1. Black Homeownership: The Promise and the Pitfalls
It’s hard for the black middle class to support their neighborhoods when they run up against the black tax, the peril of losing equity, and decades of history. Natalie Y. Moore tells her own story for WBEZ.
2. 90 Days, 90 Voices
Who are Chicago’s immigrants, and what are they facing in 2017? Three Chicago journalists team up to talk to them for their new website.
3. What Does It Mean to Provide Sanctuary for Immigrants—Or for Anyone?
With the possibility that sanctuary cities could be targeted, a new sanctuary movement is building coalitions, and trying to answer that question. Buzzfeed examines the options.
4. The Doomsday Squad
What happens if the power grid goes out in Chicago? What if Ebola breaks out? How about a massive earthquake? It’s a big job to imagine the worst. Chicago magazine visits the Global Security Sciences division at Argonne.
5. He’s a Local Pillar in a Trump Town. Now He Could Be Deported.
Juan Carlos Hernandez Pacheco runs a restaurant in West Frankfort, a downstate town of 8,000, and is active in the community. Now he could be forced to leave it. The New York Times speaks with residents about it.
6. Cops in Cook County Among Worst, Huge Study of Traffic Stops Across U.S. Finds
The disparities are large, and it’s not just in Chicago: Evanston stands out as well. Injustice Watch looks at the numbers.
7. The Chicago Education of George Saunders
Stuart Dybek’s work was a turning point in the nascent writer’s life (but what he really wanted to do was play for the White Sox). The Reader does a Q&A with the author of Lincoln in the Bardo.
8. Immigrant Children Who Cross Border Alone Find Themselves in Chicago Shelters
Parents are sending them north to escape violent Central American countries. Shelters try to give them normalcy, but months in detention is devastating. The Tribune follows their journey.
9. Edgar Miller, the Designer
The Chicagoan rehabbed old buildings for artists—but was an artist himself, and is responsible for some of Chicago’s most remarkable spaces. Chicago Patterns explores his work.
10. Instead of Walling Off Englewood, Why Not Copy Bogotá?
The Colombian city was long notorious for its homicide rate. Now it’s famous for reducing it. Chicago magazine looks at some possibilities.