Stories by nick blumberg

Children playing at a “Light in the Night” event. (WTTW News)

‘Light in the Night’ Events Aim to Reclaim Safe Public Space for Chicagoans

Public safety isn’t just about addressing the root causes of crime or stopping people from picking up a gun. Sometimes, making a neighborhood safer is as simple as a water balloon or a bounce house.

(WTTW News)

CTA Board Approves More Amazon Delivery Lockers at Stations; Transit Leader Outlines Hopes for ‘World-Class’ System

The CTA touted the lockers as a convenience for customers and a way to reduce congestion and pollution from Amazon’s ubiquitous delivery trucks and vans. The program is a three-year deal, with two options to extend it by a year.

A company is pitching to turn the building at 62 S. Broadway in Aurora into a residential development. (WTTW News)

Company With Ties to Aurora Mayor, High-Level Employee Eyeing City-Owned Property

A company with ties to Mayor Richard Irvin and a high-level city official is interested in developing three city-owned properties in west suburban Aurora, information obtained by WTTW News shows.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, Nikolas Rodriguez, and Laura Ayala-Clarke on the night Rodriguez says they first met.

Ex-Employees of Aurora Mayor’s Girlfriend Claim She Stiffed Them Out of Weeks of Pay

Furniture Store Owner Laura Ayala-Clarke Denies Charges, Says Attorney is Handling Claims

Two former employees of Laura Ayala-Clarke, the girlfriend of Mayor Richard Irvin of west suburban Aurora, claim she failed to pay them for several weeks of work and isn’t running her business on the up-and-up. She recently was approved for a city grant. 

A decommissioned generating station in Waukegan is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

Environmental Activists Rally in Chicago for Tighter Rules on Coal Ash Byproduct

Right now, coal combustion residuals – commonly known as coal ash – aren’t subject to EPA regulation at many offline power plants. 

Museum of Science and Industry (zooey / Wikimedia Commons)

Museum of Science and Industry Workers Vote to Unionize Part of a Recent Wave in Chicago

This past weekend, many workers at the Museum of Science and Industry voted to unionize. According to unofficial results released by AFSCME, nearly three quarters of employees who voted cast a ballot in favor of representation.

Hundreds of acres of land in Sugar Grove are targeted for redevelopment. (WTTW News)

Developer Touts ‘Very Balanced’ Plan to Remake Hundreds of Acres of West Suburban Land, But Some Residents Still Skeptical

Hundreds of acres of vacant land in Sugar Grove has a developer looking to build housing, civic space, retail – and distribution warehouses. Some residents are uneasy the project would change the village’s small town feel. 

WTTW News Explains: Why Are There So Many Units of Local Government?

Illinios ranks first in the nation in the number of individual units of local government. WTTW News Explains what is going on with all of those property tax line items.

Laura’s Furniture in Aurora. (WTTW News)

Aurora Mayor’s Girlfriend Didn’t Disclose Previous State COVID Relief Funding When Asking for Local Taxpayer Cash

A review of the grant application for Laura’s Furniture shows the company misrepresented whether it had previously received COVID-related government funding.

Costume designer Ruth Carter appears on “Black Voices” on June 2, 2023. (WTTW News)

Oscar-Winning Costume Designer Ruth Carter on Spike Lee, ‘Black Panther’ and Feeling ‘Grown Up’

Ruth Carter is a groundbreaking costume designer known for her long collaboration with Spike Lee and her work on the “Black Panther” movies. She is the only Black woman to have two Academy Awards.

(WTTW News)

Rude Awakening: Tracking Illegal, Early Morning Trash Pickups

WTTW News saw private garbage hauler Groot making four separate pickups before 7 a.m. last week. It’s not just a nuisance — it’s illegal. Under Chicago’s noise ordinance, trash haulers are banned from work between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

At last week’s council meeting, aldermen also approved an additional $8,124 grant to the Aurora Business Center on top of a $75,000 payout the company received last year. (WTTW News)

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s Girlfriend, Ex-Business Partners and City Employee’s Husband Awarded Thousands in Taxpayer-Funded Grants

The owners of two Aurora companies — a furniture store and an office building — are in personal relationships with top city officials, WTTW News has found. An analysis of campaign finance records also uncovered that a majority of recent donations to Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign fund are from people doing business with or getting incentives from the city.

(Petr Kratochvil / Public Domain Pictures)

Despite Uber’s Campaign Against Tougher Safety Standards, ‘Common Carrier’ Bill Moves Ahead in Springfield

Uber has been pushing back hard against the common carrier proposal: emails and push notifications to customers, a reported six-figure ad buy on popular radio stations, web banners on news sites covering the General Assembly and plenty of lobbying.

(WTTW News)

DuPage County, Coalition of Suburbs Ask Court to Reconsider Massive Freight Rail Merger

Federal regulators approved the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern in March, which would create a new route linking Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. The company plans to run an additional seven to eight trains each day along tracks shared by Metra’s Milwaukee District West line.

A Selena tribute show at the National Museum of Mexican Art. (Courtesy of National Museum of Mexican Art)

Performers, Drag Artists Pay Tribute to the Late, Great Selena With Joyous Live Show

This weekend, the Queen of Tejano Music is being celebrated with “Bidi Bidi Boom Boom: The Selena Tribute Dance Party” at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, where a group of performers and drag artists are bringing some of Selena’s legendary music to life for Chicago audiences.

An honorary street sign for Sam Bell is unveiled May 5, 2023, at Wood and Rice streets in West Town. (WTTW News)

City Unveils Honorary Street Sign for Sam Bell, Cyclist Struck and Killed by Driver

Sam Bell, 44, was struck and killed by a driver while biking along Milwaukee Avenue in River West last September. He was remembered as a dedicated mentor and organizer for the Midtown Educational Foundation, which works with low-income, underserved students in Chicago. 

Nearly 350 job seekers filled CTA headquarters the morning of April 28, 2023, for the agency’s fifth job fair of the year. (WTTW News)

CTA Adding Bus and Rail Workers, Touting Service Improvements; Mayor-Elect Mum on Keeping Transit Agency Leader

The CTA is still short more than 600 full-time bus and rail operators. As the transit agency tries to reverse service and staffing losses, it’s been putting a big focus on hiring.

(WTTW News)

Residents Sound Off on Priorities, Search Process for New CPD Superintendent

Backing from the rank and file. Removing racist officers. Protecting marginalized communities. Those are just some of the priorities Chicagoans said they have for the next police superintendent during a virtual forum held Tuesday.

Save A Lot is set to open at the site of a former Whole Foods at 63rd and Halted streets. (WTTW News)

How the Owners of Englewood’s New Save A Lot Hope to Win Over Skeptical Community Members

It’s been a year since Whole Foods made the surprise announcement it was shutting down its Englewood location. The store has been the site of controversy since it was announced that Save A Lot operator Yellow Banana was taking over the lease.

(WTTW News)

Residents Call for Police Accountability, Systemic Change at Forum on New CPD Superintendent

Commissioners heard comments on a range of issues. There were multiple calls for a new superintendent to come from within the ranks of CPD, and many community members said they wanted someone who will instill a culture of respect for residents.

(WTTW News)

Photo Exhibition Highlights the Lives, Personalities of Black Gay Men in 1980s Chicago

A new exhibition of his photographs at the Wrightwood 659 gallery in Lincoln Park is an evocative look at gay Black men in Chicago during a pivotal decade — and a window into a community that’s often been overlooked and stereotyped.

(WTTW News)

Demonstrators Threaten Walmart Boycott Over Chicago Store Closures

Many Chicagoans were shocked by retail giant Walmart’s announcement that it’s closing four stores this weekend — fully half of its locations in the city.

(WTTW News)

Chicago’s Failure to Make Crosswalks Accessible for Blind Pedestrians Broke the Law: Judge

Chicago was hit with a lawsuit over its overwhelming lack of accessible crosswalks in 2019. The lawsuit in 2022 became a class action covering the estimated 68,000 adults in Chicago with a vision-related disability.

The federal government plans to tear down the building at 208-212 S. State St., the shorter of the two properties between the threatened Century Building and Consumers Building skyscrapers, pictured last year before a sidewalk closure. (Preservation Chicago / Eric Allix Rogers)

Federal Government Plans to Demolish Century-Old Building Next to Threatened Historic Skyscrapers

The move is the latest development in a fight over historic preservation and courthouse security. The government has also been pushing to demolish the Century and Consumers buildings, two early 20th century skyscrapers located to the east of the Dirksen Federal Building.

Community leaders demonstrated outside a controversial new Save A Lot in Englewood on April 5, 2023. (WTTW News)

‘Shut It Down!’ Activists Rally at Preview Event for Controversial Englewood Save A Lot

Activists, community members and local elected officials have for months expressed their concerns to Save A Lot operator Yellow Banana about the poor reputation Save A Lot has among many Chicagoans, particularly Black residents.

Artist Rachel Steele will present “Soundpost: Remixing Transit” at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on March 30, 2023. (WTTW News)

Beyond Noise: Audio-Visual Artist Finds Inspiration in Chicago’s Transit

Artist Rachel Steele mixes sounds she recorded live on public transit and out in neighborhoods with musical instruments reflective of the city’s different cultures. Her show, "Soundpost: Remixing Transit," is on display at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this Thursday.