Stories by Alexandra Silets
Polio-Like Acute Flaccid Myelitis Strikes Northern Illinois
| Alexandra Silets
A 10th case of a polio-like illness is diagnosed in Illinois. We discuss acute flaccid myelitis – and what parents should be on the lookout for – with Dr. Nirav Shah of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Turbulent Time for Stocks as Investors Eye End of Historic Bull Run
| Paul Caine
A market that has grown used to cheap money over the past decade is becoming increasingly concerned that the Federal Reserve will aggressively raise benchmark interest rates.
Meet Some Small But Mighty Miniature Therapy Horses
| Nick Blumberg
Their effectiveness can’t be judged by their size: We visit the Barrington nonprofit Mane in Heaven to discover the therapeutic mission of these miniature horses.
Ask Geoffrey: Neptune’s Follies Make a Splash at Century of Progress
| Erica Gunderson
Geoffrey Baer takes a peek at a 1930s burlesque-style show and remembers the Chicago Daily News sporting events of yesteryear in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.
Inside Wrightwood 659, a New Home for Art and Architecture
| Marc Vitali
A Chicago apartment building from the 1920s has been radically reimagined. It is now an unusual art gallery designed by a world-renowned architect.
COPA Releases Footage of Off-Duty Officer Shooting Unarmed Teen
| Matt Masterson
New video shows an off-duty Chicago police officer shooting and wounding an unarmed, developmentally disabled teen as he stood outside a Far South Side home late last summer.
Pritzker, Rauner Release Partial 2017 Tax Returns
| Amanda Vinicky
J.B. Pritzker is on track to spend his entire 2017 income on his gubernatorial campaign, while Bruce Rauner has spent roughly half his annual income on the race, tax forms show.
Chicago-Area Gymnastics Coach Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges
| Alex Ruppenthal
More than two decades after first being accused of sexual abuse, a longtime Chicago-area gymnastics coach was arrested Monday on charges of sexually assaulting at least one teenage girl who trained with him in the far southwest suburbs.
Gum Infection May Jump-Start Alzheimer’s Disease, Study Finds
| Kristen Thometz
A common but preventable gum infection may facilitate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Mayor Emanuel Prepares to Release His Final City Budget
| Paris Schutz
In his final budget before leaving office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is promising no major tax or fee increases, but there are significant new costs. How will they be paid for?
Former Blagojevich Aide Bradley Tusk on Politics and the Midterms
| Alexandra Silets
Bradley Tusk served as deputy governor under Rod Blagojevich. Now he advises tech startups. What it was like working for the now-imprisoned former governor.
A Chicago Pension Fix? Using Revenue from Public Assets
| Evan Garcia
Could profits from public assets like Midway Airport help fund Chicago’s pensions? The former mayor of Highland Park thinks so.
Are We Forgetting About the Holocaust?
| WTTW News
A recent study shows two-thirds of millennials in the U.S. have not heard of Auschwitz. A priest and a holocaust survivor are trying to change that.
Field Museum Exhibit to Toast Chicago’s Immigrant-Driven Beer History
| Alex Ruppenthal
Visitors to the Field Museum this fall will have a chance to soak up Chicago’s rich beer history, with a focus on the immigrant communities that established the city’s first breweries.
Sears Files for Bankruptcy. What That Really Means.
| Nicole Cardos
Is it the end of an era? NPR reporter David Schaper joins us to discuss what the future may hold for the former retail giant.
African-American Women Assert Their Independence in ‘Flyin’ West’
| Hedy Weiss
With echoes of “Oklahoma” in its evocation of the hardscrabble lives of exceptionally strong women, Pearl Cleage’s story revolves around the different choices made by four women, including the elderly but unbending matriarchal figure who experienced the abominations of slavery, yet survived to tell the story.
GoFundMe Campaign Started to Support Van Dyke Family
| Matt Masterson
A fundraiser started by one of Jason Van Dyke’s trial attorneys has raised more than $43,000 in one week to support the family of the suspended Chicago police officer.
Lyric Opera Orchestra Ratifies New Contract
| Eddie Arruza
Following a five-day strike that forced the cancellation of three performances at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the company’s orchestra ratified a new contract Sunday.
Luminous Play by Lynn Nottage Explores Faith, Politics, Family and Discrimination
| Hedy Weiss
“Crumbs from the Table of Joy” – one of the playwright’s earliest works, now on stage at Raven Theatre – is continually engaging. And in the current climate, it also turns out to be uncannily timely.
Diabetes Drug Could Prevent Deaths from Air Pollution, Study Finds
| Alex Ruppenthal
An inexpensive drug for Type 2 diabetes also decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes caused by air pollution, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Web Extra, The Week in Review: Kanye West at the White House
| Alexandra Silets
Eddie Arruza and guests discuss the “interesting” visit to the White House by Grammy Award-winning rapper – and former Chicagoan – Kanye West.
The Week in Review: Governor’s Race Gets Testy
| Alexandra Silets
With less than a month to Election Day, the Illinois governor’s race turns into a verbal cage match. Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke is transferred out of Cook County. The Trump administration opposes the city’s police consent decree. And does Kris Bryant really say no to $200 million?
Final Debate for Rauner, Pritzker Takes Place in Quincy, Site of Legionnaire’s Outbreaks
| Amanda Vinicky
Democrats have been highly critical of the Rauner administration’s handling of the Legionnaire’s outbreaks, but the governor insisted during Thursday's debate that action was “immediately taken.”
March to the Polls to Honor First-Time Voters Ahead of Midterm Elections
| Nicole Cardos
A women’s march in Chicago is planned for Saturday. Why organizers say this event will be different from others.
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