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Spin OffsRetirement less lucrative for Latino seniorsLegislators in the U.S. House of Representatives are considering raising the full retirement age to 70 from 67, as part of solutions proposed by a deficit commission to save Social Security money for future generations. The proposed age change is likely to hit the pocketbooks of Latino seniors the hardest, according to a Chicago Reporter analysis of census data.> Read More |
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The brain's impact on youth justiceUnderstanding how the brain develops could help determine whether Illinois raises the age at which teenagers are tried in adult court. State Rep. Monique Davis is among a group of Illinois legislators fighting to increase that age from 17 to 18, citing studies that show full brain development doesn't occur until individuals are in their early 20s, years after some youth have been sentenced to long and harsh adult prison stints.> Read More |
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Date with a cellMartha Jean sat in the backseat of a squad car as the sun rose the morning of March 27, 2005. A detective told the 15-year-old that all she had to do was recount the events of the night before. If she did, police would go easy with the charges and she'd be back on her way home.> Read More |
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Bittersweet 16By the time Isaac Mobley turned 16, he was running scared. He hated riding the bus and wanted to transfer out of his high school, his mother, Patricia Wilson, recalls. Mobley's biggest fear was the local gangs, which seemed inescapable.> Read More |
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Teen turns from dealing to collegeThe fact that Parnell Perry Jr. is known as a "great kid" in some circles would probably make the local police chuckle. They've known Perry as a drug dealer since he was in grade school. At 18, he had at least eight arrests.> Read More |
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Beltway beginningsPili Robinson was surprised by what young people told him in April 2005 when he went door to door in the disciplinary unit of the Oak Hill Youth Center in Laurel, Md. All were sent there for medical reasons, gender identification issues or aggressive behavior. Some said they had been locked in their dimly lit cells for 24 hours a day, seven days a week for up to 60 days.> Read More |
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Spin OffsForeclosure help available, not usedThe Cook County Board of Commissioners approved $3.5 million for a program that forces mortgage lenders to mediate foreclosure with homeowners. But less than 10 percent of eligible Cook County home-owners are participating in the program, according to a new analysis of court data obtained by The Chicago Reporter.> Read More |
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Spin OffsState owes $358 million to CPSThe State of Illinois owed schools and education vendors more than $1.1 billion in education costs through June 28. Among all schools and education vendors, Chicago Public Schools is owed the most money from the state, with 80 percent of those funds intended for students with special needs, according to a Chicago Reporter analysis of school board data. > Read More |
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Spin OffsExcessive force, payoutsA federal jury convicted former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge of perjury and obstruction in June after he denied torturing suspects during a civil lawsuit seven years ago. Since the verdict, two lawsuits were filed against Burge and the City of Chicago for abuse and wrongful conviction. In 2009, the city paid almost $10.5 million for judgments and settlements in lawsuits involving excessive force by police officers, according to a Chicago Reporter analysis of records from the Chicago Department of Law.> Read More |
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New VoicesTransforming cultureAsad Jafri says he often hears, "I used to hate Muslims, just because I didn't know them."
That's what some people tell Jafri after coming face to face with works created by artists of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, a nonprofit based in Marquette Park on Chicago's Southwest Side.> Read More |
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Editor's NoteWeighing opportunity costI 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 More |
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