Stories by paris schutz

UIC hospital workers strike on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. (WTTW News)

Thousands of UIC Hospital Workers Walk Off the Job

They’ve been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Now they’re on the picket lines. Why University of Illinois and UIC health care workers, including about 800 nurses, are on strike.

A mailer sent from the Chicago Board of Elections for the March 2020 primary. (WTTW News)

Postal Service Warns Illinois Some Mail-In Ballots Might Not Be Counted

Under Illinois law, a voter can request a mail-in ballot up to five days before Election Day. But the USPS warns that voters who wait until that deadline are at high risk of being disenfranchised, due to the Postal Service’s delivery capabilities.

Restaurants and businesses in Chinatown prepare to reopen on Thursday, June 24, 2020, the eve of Chicago’s transition into phase four. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Chinatown

It was the first neighborhood to feel the economic impact of COVID-19. Months later, on the eve of the city’s move into phase four, the enduring message is that Chinatown is still here, and it is open for business.

A protest outside of Elgin City Hall on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, over the fatal police shooting of Decynthia Clements in 2018. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Elgin

The west suburban city is preparing to ramp up its reopening as the state moves into phase four on Friday. At the same time, Elgin is facing unrest of its own over a police-involved shooting in 2018. 

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Oak Park

Oak Park was the first town in Illinois to issue a stay-at-home order when a cluster of COVID-19 cases was found in mid-March, just days before the statewide shutdown. Months later, it has started to come to life again.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Wicker Park

Like many other commercial corridors across the city, Milwaukee Avenue suffered extensive damage just as businesses were about to start welcoming shoppers inside once again.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Woodlawn

Low-income communities across the city are bracing for what could be a large number of evictions once a statewide moratorium is lifted. In one of those communities, a fight over housing has been brewing for years as a large tenant prepares to move in. 

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Portage Park

Communities across Chicago have staged demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter, and not all of those areas have been Black and Brown. We visit a predominantly White community that held a rally last week.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Bronzeville

All across Chicago, communities are rebuilding from the twin crises of COVID-19 and property damage. We speak with residents, business owners and officials in the historic heart of black Chicago culture.

Downtown Evanston (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Evanston

As part of our ongoing series, we speak with local officials and activists about Evanston’s reopening and recent calls for police reform in the near north suburb.

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Back of the Yards

The Southwest Side neighborhood has been hit hard by COVID-19 and saw some looting last week. As part of our series, we speak with business owners and community leaders about the path forward.

Retail businesses in South Chicago sustained property damage during recent incidents of looting. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: South Chicago

On the Southeast Side, a community deals with the aftermath of property damage and looting against the backdrop of ongoing concerns over COVID-19 and environmental pollution.

(WTTW News)

MLK Once Called it Home. How North Lawndale is Coping with Racial Injustice Today

Chicago is an important city in the history of segregation and civil rights. How one neighborhood in particular is grappling with events from more than 50 years ago as it reacts to fallout from George Floyd’s death.

A solidarity march in Little Village on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. (WTTW News)

Tensions Ease as Community Leaders Work to Change Narrative on Southwest Side

There was a message of unity Wednesday as solidarity marches replaced fears of racially motivated violence. We visited Pilsen, Little Village and the suburb of Cicero for a view from the ground.

Pastor Cornelius Parks of the First Bethel Missionary Baptist Church speaks with “Chicago Tonight” on Monday, June 1, 2020. (WTTW News)

Residents Assess Damage in Aftermath of Looting on South Side, Loop

Chicago is cleaning up from a weekend of protests, violence and looting. We check in with residents, business owners and officials on the South Side and in the Loop to talk about recovery efforts and more.

A scene from St. Joseph, Michigan, on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: St. Joseph, Michigan

Summer in Chicago means escaping to some of the beach towns around Lake Michigan. But how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted those areas that rely on tourist dollars?

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Chicago Lawn

It was the site of a 1966 race riot where Martin Luther King Jr. was attacked. Today, the Marquette Park neighborhood in the Chicago Lawn community is staring down one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the city.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Edison Park

The far northwest side neighborhood is home to city workers, like first responders, teachers and trades workers. We visit Edison Park to see how residents, businesses and others are coping with the pandemic.

Davenport, Iowa. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Quad Cities

Iowa has begun to partially reopen restaurants and other businesses, while Illinois remains mostly shut down. As part of our series, we bring you stories from both sides of the Mississippi River.

(WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Englewood

One of the city’s new testing sites is about to open in Englewood. It’s a community that has been hit hard by disinvestment and high rates of crime over the years.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown speaks with WTTW News on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

David Brown’s ‘Moon Shot’: Less Than 300 Homicides Per Year

He’s been on the job for about six weeks, taking over at a time when homicides are up slightly over 2019 and a global pandemic has shuttered businesses and caused unemployment to spike. Still, David Brown is optimistic.

Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Logan Square

The Northwest Side neighborhood has been transformed by development in recent years, yielding dozens of trendy businesses and new homes. But the influx of wealthier residents has led to significant displacement of longtime residents.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks with WTTW News on May 19, 2020.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot Reflects on First 365 Days in Office

Wednesday marks one year in office for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who began her tenure as a political outsider determined to uproot the old system of aldermanic control. But that all changed two months ago. 

The city of Kankakee, Illinois. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Kankakee

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is facing political pressure from some areas of the state that want to reopen sooner than Chicago. We visit Kankakee to see how residents, farmers and others are coping with the pandemic.

MAT Asphalt in McKinley Park (WTTW News)

Environmental Fight Underscores COVID-19 Concerns in McKinley Park

An environmental dispute in the Southwest Side neighborhood of McKinley Park has loomed large in the community’s response to the pandemic. 

The Roseland neighborhood in Chicago. (WTTW News)

COVID-19 Across Chicago: Pullman and Roseland

The COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown has hit hard in Chicago communities that have historically suffered from disinvestment and crime, including the Far South Side communities of Roseland and Pullman.