January, 1999Losing Their Children: As state cracks down on parents, black families splinter Joanne and Jerry Nicholas are among the more than 9,000 Cook County cases in which parental rights have been terminated since 1993. The Nicholases have appealed the court ruling.

February, 1999Daley Woos Minorities with Rich Rewards This month, as Mayor Richard M. Daley seeks his fourth term to the office he has held since 1989, black and Latino voters hold the key to Chicago’s political power more than ever before. But The Chicago Reporter’s analysis of election returns shows that with each election, Daley has attracted more minority voters, despite opposition from black candidates.

March, 1999Death Behind Bars: Some fatalities preventable; black deaths on the rise Between January 1990 and September 1998, 177 African Americans, 80 whites and one Asian American died in police custody or jail in Cook County; 90 percent were men. Several of the deaths in custody may have been preventable, including some of the 78 homicides and suicides, and in 14 incidents, death was related to the victims being restrained by police.

April, 1999Health Watch: Life Cut Short for City's Minorities While the average Chicagoan lives 71.5 years, the racial gap is enormous: White women live to be nearly 80; black men die at 60. The differences by neighborhood are equally startling. The mostly white, middle-class residents on the city’s Northwest Side can expect to live 75 to 80 years. For the mostly poor African Americans on the South Side, the life expectancy is around 60 years.

May, 1999Latinos Fall Through Insurance Safety Net There is a significant racial gap between those with insurance and those without. In Chicago, the typical insurance have-nots are likely to be Latino or African American. Latinos are at the greatest risk. In 1997, nearly 260,000 Latino Chicagoans lacked health insurance.

June, 1999All Work, Less Play in Public Schools With few exceptions, elementary grade students work in a tightly packed school day with few breaks and little time for lunch. Despite a state law requiring some form of physical education daily, most schools hold these classes no more than twice a week, and four out of five schools don’t offer recess.

July, 1999Help Wanted: City's Summer Jobs Program Falls Short for Some Teens The government’s $12.9 million effort falls short of its goal of preparing disadvantaged youth for the world of work by providing education and job skills. The Chicago Reporter delves into an analysis of the city’s program from 1996 to 1999.

September, 1999Policing Their Own An officer with a history of complaints raises questions about the Chicago Police Department's ability to patrol its cops.

October, 1999Adoption Surge: DCFS Policy Spells Pressure for Black Families After allowing children to languish in the system for years, DCFS now errs to the other extreme, said Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy. Relatives—particularly African Americans—are being coerced into adopting children, he said. “We would not put white children in the same conditions as we put black children.”

November, 1999The Habitat Co.: Private Firm Keeps Tight Grip on Public Housing Redevelopment has been on hold during a 15-month dispute between Cabrini residents and The Habitat Co., a private real estate firm that holds enormous sway over public housing.

December, 1999Englewood Police District: Crime Drops, but Community Policing Falls Short of Expectations Since August, The Chicago Reporter has been assessing preventive programs in the area. The package of reports is presented here, and was the subject of a January 24 community gathering sponsored by the Reporter at the Kelly Branch of the Chicago Public Library.