Stories by erica gunderson

(WTTW News)

La Última Palabra on Latinos and Tech Startups

As part of our La Última Palabra series, Lou Sandoval, CEO of Supply Hive, says it’s time for Latinos to look to the tech industry for entrepreneurial inspiration.

(WTTW News)

Mr. Bocanegra Goes to Washington: Chicago Anti-Violence Pioneer Joins DOJ

Eddie Bocanegra began his work in Chicago as an outreach worker at CeaseFire. He later started the Urban Warriors program with the YMCA, connecting youth with military veteran mentors and began the READI program offering intensive resources for people at high risk for violence. 

(WTTW News)

Chicago Parents on the Use of Masks in Schools

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the statewide mask mandate for most indoor public spaces will be lifted at the end of February. Despite the ongoing court challenge to the school mask mandate, it will remain in place for now. 

Immigrant rights activists, public health advocates, and community allies gather outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Chicago Field Office Feb. 1, 2021. (WTTW News)

Examining Biden’s First-Year Performance on Immigration

Last year, President Joe Biden recalled the journey of his ancestors to this country as he welcomed new citizens at the White House. In his speech, President Biden ticked off some of the ways he planned to evolve immigration policy. We look at where he stands on those goals.

Music journalist Sandra Treviño gave us a few recommendations for Afro-Latino artists you may want to add to your next playlist. (WTTW News)

5 Afro-Latino Music Artists You Should Know

While Afro-Latino musicians have not always been given their due, music journalist Sandra Treviño thinks that the tide is turning. Treviño gave us a few recommendations for Afro-Latino artists you may want to add to your next playlist.

(WTTW News)

Big Flavors, Big Thinking: Local Company Is On A Michelada Mission

If you abstained from drinking throughout the first month of this year, a movement known as "dry January," congratulations — you made it!  Now, if you want to make it a tipsy February, a local business is bringing its version of a classic Mexican tipple to liquor stores near you.

(Courtesy Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández)

Mexico’s Rituals, Festivals, Music Inspire New Performance from Ballet Folklórico

The Mexico City-based ensemble, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, is bringing together audience-favorite dances that traverse the history and culture of Mexico with performances at the Auditorium Theater on Feb. 12 and 13.

(WTTW News)

Local Groups Offer Hope and Housing to Chicagoans in Crisis

The recent cold and snowy weather is nothing new in Chicago. But for those experiencing homelessness, the weather adds another layer of difficulty to an already punishing situation. 

(WTTW News)

Even in Winter, Irving Park Mural ‘Mi Jardin’ Blooms Bright

Artist Christian Paz grew up in Albany Park, so when he finally persuaded the owner of a nearby convenience store to agree to it, he jumped at the chance to beautify his community.

(WTTW News)

Rogers Park Shop Hopes for Smashing Success with Custom Piñatas

A Rogers Park woman left a corporate career behind to strike out on her own offering custom pinatas. She’s hoping her handmade creations will be a big hit as people return to gathering in person for parties.

(WTTW News)

Little Village Community Groups Call for Mental Health Resources After Gang Shooting Kills 8-Year-Old

The fatal shooting of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in Little Village is putting a spotlight on the city’s troubling gun violence. Despite a swift arrest, some community groups say their calls for more resources to address violence have gone unheard.

(WTTW News)

What Lies Ahead for COVID-19 After Omicron Peak?

We’re about to enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with news that the omicron wave has passed its peak in Chicago, a light begins to appear at the end of the tunnel. But public health advocates are warning the city’s residents not to let their guards down just yet.

(WTTW News)

Creating Policy that Improves Lives of Older Adults

For Latino seniors, issues of language access, health inequities, lower incomes and documentation status can make the daily business of living even more complicated. "Latino Voices" met with an organization aiming to develop a strategic action plan for aging in Illinois. 

 We spoke to editor-in-chief and co-founder María Marta Guzmán and managing editor Erika Perez about the young news outlet's first two years and their hopes for the future. (WTTW News)

La DePaulia Celebrates Two Years Covering Chicago’s Latino Community

In January 2020, student journalists at DePaul University launched a Spanish-language platform reporting on Chicago’s Latino community, La DePaulia. We spoke to editor-in-chief and co-founder María Marta Guzmán and managing editor Erika Perez about the young news outlet’s first two years and their hopes for the future.

(WTTW News)

Win a Free Mural for Your Community from Green Arts Movement

Local youth arts organization Green Star Movement has installed murals all over the city. This year, in partnership with Amazon, Green Star is inviting Chicagoans to apply for a chance at getting a free mural created in their community.

(WTTW News)

Working Against Wage Theft with the Office of Labor Standards

Wage theft can take many forms, from failure to pay for overtime to withholding tips. The city of Chicago estimates over $400 million are stolen from workers each year here. And Latinos and immigrants are especially at risk of wage theft. 

(WTTW News)

Caring for Children’s Mental Health Throughout Pandemic Poses Challenges to Latino Families

Throughout the pandemic, parents have expressed concern about the toll these uncertain times might be exacting on their children’s mental health. Among Latino families, who have experienced higher infection and death rates as well as more financial insecurity, those concerns are especially acute.

 Students briefly returned to class for the first two days of this week, but since Wednesday, classes have been outright canceled as teachers refused to work in person and CPS refuses to go remote, leaving families in limbo once again. (WTTW News)

CPS Parents on School COVID-19 Safety Standoff

 Students briefly returned to class for the first two days of this week, but since Wednesday, classes have been outright canceled as teachers refused to work in person and CPS refuses to go remote, leaving families in limbo once again.

Juan Lopez says he can make pretty much any 2-D image into a fuzzy, fluffy floor covering. (WTTW News)

East Side Man Starts Small Business Using Tuft Love

In the early days of the pandemic, many Chicagoans used social media to learn new skills and hobbies. One of them is Juan Lopez, a lifelong East Sider who used TikTok videos to teach himself a new skill that he turned into a small business last summer.

Mony Bunni (L) and Kristina Magro (R), the founders of Support Staff, both of whom are experienced in the hospitality industry, say they’re filling a need that has gone unaddressed for too long. (WTTW News)

Nonprofit Serves Up Mental Health Resources to Hospitality Workers

The pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the physical, emotional, and financial health of restaurant workers, especially those in the Latino community. Three years ago, a group of hospitality workers created a nonprofit aimed at getting mental health care for struggling workers.

The Chicago Domestic Workers Contract Mandate covers jobs like nannies, home care workers, and home cleaners. It requires their employers to give them a written contract with mutually agreed-upon terms. (WTTW News)

New Law for 2022 Requires Contracts for Home Workers

The Chicago Domestic Workers Contract Mandate covers jobs like nannies, home care workers, and home cleaners. It requires their employers to give them a written contract with mutually agreed-upon terms.

Once they were satisfied with the filling’s flavor and folding process, Iltaco added the pizza puff to its lineup in 1976 and it took off from there. (WTTW News)

Fourth-Generation Family Business Fries Up a Chicago Classic for More than 40 Years

From saganaki to the jibarito, Chicago’s blend of cultures has resulted in a long and delicious list of culinary innovations. One particular Chicago food favorite started with an Assyrian family who folded together Italian and Mexican ingredients to create a hot dog stand staple.

A local woman sees a new image of her father through his long-lost street photography. (Courtesy Joan Tortorici Ruppert)

Local Woman Reconnects With Departed Father Through Rediscovered Photos

Local television producer and writer Joan Tortorici Ruppert lost her father as a young child. But through a collection of rediscovered photo negatives, she’s getting to know who he was before he was her father and getting a glimpse into Chicago history too. 

Katie Lauffenburger paints a ceramic home inspired by Chicago architecture. (WTTW News)

Ravenswood Artists Show There’s No Place Like Home in Chicago

Our city’s towering skyline gets all the press, but for the husband-and-wife artist duo behind Wonder City Studio, it’s the vernacular styles that make Chicago a place worth calling home.

At Vintage Frills, Jennifer Kelly says she’s always looking for the items from the 1990s and 2000s she says are on trend with millennials and Gen Z kids. (WTTW News)

Vintage Shops Get Up to Thrifty Business in Logan Square

Resale is a multi-billion dollar industry and shopping secondhand is growing in popularity as an affordable and eco-friendly way for young fashionistas to carve out a style niche for themselves. Two shops in Logan Square are hoping they can capitalize on that trend.

On the Magnificent Mile, Belmont-Cragin small business Colores Mexicanos offers handmade artisan items from states all across Mexico through the end of December. (WTTW News)

Shop at the Pop-ups for Last-Minute Artisan Gifts

If you’ve still got a few names to cross off your holiday gift list, you’re not alone. There’s still plenty of time to find handmade gifts that do good for artists and artisans not only in Chicago but also in countries all over the world.