Stories by paul caine

(WTTW News)

Illinois GOP Taking Stock, Looking to Future After ‘Very Disappointing’ Election

Last Tuesday was instead an unmitigated disaster for the Illinois GOP — losing every race for statewide office and falling further into super-minority status in the statehouse. It’s prompted calls from within for some soul-searching.

Enrique Limón, editor-in-chief of the Chicago Reader, appears on "Latino Voices" on Nov. 12, 2022. (WTTW News)

Enrique Limón Takes the Helm at the Chicago Reader

Tasked with the job of maintaining the Reader’s relevance in an ever-changing media landscape is Enrique Limón. He is the Reader’s new editor-in-chief and the first Latino to hold that position in the publication’s more than 50-year history.

(WTTW News)

Advocates Push for City of Chicago Pilot Program to Clear Sidewalks of Snow and Ice

What if homeowners didn’t have to plow sidewalks and city workers took up that function instead? There is a growing movement to do just that — and it’s driven by the inconsistency and lack of accessibility of Chicago’s sidewalks after a big snow event.

(WGN)

Week in Review: Pritzker and Bailey Trade Barbs, Duckworth Holds Big Cash Advantage

Gubernatorial candidates punch hard in a final debate. Bailey scores big deposit from conservative billionaire and we dig into other big races. In sports, the Bulls tip off the season as the Bears try to stave off collapse.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey debate on Oct. 18, 2022. (Credit: WGN)

Spotlight Politics: Pritzker and Bailey Spar in Final Debate Before Election

The final debate in the race for governor turns out to be short on substance but high on name-calling. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

Former U.S. Attorney General appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Oct. 12, 2022. (WTTW News)

Former AG Eric Holder Dismisses Trump Claims DOJ ‘Weaponized’ Against Him

Former U.S. Attorney General under President Barack Obama, Eric Holder, says that if former President Donald Trump were an ordinary citizen he would likely have already been indicted.

(Credit: WGN-TV)

The Week in Review: Pritzker and Bailey Sling Mud in Debate; Lightfoot Unveils $16.4B Budget Plan

Gubernatorial candidates sling mud in their first televised debate. No property tax hikes in Mayor Lightfoot’s election year budget. Homeless advocates press Lightfoot for more funding. And the White Sox head into an offseason full of questions.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivers her budget address on Oct. 3, 2022. (WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Lightfoot Unveils City Budget; Latino Leaders Urge Garcia to Run

Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveils a $16.4 billion budget proposal – but bows to political reality and drops a property tax hike linked to inflation. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

(WTTW News)

While Chicago Recycling Rate Remains Stubbornly Low, Advocates and Officials Eye Improvements

Chicago has long had a tortured relationship with recycling. City leaders have scrapped old programs and replaced them with new ones, but the result is the same  recycling rates in the single digits. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Lightfoot Nixes Tax Increase, Pritzker Leads Poll

Mayor Lori Lightfoot nixes a plan for a $42 million property tax increase tied to inflation. And a WGN poll says Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has a double-digit lead over his Republican challenger Darren Bailey, who this week likened Chicago to an unruly child.

(CNN)

Queen Elizabeth’s Death Prompts Mourning But Also Discussions on Monarchy and Empire

To many, Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign was a symbol of tradition and stability that linked the present to the past. But on her death, along with expressions of sympathy, many people from former colonies from Ireland to Kenya — and here in America — have pushed back on the glorification of the monarchy and empire.

Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch. (Via City Club of Chicago)

Spotlight Politics: Welch Defends Ending Cash Bail; Pritzker Threatens to Sue Conservative PAC

Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch makes a spirited defense of the SAFE-T Act and the end of cash bail. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

J.B. Pritzker (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Pritzker Calls for Lawmaker Resignations

Gov. J.B. Pritzker calls for two Democratic lawmakers to step down amid personal controversies, a New Lincoln park alderperson is sworn in, the White Sox implode in a must-win series and the Bears seek to bounce back from Green Bay loss.

State Sen. Emil Jones, D-Chicago. (Provided: Illinois Senate Democrats)

Spotlight Politics: State Senator Charged, New Chicago Alderperson Appointed

Federal prosecutors charged state Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, with three felonies in relation to allegations he took a bribe from a red-light camera firm.. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. J.B. Pritzker attend a roundtable event on Sept. 16, 2022. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Vice President Kamala Harris Comes to Town

Vice President Kamala Harris in town as more migrants are sent to Chicago, GOP candidate for governor Darren Bailey moves to the city amid uproar over a racially motivated ad, and the undefeated Bears head up to Lambeau.

This image shows the exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Purple shows the NIRCam instrument’s view at 3 micrometers, blue shows the NIRCam instrument’s view at 4.44 micrometers, yellow shows the MIRI instrument’s view at 11.4 micrometers and red shows the MIRI instrument’s view at 15.5 micrometers. (Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team and A. Pagan)

Northwestern Astronomer Part of Webb Telescope Team to Image Exoplanet

For the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope has been used to directly image an exoplanet — that’s a planet outside of our solar system. A Northwestern astronomer was part of the team. 

An aerial rendering of a proposed Chicago Bears stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights. (Credit: Hart Howerton / Chicago Bears)

The Week in Review: Bears Make Stadium Case to Arlington Heights

The Bears unveil Arlington Heights dome plans, two more veteran alderpeople decide to hang it up, more migrants are sent from Texas to Chicago, and the Bears are set to open their season at their home for now — Soldier Field.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot (WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Texas Gov., Lightfoot Trade Barbs Over Migrant Buses; Aldermanic Exodus Continues

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are trading barbs over buses of migrants sent to Chicago. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

(WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Aldermanic Exodus Continues, BGA Raises Questions Over Pritzker’s Blind Trust

More aldermen join the city hall exodus, CPD announces a new time-off policy, Darren Bailey gets a cash infusion, and Governor Pritzker's investments are under scrutiny, our Spotlight Politics team digs into all that and more.

(WTTW News)

Affordable Housing Activists Protest Uptown Luxury Condo Development

The lot at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Marine Drive was formerly owned by Weiss Memorial Hospital. It was subsequently sold and is now owned by Lincoln Property Company, which aims to build a 314-unit apartment building on the site. But just eight of those units will qualify as affordable.

Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a small and flexible implant, pictured here, that can relieve pain without drugs. (Credit: Northwestern University)

Northwestern Researchers Develop Dissolvable Implant for Drug-Free Pain Relief

A new study suggests ant colonies work like a collective brain to make decisions. How racial discrimination could negatively impact brain structure. A surgical implant that could provide pain relief without drugs. And how a quirk of evolution gave humans our voice.

(CNN)

Taiwan Consul in Chicago Says China Becoming ‘More Aggressive Abroad, More Oppressive at Home’

In an interview with WTTW News, Johnson Chiang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, said that as China’s military and economic power has grown in recent decades, their behavior toward Taiwan has become more aggressive.

(CNN)

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Who Traveled to Asia with Speaker Pelosi, Rejects Criticism of Taiwan Trip

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, is rejecting criticism of a visit to Taiwan by a congressional delegation led by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week.

Northwestern Professor Says Response to Viruses Creates a ‘Viral Underclass’

Viruses don’t discriminate, society does. That’s the argument made by Northwestern University journalism professor Steven Thrasher in his new book.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks as Illinois Democrats make their pitch to the national party while U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, right, looks on. (WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Battle Over Illinois Democratic Party Chair; Lightfoot Pitches Soldier Field Dome

Debate over who should chair the Democratic Party of Illinois continues as Gov. J.B. Pritzker recruits state Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez (D-Cicero) to run against current chair U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.

(WTTW News)

Legacy of Redlining Continues to Blight Communities of Color

The abandonment and neglect that has undermines the economies of many Chicago and Cook County neighborhoods is very much man-made, according to a new study.