CPS 'Welcoming School' Does Its Homework As First Day Nears
CBS 2's Courtney Gousman was at Johnson School of Excellence in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
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CBS 2's Courtney Gousman was at Johnson School of Excellence in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
Free back-to-school haircuts were given out for a few hours today at about 10 barber shops and salons on the South and West Sides.
The former head of the Chicago Public Schools, ousted after a politically disastrous teachers' strike last fall, is opening up about his experience in Chicago and with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Chicago Public Schools officials are reminding parents and students that this is the last weekend of summer vacation; classes begin for all CPS students on Monday.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is appointing an advisory committee to decide what to do with nearly 50 shuttered Chicago Public Schools that residents fear could be turned into charter schools, or sit vacant and become magnets for crime.
Upset with school closings and budget cuts, some grassroots community groups are calling for a one-day boycott of the Chicago Public Schools.
City officials were putting the finishing touches on the new Safe Passage routes for Chicago Public Schools students, and said they're ready for the first day of class a week from Monday.
Another big change is coming to Chicago Public Schools. For the first time,on the first day of school, all buses will be equipped with video cameras. That means big brother in the main office will have his eye on every student, every bus driver and anyone else who steps inside the big yellow vehicle.
The CTA once again will provide free rides for the first day of classes in Chicago's Public Schools, on Aug. 26.
CPS administrators touted a graduation rate of 65.4 percent for the class of 2013, topping last year's mark of 61.2 percent.
The majority of the nearly 50 Chicago elementary schools slated for closure will likely proceed after a federal judge denied class-action status to the two main civil lawsuits at the center of a dispute pitting parents and education officials.
Thousands of people lined King Drive from 35th Street to Washington Park for the annual Bud Billiken Parade on Saturday.
The City Council Education Committee was taking a hard look at the Chicago Public Schools budget at a City Hall hearing on Friday, and aldermen were raising questions about spending cuts for neighborhood schools.
Several schools have been using Safe Passage routes since 2011, but now 59 additional schools will receive the same support, including the welcoming schools for students from 48 elementary schools that were closed in June.
Twice this week thieves have made their way into a CPS elementary school in the West Side Lawndale neighborhood and stolen copper pipes, police said.
Mayor Emanuel's education team says it's keeping a promise to bring full-day kindergarten to all Chicago public school children.
School chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett said Friday's the layoffs will save the system about $4 million.
The city is holding two days of training for CPS guidance counselors, college advisers, and other employees about the Illinois DREAM Act, scholarship programs, and other initiatives for young immigrants.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker takes a closer look at the critical role the workers will play in keeping students safe.
School officials say for five years some students have been taking those classes online. Parents, though, were surprised to learn of the program. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports.
A month before the new school year starts, protestors from the Chicago Teacher's Union were expressing outrage over budget cuts at the Chicago Public Schools, with a protest march through the Loop.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and a Chicago Teachers Union representative said on Saturday that work will be done to fight back against the recent layoffs of more than 2,100 Chicago Public Schools employees
School administrators and Mayor Emanuel continued to blame budget problems and the unsettled pension crisis in Springfield for the job cuts.
The layoffs include 1,036 teachers, of which 545 are tenured, and 1,077 non-teachers.
A federal judge has begun a hearing on two lawsuits seeking to block plans to close 49 elementary schools, with testimony expected to last for up to four days.
One person was injured after a shooting on the Stevenson Expressway early Wednesday morning.
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
The Cubs (87-70) could have clinched a playoff berth with a win or an Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks won 7-2 at Colorado.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
The interim superintendent says if the district does nothing, it won't be able to pay teachers and staff down the line.
Chicago mayoral candidate Bill Quinlan has filed a lawsuit seeking to keep three rivals off the ballot, arguing they shouldn't be allowed to run for mayor while also running for re-election to their current positions.
The U.S., Denmark and Greenland signed a new security agreement bolstering the United States' military and security presence on the island.
Danielle Carter-Walters may be known to some as the face of the Chicago Flips Red group. Now, the 52-year-old Chicago native and small business owner is running for mayor as a Republican in a crowded field of Democrats.
President Trump said he could "annihilate" Iran while predicting that Tehran would make a deal to end the war after the U.S. midterm elections.
CNN was set to provide pool coverage on Monday and accompany President Trump on a trip to New York City, but there will not be a network TV pool team traveling with him.
Fuel prices continue to climb across the country, and that has U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) pointing the finger at President Trump.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Nearly half of Americans with medical debt owe at least $2,000, forcing them to make tough choices, new research shows.
A judge on Tuesday was expected to place two shuttered Chicago-area safety-net hospitals into receivership.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The future of Rate Field was back in the spotlight on Wednesday.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
An autopsy by the Greenville County Coroner's Office determined Hayden Panettiere's death was due to an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl.
Nike-owned Converse acknowledged that an ad for its Chuck Taylor sneaker is "deeply upsetting."
Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, has died at 27, a family spokesperson has confirmed.
Duncan Sheik died on Thursday night, his family said.
Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas all released statements Tuesday on Instagram saying they were withdrawing from Ed Sheeran's tour.
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the extended forecast.
Chris Payne, in his own handwriting, sent a letter to CBS News Chicago from his prison cell in Chiba, east of Tokyo. He was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the start he had nothing to do with.
In addition to her schoolwork in China, Lian practices for two to three hours a day and knows more than 1,300 solving algorithms.
Last fall, parents and students rallied to keep schools open after the district raised the flag about the financial problems. They ended up closing two schools. Another year and more closures loom.
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
The death of a fourth beluga whale, the third rescued from Marineland in Canada, at the Shedd has raised questions about just how medically fragile they were when they arrived.
One person was injured after a shooting on the Stevenson Expressway early Wednesday morning.
The interim superintendent says if the district does nothing, it won't be able to pay teachers and staff down the line.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
A Chicago nonprofit is suing its former president, accusing him of illegally diverting millions of dollars in charitable funds and jeopardizing the charity's future in fighting homelessness.
They're not regular donuts, they're quantum donuts. That's the pitch from a business hoping to get more dough as a massive new quantum computing campus continues construction in South Chicago.
The village of Grayslake is touting a new massive data center, but neighbors say they weren't given an opportunity to make their voices heard before the project was approved.
A Cicero woman is suing Uber and a driver after the driver allegedly sexually assaulted her. She and her boyfriend said Uber hired him despite the driver having a criminal background.
The Cubs (87-70) could have clinched a playoff berth with a win or an Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks won 7-2 at Colorado.
Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor scored 18 points apiece and Kamilla Cardoso added 17.
Brenton Doyle and Munetaka Murakami added home runs for the White Sox, who also helped their wild-card cause should they fail to catch Cleveland.
The Medinah County Club has been transformed into a massive international sporting venue as 24 pro golfers will compete in two teams.
Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent has been placed in the NFL concussion protocol, according to a person familiar with the situation, adding another wrinkle to the team's plans for Monday night's game against Philadelphia.
A driver has been charged with murder after police said he intentionally hit two pedestrians on Sunday in southwest suburban Yorkville, killing one of them.
A man was found shot and killed Monday morning in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood.
Chicago police were searching Monday morning for the gunmen who robbed multiple women and stole their jewelry in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Burglars smashed an ATM at a gas station minimart in Chicago's West Town community early Monday, but failed to get any money, an employee said.
Thieves crashed a vehicle into a convenience store on Chicago's Near North Side early Monday and stole the ATM.
