After last week’s thrashing by the defending Super Bowl champs — the Bears are leading the league in one statistical category — the number of players on the COVID list. What does this mean for the upcoming matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field?
Stories by paul caine
Report Finds Antisemitism on the Rise in America
Oct 26, 2021 | Paul Caine
One in four American Jews say they’ve been targets of antisemitism in the past 12 months, according to a new report from the American Jewish Committee.
US Overdose Deaths Surge to an All-Time High
Oct 25, 2021 | Paul Caine
More than 96,000 people died of drug overdoses during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic – that’s an increase of almost 30 percent in just one year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bears Travel to Tampa Bay to Face Tom Brady and the Buccaneers
Oct 21, 2021 | Paul Caine
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears have a Sunday date in Tampa Bay with seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
US Attorney Lausch’s Job Performance Wins Bipartisan Support
Oct 19, 2021 | Paul Caine
Political corruption. Gun violence. Financial crimes. Homegrown terrorism. These are just a selection of the cases brought in the last four years by John Lausch, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
UChicago Takes Aim at Chicago’s Persistent Cycle of Violence
Oct 18, 2021 | Paul Caine
Amid a surge in violence, the University of Chicago aims to help make the city a model for how to rebuild traumatized communities.
Bears and Rookie QB Justin Fields Face Stern Test Against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers
Oct 14, 2021 | Paul Caine
It’s the oldest rivalry in football, but the Packers have had the upper hand for most of the past decade. The Bears have won just three games against the Packers and lost 19 since 2011.
NASA Tests Its Planetary Defense Capabilities With DART Mission
Oct 12, 2021 | Paul Caine
A NASA mission to deflect an asteroid – it’s been the premise for more than one Hollywood movie – but next month NASA launches its DART mission that aims to do it for real.
Drop in COVID-19 Cases Shows Parts of US May Be Reaching Herd Immunity
Oct 11, 2021 | Paul Caine
While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have dropped nationally, a local infectious disease expert says the situation is a little more complex than whether or not the nation is reaching herd immunity.
Fields Named Starting Quarterback as Bears Travel to Las Vegas
Oct 7, 2021 | Paul Caine
Justin Fields secures the starting quarterback spot as the Bears travel to Las Vegas for a date with the Raiders. James “Big Cat” Williams joins us to share his predictions for the game.
UChicago Focuses on the Future of Cities in a Post-COVID-19 World
Oct 5, 2021 | Paul Caine
The University of Chicago is bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and advocates to envision a better, more sustainable future for Chicago and cities around the globe.
Bears Look to Bounce Back From Embarrassing Loss Against Winless Lions
Sep 30, 2021 | Paul Caine
A rough first NFL start for Justin Fields as the rookie quarterback is sacked nine times by the Cleveland Browns. Can the team remedy its offensive woes in time for the winless Detroit Lions? James “Big Cat” Williams’ gives us three keys to the upcoming game.
Argonne Gets Rare Access To Probe Asteroid Fragments Collected From Space
Sep 28, 2021 | Paul Caine
Tiny fragments from an asteroid could shed light on the early development of the solar system, thanks to the unique capabilities of Argonne National Laboratory.
Fields Gets First NFL Start vs. Browns as Dalton Sidelined With Injury
Sep 23, 2021 | Paul Caine
Justin Fields will get his first NFL start against the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday. Can the rookie quarterback and hope for the future of the franchise live up to the hype and high expectations to deliver a win?
Delta Variant, Disinformation Lead to ICU Shortage in Southern Illinois
Sep 21, 2021 | Paul Caine
Hospitals in parts of the state are facing a critical shortage of available beds in their intensive care units. The highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19, combined with low vaccination rates, has created an overwhelming situation for medical providers for the last month.
Bears Hoping to Bounce Back Against Bengals After Prime-Time Loss
Sep 16, 2021 | Paul Caine
After losing to the Rams, how long will Bears coach Matt Nagy resist pressure to give rookie quarterback Justin Fields more playing time? Former Bears offensive lineman James “Big Cat” Williams give us his take on the opening day loss and Sunday’s game against Cincinnati.
Lincoln Park Zoo Names Megan Ross as Next Leader
Sep 14, 2021 | Paul Caine
Dr. Megan Ross, an animal behavior specialist, joined the zoo as curator of birds in 2000 and will be the first woman to lead the zoo in its 153-year history.
Illinois Republicans Rail Against Democrat’s Latest Election Map
Sep 2, 2021 | Paul Caine
Democrats have submitted new redistricting maps. Maps are redrawn every 10 years after the census, but because of late census numbers, this year’s process has been more contentious than others.
COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children Expected by End of Year
Aug 31, 2021 | Paul Caine
As the highly infectious delta variant continues to spread rapidly throughout the country, more children are testing positive for COVID-19. Could the return of in-person learning trigger even more cases?
Babbling Bats May Shed Light on Language Development
Aug 26, 2021 | Paul Caine
Babbling baby bats. Simulated rats. The impressive memory of cuttlefish. And why, counter to popular belief, some key mental abilities appear to actually improve with aging. University of Chicago paleontologist Neil Shubin returns to help us understand some of the latest science stories making headlines.
Big Vegas Gaming Operators Decline to Bet on a Chicago Casino
Aug 25, 2021 | Paul Caine
This should have been the week when the long-awaited Chicago casino project finally got up and running. Monday was the initial deadline to submit proposals to develop the much vaunted project — but after few bidders appeared interested — the city pushed back the deadline to the end of October.
Chicago Afghan War Veterans Express Anger, Despair at Chaotic Withdrawal
Aug 19, 2021 | Paul Caine
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and chaotic withdrawal by U.S. forces are weighing heavily on the minds of veterans who fought in America’s longest war.
Refugee Agencies Scramble to Bring Afghan Allies to US
Aug 17, 2021 | Paul Caine
Officials are trying to help Afghan allies who supported the American mission to leave the country as Taliban checkpoints spread across the country and its capital, Kabul. But how many Afghans can safely be evacuated and settled in the U.S.?
Are Vaccine Mandates the Answer to Lagging Rates Among Nursing Home Staff?
Aug 10, 2021 | Paul Caine
While 84% of nursing home residents in Illinois have received the COVID-19 vaccine, just 62% of the workers who care for them are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Millions of Americans Support Use of Force to Restore Trump to White House: Report
Aug 9, 2021 | Paul Caine
An estimated 21 million Americans believe that Joe Biden is an illegitimate president and that Donald Trump should be restored to the White House by force, according to a new report from the University of Chicago. We discuss the findings with political science professor Robert Pape, who led the survey.
Vaccine Mandates on the Agenda for More and More Businesses
Aug 5, 2021 | Paul Caine
More and more employers are now mandating vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of returning to the office. Among them are some of the largest and best-known corporations in the country, from Walmart to The Washington Post and Tyson Foods to Twitter.