Stories by alexandra silets

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Lake Shore Drive Name Change Moves Forward

An iconic roadway is renamed after a chaotic City Council meeting. Tornadoes rip through the western suburbs. The mayor says violence is trending down, but the numbers don’t add up. And former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin is sentenced.

(Rebecca Palmore / WTTW News)

Mass Exodus from Chicago Tribune as Journalists Accept Buyouts

Dozens of talented journalists are leaving the Chicago Tribune after its new owner, Alden Global Capital, offered employees voluntary buyouts. Among those who have announced their departure are some of the newspaper’s most notable columnists. 

A line of Chicago police officers watch a demonstration at Division and Larrabee streets on June 2, 2020. (Evan Garcia / WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Civilian Oversight of Chicago Police Stalls in City Council

Mayor Lightfoot pushes for changes to the elected school board bill that already passed. City violence spikes again. Aldermen battle the mayor over liquor sales. And renaming Lake Shore Drive.

Lightfoot announced the reopening during an online question-and-answer session hosted by Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, June 3, 2021.

The Week in Review: City Moves Up Full Reopening to June 11

Remaps, school boards, ethics, budgets and more: We recap the flurry of activity in Springfield. Chicago is on track for a full reopening this month. Gov. Pritzker is coy about another term.

The Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital. (WTTW News)

VA Doctors on the Health Effects of COVID-19 on Veterans

On Memorial Day, Americans remember and celebrate members of the military who made the ultimate sacrifice. But living veterans have fought another enemy over the past year: the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks in an empty lot in Auburn Gresham Thursday, May 20, 2021. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Lori Lightfoot’s Midterm Report Card

The mayor gets mixed grades on her two-year anniversary and controversy follows her policy of offering interviews based on race. A dreaded Tribune deal goes through. And Lollapalooza will be back in full force for summer.

Speaking from Six Flags Great America, Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives Illinoisans "more incentive to get vaccinated," as the state moves into the bridge phase of reopening, and venues announce their summer plans, May 13, 2021. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Illinois Enters Bridge Phase

Illinois enters the reopening bridge phase as summer festivals are announced. Leaked emails spell trouble for the mayor. Rahm may be headed to Japan. And the sudden death of a Chicago star-architect.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot detail various re-openings which include the Auto Show and a special concert series for people who are vaccinated. However, the mayor and the governor differ on full lifting of restrictions by about a month. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Full Reopening Nears with Warning

Illinois is on track to open fully in June. Cultural institutions prepare for their return. High-profile political corruption cases heat up in court. And bombshell resignations both at CPS and COPA.

A file photo shows Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, nephew to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and grandson of Richard J. Daley. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: A Current and Former Alderman Indicted

A current and former alderman indicted. Another police shooting video released. Trouble over renaming Lake Shore Drive after DuSable. And the Bears shock the NFL Draft and land quarterback Justin Fields.

The Chicago Police Department is under a federal consent decree and Supt. Brown says there are multiple things happening consecutively, April 28, 2021. (WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Alvarez Shooting Video Released

Another video showing the police shooting death, this time of Anthony Alvarez, is released. It shows Officer Evan Solano making a split-second decision to fire his weapon at the 22-year-old during a foot chase. Our politics team takes on that story and more in this week’s roundtable.

Illinois National Guard officers watch a protest in Old Town on June 6, 2020, one of many in the city and across the U.S. sparked by the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. (Evan Garcia / WTTW News)

The Week in Review: City Stands Down After Chauvin Verdict

The Derek Chauvin verdict brings some relief to Chicago. Ald. Ed Burke allegedly makes anti-Semitic statements. City Council meets in person. And Superintendent David Brown addresses the media about shootings.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson addressed students returning to Walter Payton College Prep for the first time in 13 months, April 20, 2021. (WTTW News via NBC)

News Educators Say Journalists Should ‘Slow Down’ on Social Media

Unfounded rumors erupted on social media over the weekend about the alleged resignation of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. We talk about how rumors spread on social media and how journalists should cover them.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivers remarks at a news conference Thursday, April 15, 2021 ahead of the release of police body camera video showing the March 29 death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. (WTTW News via Chicago Mayor’s Office livestream)

The Week in Review: Community and Officials React to Video of Fatal Shooting of Adam Toledo

Bodycam video released in the shooting death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. Demonstrators across the city respond. CTU and CPS strike a deal on return to high school. And Obama Center on track.

A new Johns Hopkins study finds fewer than 20% of organ transplant patients generated an antibody response to the first dose of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. (WTTW News via CNN)

For the Immunocompromised, Vaccines Alone Won’t Bring ‘Normal’ Back

A preliminary study from Johns Hopkins University finds that fewer than 20% of organ transplant patients generated an antibody response to their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The research raises questions about vaccine protection for those patients and others with weakened immune systems.

Hope Edelman has been writing, speaking and leading bereavement workshops for 25 years. Edelman joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss loss, grief and grieving on pause, one year into the pandemic. (Credit: Hannah Kozak)

Author Hope Edelman on Grief and What Comes After

Hope Edelman has been writing, speaking and leading bereavement workshops for 25 years. She joins us to discuss her latest book, “The AfterGrief: Finding Your Way Along the Long Arc of Loss.”

George N. Miller, president and CEO, Loretto Hospital. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Loretto Hospital Vaccine Scandal Spurs Investigation

A Loretto Hospital executive resigns amid growing controversy. Mayor Lightfoot sidelines a vaccine contractor over more improper vaccinations. Evanston passes the nation’s first reparations law. Chicago homicides are on the rise.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her son, Jim Ginsburg. (Courtesy of Jim Ginsburg)

Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Her 88th Birthday

The diminutive Supreme Court justice with a towering legacy would have been 88 years old Monday. Her son Jim Ginsburg and daughter-in-law Patrice Michaels talk about a classical music tribute to her.

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Biden’s ‘Help is on the Way’ in Form of Vaccines and Stimulus Aid

Illinois officials plan on how to spend roughly $13 billion from the stimulus bill. Mayor Lightfoot hints at a near normal summer for Chicago. State lawmakers head back to Springfield. And Loyola and the University of Illinois brace for the NCAA tournament.

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Mass Vaccination Sites Open to Address Disparities

Officials are opening mass vaccination sites hoping they’ll correct disparities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Lower COVID-19 infections prompt Mayor Lori Lightfoot to relax restrictions on restaurants. And a return to in-person learning for Chicago high schoolers is floated. 

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Michael Madigan Fills His House Seat Twice

The fight is on to replace Michael Madigan as Democratic Party chair, while his legislative successor steps down after three days on the job. And Chicago City Council erupts over COVID-19 spending. 

A file photo of state Rep. Michael Madigan. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: After 50 Years, Madigan Calls it Quits

A political era ends. A report slams the police response to summer unrest. Gov. Pritzker’s budget has no income tax hike but some pain for business. Vaccination rates lag in Black and Brown communities.

(NikolayFrolochkin / Pixabay)

Spotlight Politics: Pritzker Takes Aim at Republicans in Budget Address

Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes aim at Republicans during his budget address. Our politics team breaks that down and more.

An image taken from a video of President Donald Trump posted on the official White House Twitter account on Jan. 13, 2021 — the day he was impeached for a second time and a week after deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol. (WTTW News via @WhiteHouse)

The Week in Review: Impeachment Managers, Trump’s Defense Make Their Case

Impeachment managers and Donald Trump’s defense wrap up the former president’s second impeachment trial. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth continue to push President Joe Biden to keep Chicago’s top federal prosecutor. Gov. J.B. Pritzker says no new taxes in his new budget. 

A mob breaches the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (WTTW News via CNN)

Spotlight Politics: Trump’s 2nd Impeachment Trial Underway

Powerful video evidence is presented at former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. Our politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone takes on that story and more in this week’s roundtable.

(WTTW News)

The Week in Review: CPS, CTU Remain at Odds

After heated negotiations this week, there’s still no deal between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union. Meanwhile, Chicagoans scramble for COVID-19 vaccinations as complaints mount against the sign-up process.

(WTTW News)

Spotlight Politics: Vaccine Rollout, CPS Uncertainty

The tug of war between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools is still on, as the vaccine rollout bumps along. Our politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone weighs in on that story and more in this week’s roundtable.