Testing Site Urgently Needed

The South Side community forms the bulk of a zip code that has seen 664 cases of COVID-19. Yet there are no public testing sites within the area, and few health centers equipped to administer them.

Cicero Business License Director Ismael Vargas (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Cicero Records 844 Cases

In a part of the Chicago region that has seen disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 cases, the near west suburb of Cicero has been hit especially hard.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Brighton Park

As part of our series on the local impact of the coronavirus, a report from the Southwest Side, where a troubling situation has gotten worse as the pandemic has intensified.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Hegewisch

Things were starting to look up in Hegewisch when the pandemic hit. The community spent years trying to recover from a massive loss of manufacturing, and has regularly dealt with pollution from nearby industry. 

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Montclare Residents, Businesses on Edge

In the Northwest Side neighborhood of Montclare, residents are quietly on edge, worried about the coronavirus and the prolonged economic shutdown it prompted, which has ravaged the hundreds of small businesses in the area.

Aurora, Illinois (WTTW News)

Aurora, State’s Second-Largest City, Adapts to COVID-19 Shutdown

The global health crisis has ravaged communities around the world — and locally. But in the city of Aurora, local officials have sounded an optimistic tone. We visited the far western suburb as part of our reporting series, COVID-19 Across Chicago.

Albany Park (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Albany Park

The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting new challenges to communities across Chicago that are already struggling. We visit Albany Park as part of our reporting series.

The nonprofit Loretto Hospital in Austin. (WTTW News)

Austin Community Grapples With High Rate of COVID-19

The West Side neighborhood of Austin has become a hot spot for COVID-19 cases. According to the city, it falls into a zip code that has recorded a COVID-19 case rate of between 431-720 people per 100,000. 

The partly demolished site of the former Crawford Power Generating Station, which was active from 1925 to 2012. (WTTW News)

‘Irresponsible and Wrong’: More Fallout from Crawford Smokestack Demolition

The Little Village community has already been hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19. Now, residents are fuming about the demolition of a smokestack that gave rise to a plume of dust and particulate matter that wafted through the neighborhood.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Boystown

The coronavirus has effectively shut down what locals describe as the world’s largest contiguous LGBTQ neighborhood. How businesses, social service agencies and others are dealing with the pandemic.

(WTTW News)

Facing Threat of Virus, Chicago’s First Responders Busy as Ever

While most Chicago residents are staying home to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19, the city’s first responders are as busy as ever – and they’ve been hit hard. 

A row of homes in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood on Monday, April 6, 2020. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Chatham

The pandemic is causing extreme distress in communities all across Chicago. Chatham, on the city’s South Side, is home to a high population of African American senior citizens – a group that is doubly vulnerable to severe complications from the disease. 

Downtown Highwood (WTTW News)

Shutdown Hits Suburban Highwood on Multiple Fronts

Coronavirus-related shutdowns have had a dramatic impact on communities all across Chicago, but north suburban Highwood has felt the squeeze on two fronts.

(WTTW News)

Coronavirus Across Chicago: East Garfield Park

All Chicago neighborhoods have been hit hard by shutdowns related to the coronavirus, but lower-income communities that rely on social service organizations are facing a unique set of challenges.

(WTTW News)

Chicago’s Uptown Neighborhood Grapples with Coronavirus, Shutdowns

With the announcement of an extended stay-at-home order, an already difficult situation becomes more challenging. We report from Uptown, one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, both by income and ethnicity. 

(WTTW News)

Beverly Residents, Businesses Band Together During Shutdown

Beverly and surrounding communities have been hit hard with business closures and worker furloughs. But the area is infused with a spirit of collaboration, especially when it comes to helping those most vulnerable to the virus.

(WTTW News)

Little Village Rocked by Coronavirus, Shutdowns

Coronavirus-related city and state shutdowns have had an impact across Chicago, but neighborhoods like Little Village on the city’s Southwest Side are feeling them a littler harder. 

(WTTW News)

South Shore Residents and Businesses Cope with Coronavirus

From small businesses to health care facilities to residents, the coronavirus shutdown is impacting neighborhoods across the city. We visit the South Shore community to find out how area residents and businesses are handling the crisis.

(WTTW News)

The Economic Impact of the Coronavirus: Devon Avenue

Along a 2-mile stretch of Devon Avenue in Chicago’s West Ridge community, you’ll find one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country – and one dominated by small businesses, many of which are now closed.

(WTTW News)

Chinatown Grapples with Economic Fallout of the Coronavirus

The various state and city coronavirus restrictions are having a dramatic impact on local businesses, especially mom-and-pop restaurants and stores. We visit Chinatown to see how businesses are coping with the changes.