Stories by Erica Gunderson
Ask Geoffrey: What Happens to a Church’s Artwork When It Closes?
| Erica Gunderson
With its ever-changing demographics, Chicago has seen many churches close in the last 50 years. A viewer wants to know what happens to the art and sculptures inside those churches as they near their last days.
Roundtable: Viral Video, Gubernatorial and Mayoral Races
| Alexandra Silets
The political fallout caused by the viral video showing a Cook County Forest Preserve officer not helping a woman being harassed.
Adler to Host Viewing Event as Mars Moves Closer
| Alex Ruppenthal
Later this month, the red planet will be just 35.8 million miles away – the brightest and closest it’s been to Earth since 2003.
CPS Watchdog Adding Staff for New Sex Abuse Investigations Team
| Matt Masterson
CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler is looking to hire a dozen employees to staff a new dedicated unit tasked with investigating sexual abuse allegations made by district students.
10 Things to Do This Weekend: July 11-15
| Kristen Thometz
Burgers, country music and secret gardens usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
Study: Parental Incarceration Impacts Children’s Health into Adulthood
| Kristen Thometz
“When parents are incarcerated, children are serving a life sentence as well, and unfortunately, it shows up in their health behaviors,” said Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, a pediatrician and lead author of the study.
Viral Video Puts Spotlight on Cook County Forest Preserve
| Paris Schutz
A video shot in a Cook County forest preserve has caught fire on social media and is prompting blowback from county officials on both sides of the aisle.
So Long to the Straight Dope: Witty Q&A Column Calls It Quits
| Evan Garcia
After nearly half a century of answering questions ranging from the trivial to the technical to the taboo, the Chicago Reader’s informative and irreverent weekly column has ended.
Bring Your Appetite: Taste of Chicago Gets Underway This Week
| Nick Blumberg
The city’s mega-food fest returns to Grant Park. We get a preview of the Taste of Chicago.
An Early Harvest in the Chicago Tonight Garden
| Paul Caine
Organic gardener Jeanne Nolan stops by our organic vegetable garden, where we’ve already begun to harvest some of our early starters.
Van Dyke Case: Defense Expert Believes Change of Venue Necessary
| Matt Masterson
Three-quarters of Cook County residents familiar with the high-profile case believe suspended police Officer Jason Van Dyke is guilty, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the defense.
Trump Picks Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court
| Alexandra Silets
The battle has just begun over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy.
3.3 Million-Year-Old Fossil Shows Toddlers Could Climb Trees
| Alex Ruppenthal
New analysis of a child’s foot from an ancient fossil shows that human ancestors had adaptations that allowed them to climb trees, similar to their apelike cousins.
In ‘The Csardas Princess,’ Cabaret Singer Embroiled In Love, Marriage and Social Chaos, Operetta-Style
| Hedy Weiss
What is most impressive about this romantic comedy, the first work to be produced in Folks Operetta’s “Reclaimed Voices” series, is the exceptional beauty of the voices in the show’s large cast, and the performers’ comic swagger.
Hospital Ship Sets Sail in Documentary ‘The Surgery Ship’
| Nicole Cardos
A Chicago-area native talks about efforts led by a hospital ship to provide free surgeries to patients in West Africa and Central Africa.
Viewer Feedback: ‘What Were They Trying to Accomplish?’
| WTTW News
What viewers had to say about Saturday’s anti-violence march on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Gov. Rauner’s Answer to Chicago Violence
| Amanda Vinicky
The governor’s solution to violence touches on a common theme: reducing burdens on businesses and lowering property taxes, which he says will grow economic opportunities and jobs.
Brookfield Zoo Helps Bring Mexican Wolves Back From Brink of Extinction
| Paul Caine
Their recovery has been a national concern for decades. What’s happening locally in the effort to save the Mexican wolf.
WBEZ, ProPublica Investigation Reveals Thousands of Duplicate Tickets
| Alexandra Silets
In its investigative series “Driven Into Debt,” ProPublica Illinois and WBEZ found Chicago has issued 20,000 duplicate tickets since 2007. We speak with the reporters who broke the story.
The Power of Scuba Diving for People with Disabilities
| Jay Shefsky
We visit a local nonprofit that offers free scuba training to adults and children with special needs.
After Dan Ryan Shutdown, Pfleger Looks to Meet with Politicians, Candidates
| Matt Masterson
The Rev. Michael Pfleger says the response to Saturday’s massive anti-violence march has been extremely positive, calling the protest “a huge success.” What his follow-up plan is.
$169 Million Industrial Complex Planned for Chicago’s Southeast Side
| Alex Ruppenthal
A new transportation and logistics hub is expected to bring about 2,000 jobs to Chicago’s Southeast Side, but some area activists are taking issue with the way the project was introduced.
In ‘Waitress,’ Master Pie Maker Finally Discovers Recipe for Love, Liberation
| Hedy Weiss
Director Diane Paulus taps into the pain and high comedy of the story, but Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre is far too big a venue for this essentially intimate show.
Trump to Announce Supreme Court Nominee
| Kristen Thometz
The president is expected to announce his pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday night.
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