Chicago Reporter (https://www.chicagoreporter.com/author/llynch/)
La Risa is a reporter for The Chicago Reporter. Email her at llynch@chicagoreporter.com and follow her on Twitter @larisa_lynch.
Thousands are misled into switching suppliers in the hopes of saving money but instead see their utility bills spike, sometimes driving them into debt.
Worker-owned businesses, or co-ops, can create jobs with better wages and working conditions, but remain limited by state law and a lack of support in Illinois, advocates say.
While some celebrated the conviction and others protested the political system that tried to cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald, both groups seem to agree that in the city of Chicago and for people of color, justice remains a work in progress.
Converting the Metra Electric District main line into rapid transit could be a quicker, cheaper way to improve transit on the South Side than building more Red Line stations, advocates say.
A proposed bill would create a uniform process for those awaiting trial behind bars to register and vote at county jails, where many detainees lack access to the ballot.
The impending increase will disproportionately impact lower-income blacks and Latinos who have been driven out of mainstream banking in Illinois.
The Chicago Transit Authority’s hybrid proposal lowers the number of privately owned properties that would need to be acquired, but residents still have mixed feelings on how the project could affect them economically.
Ambiguous state law means the voting rights of inmates varies widely between jails, disproportionately affecting poor blacks and Latinos awaiting trial in Illinois.
Norfolk Southern, a publicly held railroad company, has filed condemnation proceedings against three last holdouts blocking completion of their project, which they argue is for public benefit.
The Chicago Transit Authority plans to acquire some homes to extend the “L” and affected residents want to ensure they’re fairly compensated in neighborhoods that have been especially slow to recover from the housing crash.