features
Can Chicago’s bio-labs solve a growing meat divide?
For Chicago residents who live in food deserts, the future of access to fresh, affordable meat has become increasingly uncertain. Could meat grown in a lab help expand access in Chicago’s food deserts? Surging grocery prices—which noticeably spiked during the pandemic—continue to trend upwards in 2026. Since 2019, the average cost of food items in…
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Illinois ended cash bail. Who gets held before trial in 2026?
Three years ago, Illinois passed the Pretrial Fairness Act. TCR examines how the law has reshaped pretrial detention in Cook County and where racial and economic disparities persist, particularly among people charged with gun possession. Illinois eliminated cash bail in 2023 through the Pretrial Fairness Act—a policy that was championed by advocates who pointed to…
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The Chicago Reporter celebrates justice-centered storytelling at Justice Photojournalism Showcase
The Chicago Reporter brought together journalists, advocates, community leaders and supporters on May 14 in Bronzeville for its inaugural Justice Photojournalism Showcase. The evening, hosted at Parkway Social, was dedicated to honoring the power of visual storytelling through community-centered journalism in Chicago. Hosted by Emmy-nominated Chicago journalist Nate Rodgers, the event highlighted photography’s ability to…
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Employment and labor
IDOC’s controversial health care provider is out. Will people in IDOC finally receive the care they need?
After decades of protest from activists, change is coming to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) health care system. A June 23rd memo announced that the IDOC is abandoning contract negotiations with Wexford Health Sources, who had won a ten year, $4 billion dollar contract renewal at the end of 2023. Now as IDOC initiates…
Economic Development
Six years in, has Illinois’ cannabis equity law delivered?
Illinois legalized cannabis with equity at its core in 2020. Six years later, the results are mixed. After nearly 90 years of prohibition, Illinois became the first state to legalize the sale of cannabis through a state legislature in 2019. Touted by the governor’s office as the “most equity-centric” cannabis law in the nation, the…