The Chicago Reporter

Chicago Muckrakers

Now that the condo boom is a bust, Daley introduces protections for renters September 3, 2010 3:24 pm Mayor Daley is proposing a renter protection bill that mandates more notice from developers who want to convert to condos. In the current recession it's hard to think of any developers selling anything, in fact many new condos are sitting... > More
Who is feeling the wrath of CHA's "zero tolerance" policy? September 3, 2010 3:16 pm This week a newly-appointed Chicago Housing Authority Chairman Jim Reynold got an earful from members of the City Council's Housing Committee who were critical of agency tenant guidelines, which are considered some of the most stringent in the nation. Alderman... > More
Foreclosures continue, with few participating in mortgage assistance program September 2, 2010 8:20 pm The number of Chicago area households participating in the federal mortgage modification program is at an all-time low, even as foreclosures continue.... > More
Student starts scholarship for children of incarcerated parents September 1, 2010 12:27 pm Children of incarcerated parents in Illinois may be headed downstate, for college this time. One Southern Illinois University student established a scholarship fund for children who's parents are incarcerated. The first fundraiser is next week. The Chicago Reporter's in depth... > More
Government programs pulling more Americans from poverty freefall August 31, 2010 3:34 pm A record number of Amercians--an estimated 1 in 6-- are being served by federal anti-poverty programs like Medicaid, unemployment insurance, food stamps and welfare, according to USA TODAY.... > More

The Teen Reporter September 6, 2010

Are double standards fair when teens are put behind bars? No way. September 3, 2010 1:44 pm Double standards in general are unfair, but particularly to minors that have been convicted as an adult and they can’t even have adult rights. I mean I know I’m only 15, but it just doesn’t seem right that a 17-year-old has the same rights as me but can’t get the... > More
The only thing more frightening than a bad manicure or a horror movie is … report cards! August 27, 2010 9:01 pm Okay, sure, if you don’t do well on your report card, your mom is going to go off like a bomb during The Blitz (that's a reference to Nazi Germany's bombing of downtown London and other parts of Great Britain during World War II for the few that are failing... > More
Sometimes high school makes you want to scream August 26, 2010 1:56 pm Okay students, it’s time for auditions in the role of “shrill girl screamer.” High school can sometimes make you want to scream like Esther in this video from the movie “Orphan.” (It’s probably one of the scariest movies EVER!) Even though screaming feels like the best idea when you get... > More
High school is like one big social heirarchy August 25, 2010 4:35 pm Just like many TV shows, you'll notice that the brainless head cheerleader and the half-Neanderthal quarterback are treated like heroes in high school. They're more like undercover dictators of the student body. I mean they really control the entire social aspect of high school. Usually, they think that since they... > More
In high school, you've got to make it work August 24, 2010 12:47 pm I don’t expect a lot of guys to know about Tim Gunn, but he co-hosts the show “Project Runway” with Heidi Klum. And one of his most famous quotes is, “Make it Work!” because designers are given limited time to fashion a look on a budget based on the challenge.... > More

Past Weekly Features

Help Is Out There By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinWest Side Center deals with obstacles, serves relatively few people. > Read Article
Hard Times In Lawndale By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinWest Side neighborhood has had better days, could rise again. > Read Article
Discs And Dreams By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinWest Side entrepreneur gets by while making rap videos. > Read Article
Weighing opportunity cost By: Kimbriell KellyI have student loan debt that’s been looming for years. Every time I think about it, my heart races and my brain calculates how much overtime I’d have to pull to pay off the debt in a year. > Read Article
Baltimore Gets Empowerment Right By: Ashley Mouldon and Jeff Kelly LowensteinBaltimore’s Empowerment Zone was rated among the most successful among the six cities. > Read Article
Is Anything Working? By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinDespite millions of dollars spent and thousands of people served, young people on the South and West Sides of Chicago have some of the highest rates of chronic unemployment in the country. > Read Article
Ex-Offenders’ Interests By: Angela CaputoAn analysis of voting records of the voting records of lawmakers representing Illinois’ 21 most inmate-heavy House districts. > Read Article

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Weekly Feature

Seventeen

Seventeen-year-olds are minors in the eyes of the law if they’re the victim of a crime, but not if they commit a felony. A Chicago Reporter analysis found that hundreds of minors are being prosecuted in adult court and serving hard time in Illinois’ adult prisons with other adult felons. All this before these teens are allowed to vote, buy cigarettes or join the military. > Read Article

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