|
November, 2012
The news: In September, the Chicago Teachers Union called a strike for the first time in 25 years, bringing renewed attention to organized labor in Illinois.Behind the news: During the past decade, Illinois lost the third highest number of union members in the country, behind Michigan and Ohio, from 1,013,000 in 2001 to 876,000 in 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But...
|
November, 2012
The news: The funding and use of Medicare and Medicaid have been a divisive issue during the 2012 presidential debates.Behind the news: According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, public spending on medical programs—such as Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program—increased 89 percent in Illinois since welfare reform in 1994, averaging $3,143 per person in 2010, the latest year...
|
November, 2012
The news: In June, President Barack Obama announced that undocumented youth brought to the United States as minors would be able to gain temporary relief from deportation under his deferred action initiative.Behind the news: In Chicago, 19,702 immigrants are eligible for deferred action, according to an analysis of census data by Rob Paral and Associates, a Chicago-based consulting firm...
|
|
November, 2012
The news: Yahoo announced Marissa Mayer as its CEO in July, making her No. 20 on the list of female Fortune 500 CEOs.Behind the news: Of the 32 Illinois-based companies on the 2012 Fortune 500 list, only three are led by women: Ilene Gordon of Corn Products International, Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft Foods and Patricia Woertz of Archer Daniels Midland.In 2010, women comprised 50.8 percent of the...
|
September, 2012
The news: In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that incarcerating a juvenile for life without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional if the sentence was triggered automatically by the category of the crime.Behind the news: In Illinois, 100 people are now serving life without parole for crimes they committed when they were 17 or younger, according to the Illinois Coalition for Fair...
|
September, 2012
The news: The Illinois General Assembly approved plans for a gambling expansion that would allow for five new casinos in the state, including one in Chicago.Behind the news: Studies have shown that new casinos bring an increase in gambling addiction, but Illinois has one of the lowest budgets for providing services for problem gamblers.Illinois spent $960,000 on hotlines and treatment programs...
|
|
September, 2012
The news: In July, a gunman opened fire at the premiere of the newest Batman movie in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people.Behind the news: During the same week of the Aurora massacre, Chicago saw 69 shooting incidents, with nine people murdered as a result, shows a Chicago Reporter analysis of Chicago Police Department records. The number of incidents, which was 30 percent higher than during the...
|
September, 2012
The news: In June, a Walgreens store near 75th and State streets joined a pilot program that offers free HIV testing and counseling under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Behind the news: Despite a citywide decrease of 22 percent between 2010 and 2011, seven community areas on the South and Southwest sides saw an increase in the number of new HIV infections, shows a Chicago Reporter...
|
July, 2012
The news: In May, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives approved conflicting versions of a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, leaving the final status of the law in question.Behind the news: The protections called into doubt by the stalemate have given legal status and rights to nearly 120,000 foreign-born victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and similar crimes since...
|
