Facebook icon Twitter icon Instagram icon YouTube icon

Stories by Brandis Friedman

Incarcerated Classmates Separated as Stateville Closure Continues, Leaving Future of Some Educational Programs in Question

Brandis Friedman |

Stateville had robust higher educational programs, partnering with five Chicago-area universities. After the transfers, some students have been split from their classmates and are now hundreds of miles away from each other. Those divisions and distances now make it difficult for educators to reach students.

Heat Stress ‘Significant Contributing Condition’ in Death of Michael Broadway, Who Died While Incarcerated at IDOC’s Stateville

Brandis Friedman |

Michael Broadway, incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center, died in custody in June; the days before his death were some of the hottest that month. An autopsy report reveals that heat stress was one of the significant contributing factors in his death.

Amid Safety Concerns, Stateville Prison Population Being Transferred This Month. Here’s What Incarcerated Men Have to Say

Brandis Friedman |

Conditions at Stateville Correctional Center are so uninhabitable that a federal judge ordered most of the population out by the end of September. WTTW News sent questions to men incarcerated at Stateville to hear how they feel about the shuttering of the prison and the state building a new facility.

Men in Stateville Prison Fear Ongoing Poor Conditions, Threat of Heat a Month After Man Dies in Custody

Brandis Friedman |

Relatives and friends are questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of 51-year-old Michael Broadway. An IDOC spokesperson said the agency is “actively investigating.”

After Earning a Degree From Northwestern While Incarcerated, Michael Broadway Dies in Custody at 51 as Family Questions Medical Response

Brandis Friedman |

The circumstances around his death have left friends, family and others incarcerated at Stateville questioning the sequence of events around his medical treatment. Friends who witnessed his death last week said he “didn’t have to die.”

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Bronzeville Receives Historic Designation

Brandis Friedman |

A South Side community is getting up to $15 million to ensure it continues to tell the story of the Great Migration in the early 1900s. The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area stretches from the South Loop to Woodlawn and is home to natural, historic and cultural resources.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Uptown

Brandis Friedman |

Uptown is one of Chicago’s most diverse communities.  It’s home to a few icons in Chicago’s music scene. But, like many neighborhoods, it also faces gentrification. We talk with community leaders about planned luxury apartments coming to the area and a nonprofit that provides housing for women.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Avondale

Brandis Friedman |

Located near the Kennedy Expressway and the Chicago River, Avondale has significant Polish, Latino, Eastern European and Asian populations. And like many parts of Chicago, residents and community leaders are concerned gentrification might displace longtime neighbors.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: South Loop

Brandis Friedman |

It’s another sign that Chicago is returning to normal: Conventions are beginning to return to the city, including the Chicago Auto Show, which is set for mid-July at McCormick Place in the South Loop. We hit the streets as part of our community reporting series.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Woodridge

Brandis Friedman |

After a major tornado ripped through west suburban DuPage County, community members are picking up the pieces. For some, it will be a long road: more than 160 homes saw significant damage and about 30 were destroyed.

It’s Curtain Up and Light the Lights for the Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet

Brandis Friedman |

After 15 months of dark theaters and livestreamed performances, two of Chicago’s most famous performing arts companies announce they are returning to the stage for live performances — this time under one roof.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Navy Pier

Brandis Friedman |

Chicago is loosening its pandemic restrictions. As part of our community reporting series, we spend the day reporting in and around Navy Pier as it begins a phased reopening.

Teachers Union Asks CPS to Push Back Return Date for High School Students by a Week

Brandis Friedman |

The Chicago Teachers Union is asking Chicago Public Schools to delay its target reopening date for high schools by one week in order to allow more time to learn about coronavirus variants and current transmission rates.

Chicago’s Black and Latino Communities Bearing the Brunt of Pandemic’s Health, Economic Impact

Brandis Friedman |

From rates of infection to unemployment following the economic shutdown, some residents of Chicago have been cut deeper by the pandemic. We talk about the specific challenges facing hard-hit communities, and some of the support systems in place.

Thousands More CPS Students Return to In-Person Learning

Some principals concerned over staffing shortages

Brandis Friedman |

Tens of thousands more Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms Monday, many for the first time in nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the district continues its school reopening plan.

CTU Leader Karen Lewis Dies After Long Illness

Brandis Friedman |

The former chemistry teacher who went on to battle former Mayor Rahm Emanuel throughout her tenure as the head of the Chicago Teachers Union, and nearly ran for mayor herself, has died. She was 67 years old.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: North Lawndale

Brandis Friedman |

North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side has faced challenges of economic depression, unemployment and violence for many years, all before the pandemic exacerbated those issues last spring. 

Some CPS Teachers Not Returning to Schools as In-Person Learning Set to Resume

Brandis Friedman |

More than 5,800 Chicago Public Schools employees were due back in their classrooms Monday to prepare for students’ return next week. But not all of them showed up.

Teachers Excited, Anxious About New School Year as Remote Learning Resumes in Chicago

Brandis Friedman |

Beyond first-day jitters, Chicago educators expressed concerns over stable internet connections and checking in with students about COVID-19 as classes in Chicago Public Schools resumed Tuesday for a fall unlike any other.

‘Chicago Tonight’ in Your Neighborhood: Auburn Gresham

Brandis Friedman |

At the beginning of the pandemic, the Auburn Gresham neighborhood was considered a hot spot for cases of COVID-19. It has recently become a hot spot for some of the city's increasing violence, too.

Pomp and Circumstance in a Pandemic and Time of Civil Unrest

Brandis Friedman |

During a virtual ceremony on Sunday, Oprah Winfrey told Chicago’s graduating high school seniors they are being called to “reckon with our country’s past and determine a more equitable future for black and brown people.”

CTU Reaches Tentative Deal But Won’t Return to Work Thursday

Brandis Friedman |

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union won’t head back to school Thursday morning and their strike will last at least one more day after the union’s House of Delegates accepted a tentative agreement with the city, but refused to return to work.

Lightfoot Asks CTU to End Strike Before Contract Agreement is Finalized

Brandis Friedman |

In a letter sent Monday to CTU President Jesse Sharkey, Mayor Lori Lightfoot urges the union to halt its work stoppage while negotiations continue because “our students and families are sacrificing a great deal that cannot be recovered.”

CPS Teachers, Staff Take Their Case to the Streets with Rallies Across the City

Brandis Friedman |

Chants of “fair contract!” and “Mayor Lightfoot, get on the right foot!” rang through the air outside Chicago Public Schools around the city on the first morning of the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU support staff walkout. 

Ald. Willie Cochran Indicted, Charged with Fraud, Extortion, Bribery

Brandis Friedman |

Charges were announced Wednesday as the South Side alderman, a former Chicago police officer, attended the final City Council meeting of the year.

Duckworth Defeats Kirk in Heated US Senate Race

Brandis Friedman |

“Tonight, we showed a campaign that respects voters and is focused on practical solutions rather than shopworn slogans can be successful,” Duckworth said during her victory speech.

 

Sign up for the WTTW News newsletter

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors