Stories by Eunice Alpasan

Tracie Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Chicago-based American Library Association, has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

A recent Pew Research Center study found that just 6% of reporting journalists were Black in a sample of nearly 12,000 journalists.

Governors State University is the third public university in Illinois to go on strike this month. Union members are calling for a cost-of-living adjustment in their wages.

While the Chicago State strike continues, faculty and staff at south suburban Governors State University are preparing to go on strike and instructors at Eastern Illinois University continue a work stoppage that began last week.

Louisiana State University women’s college basketball star Angel Reese has been in the center of conversations about double standards Black women face in sports, in light of the final moments of LSU’s national championship game against the University of Iowa.

According to Chicago Board of Elections data, there was a 32% increase from Feb. 28 to April 4 of votes cast by voters ages 18 to 24. Voters ages 25 to 34 increased their votership by 24%.

U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) recently introduced legislation that would implement stronger enforcement to protect classified documents and impose civil penalties for officials who mishandle those documents.

The next mayor will face a number of education hurdles, including the transition to an elected school board, a new teachers union contract, securing school funding and the end of a moratorium on school closures.

This month marks three years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. More than 2,300 Latino Chicagoans have died from COVID-19 since March 2020, according to data from the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill requiring employers to offer workers a minimum of five days of paid time off. One hour of paid leave is earned for every 40 hours worked.

Talks of a four-day workweek are heating up nationwide. A lawmaker in California has reintroduced a U.S. House bill that would make a 32-hour workweek the national standard. A bill in Maryland proposes tax incentives for companies that try out a four-day workweek.

A new report found that from 2015 to 2021, the average Black Chicago driver was six times more likely to be stopped than the average White driver. Latino drivers were twice as likely to be stopped than White drivers.

Households in Illinois receiving SNAP food benefits will see them decrease in March as a pandemic-era policy giving families additional benefits comes to an end. The average person will receive about $90 less in SNAP benefits per month.

Chicago mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson are off to the races with little more than a month before the April 4 runoff election. Johnson joined “Chicago Tonight” Wednesday for a one-on-one conversation. 

When the Black-owned hair care company Mielle Organics merged with P&G Beauty earlier this year, it sparked discourse in Black communities about the potential ripple effects that come as Black-owned businesses gain increased attention and support.

“The steady amount of voting that we’ve seen over the last three weeks really suggests that we’re going to have a high turnout for Election Day,” said Max Bever, director of public information at the Chicago Board of Elections.

Mental health professionals are continuing to bridge the gap on mental health care in Latino communities by offering more culturally competent care and normalizing conversations about mental health.

A recent confidential watchdog report found that Chicago officials could and should have prevented a botched smokestack implosion in Little Village, rekindling conversations about the role of industry in neighborhoods and where accountability lies when violations occur.

A new report from the Cook County Treasurer's Office said property tax collection rates are historically low in low-income and mostly minority south suburbs.

Bridgeport residents watched the WTTW News mayoral forum live Tuesday. Some expressed concern over environmental justice issues, while others looked to business issues and the ongoing fight to establish a community high school with an ESL program.

Members of the Black Heroes Matter Coalition this week crowned a bust of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who is recognized as the first permanent non-indigenous settler of Chicago.

Carmen Ayala is retiring after a career in education spanning nearly 40 years. She's both the first woman and person of color to hold the position as the state's top education official.

It’s been three years since the first Chicago COVID-19 case was confirmed. Since then, more than four million people in Illinois have been diagnosed with coronavirus; it has killed more than 36,000 people in the state.

The U.S. Department of State has put much of Mexico under a travel advisory, including an advisory not to travel to the state of Sinaloa due to crime and kidnappings.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that provides more protection for patients coming to Illinois to seek gender-affirming health care. The move comes as several states attempt to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender people.

The pushback from sheriffs comes as the Protect Illinois Communities Act already faces legal challenges in the courts, including one from former Republican Illinois attorney general candidate Tom DeVore on behalf of more than 800 plaintiffs.