Stories by Paris Schutz

In the November election, Illinoisans will be asked whether or not to change the state’s income tax system to a graduated tax — but there’s still a lot of confusion about the proposal.

They’ve been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Now they’re on the picket lines. Why University of Illinois and UIC health care workers, including about 800 nurses, are on strike.

Under Illinois law, a voter can request a mail-in ballot up to five days before Election Day. But the USPS warns that voters who wait until that deadline are at high risk of being disenfranchised, due to the Postal Service’s delivery capabilities.

It was the first neighborhood to feel the economic impact of COVID-19. Months later, on the eve of the city’s move into phase four, the enduring message is that Chinatown is still here, and it is open for business.

The west suburban city is preparing to ramp up its reopening as the state moves into phase four on Friday. At the same time, Elgin is facing unrest of its own over a police-involved shooting in 2018. 

Oak Park was the first town in Illinois to issue a stay-at-home order when a cluster of COVID-19 cases was found in mid-March, just days before the statewide shutdown. Months later, it has started to come to life again.

Like many other commercial corridors across the city, Milwaukee Avenue suffered extensive damage just as businesses were about to start welcoming shoppers inside once again.

Low-income communities across the city are bracing for what could be a large number of evictions once a statewide moratorium is lifted. In one of those communities, a fight over housing has been brewing for years as a large tenant prepares to move in. 

Communities across Chicago have staged demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter, and not all of those areas have been Black and Brown. We visit a predominantly White community that held a rally last week.

All across Chicago, communities are rebuilding from the twin crises of COVID-19 and property damage. We speak with residents, business owners and officials in the historic heart of black Chicago culture.

As part of our ongoing series, we speak with local officials and activists about Evanston’s reopening and recent calls for police reform in the near north suburb.

The Southwest Side neighborhood has been hit hard by COVID-19 and saw some looting last week. As part of our series, we speak with business owners and community leaders about the path forward.

On the Southeast Side, a community deals with the aftermath of property damage and looting against the backdrop of ongoing concerns over COVID-19 and environmental pollution.

Chicago is an important city in the history of segregation and civil rights. How one neighborhood in particular is grappling with events from more than 50 years ago as it reacts to fallout from George Floyd’s death.

There was a message of unity Wednesday as solidarity marches replaced fears of racially motivated violence. We visited Pilsen, Little Village and the suburb of Cicero for a view from the ground.

Chicago is cleaning up from a weekend of protests, violence and looting. We check in with residents, business owners and officials on the South Side and in the Loop to talk about recovery efforts and more.

Summer in Chicago means escaping to some of the beach towns around Lake Michigan. But how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted those areas that rely on tourist dollars?

It was the site of a 1966 race riot where Martin Luther King Jr. was attacked. Today, the Marquette Park neighborhood in the Chicago Lawn community is staring down one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the city.

The far northwest side neighborhood is home to city workers, like first responders, teachers and trades workers. We visit Edison Park to see how residents, businesses and others are coping with the pandemic.

Iowa has begun to partially reopen restaurants and other businesses, while Illinois remains mostly shut down. As part of our series, we bring you stories from both sides of the Mississippi River.

One of the city’s new testing sites is about to open in Englewood. It’s a community that has been hit hard by disinvestment and high rates of crime over the years.

He’s been on the job for about six weeks, taking over at a time when homicides are up slightly over 2019 and a global pandemic has shuttered businesses and caused unemployment to spike. Still, David Brown is optimistic.

The Northwest Side neighborhood has been transformed by development in recent years, yielding dozens of trendy businesses and new homes. But the influx of wealthier residents has led to significant displacement of longtime residents.

Wednesday marks one year in office for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who began her tenure as a political outsider determined to uproot the old system of aldermanic control. But that all changed two months ago. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is facing political pressure from some areas of the state that want to reopen sooner than Chicago. We visit Kankakee to see how residents, farmers and others are coping with the pandemic.

An environmental dispute in the Southwest Side neighborhood of McKinley Park has loomed large in the community’s response to the pandemic.