Stories by Erica Gunderson

Preying on the Vulnerable: Half of Trafficked Women and Girls Are Immigrants

Dr. Izabel Olson speaks with “Latino Voices.” (WTTW News)

Human trafficking has increased by as much as 40% during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the anti-trafficking group Polaris. Dr. Izabel Olson talks about how to break the cycle of abuse.

Chicago Showdown, Round Four: Everyday Icons

Chicago Showdown: Everyday Icons (WTTW News)

Missing that chatty CTA conductor from your morning commute? Have a hankering for an old fashioned mixed up by your favorite bartender? So are we. Join us as we pay tribute to the everyday folks who make Chicago great.

Chicago Showdown, Round Three: Windy City Cinema

"The Blues Brothers" (Universal Studios)

We’re spending a lot more time indoors. Join us as we get reacquainted with our beloved city through film. The polls are now open!

Chicago Showdown, Round One: Lost Chicago Buildings

Chicago Federal Building

With no hockey or basketball, delayed baseball and no March Madness, we don’t even have sports to turn to in these times of trouble. Enter the Chicago Showdown, four weeks of Chicago-themed brackets built to fuel friendly arguments – and we need your votes!

Deep Frydays: Part of Your Complete Breakfast

If your breakfast routine is feeling a little boring these days, Nick and Erica have just the thing for you: deep-fried Cream of Wheat – with a surprise center.

Deep Frydays: Hot Tips

Since the rib tip is not only a Chicago institution but also a finger food, we decided it was the best candidate this week for a beer-batter-and-hot-oil dunk.

Deep Frydays: Saganaki Saga

Midwesterners could be forgiven for thinking that Wisconsin has a lock on all things cheese. But in Chicago, we’ve managed to one-up our neighbors to the north: we set it on fire.

Deep Frydays: Frango Frolics

Many Chicagoans have sweet memories of the confection we’re about to dunk in hot oil: the Frango mint. But they might be surprised to learn that the signature candy of Marshall Field’s was not created in Chicago.

Deep Frydays: Totally Tubular Tamales

For our new summer series, we take some of Chicago’s favorite foods and, like the name says, we deep-fry them and deal with the big questions. Today’s sacrifice to the gods of hot oil: Chicago-style tamales.

Deep Frydays: Ramp It Up

This week’s installment of our new battered-and-fried summer series goes deep on Chicago’s odorous namesake: the ramp. 

FDA Approves Ketamine Nasal Spray as New Depression Treatment

(Free-Photos / Pixabay)

For the first time in 30 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for depression.

New Exercise Guidelines: Move More, Sit Less, Start Younger

(Profivideos / Pixabay)

New federal guidelines stress that any amount and any type of exercise helps health. “Doing something is better than doing nothing,” said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones of Northwestern University.

Sending History Up the River

Three Chicago artists are at work on a small-scale replica of the DuSable Museum of African-American History that can tour the city and eventually float up the Chicago River to the moribund site of DuSable Park.

Ask Geoffrey: 8/13

Geoffrey Baer peeks into a Wrigley Field teepee and goes under the dome at Preston Bradley Hall in this week’s Ask Geoffrey.