Teachers Union Bus Tour Puts Spotlight On Impact Of School Closings
Singing the civil rights anthem "Woke Up This Morning," Congressman Bobby Rush called it "The Freedom Bus."
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Singing the civil rights anthem "Woke Up This Morning," Congressman Bobby Rush called it "The Freedom Bus."
Aldermen grilled Chicago Public Schools officials and Chicago Teachers Union members Wednesday, over the plan to close 53 schools at the end of the school year, while the head of the school district answered critics at a Board of Education meeting.
In addition to the more than 50 schools targeted for closing, six more are on the turnaround list. What does that mean? New leadership, new teachers, and as Dorothy Tucker reports, a new attitude that can equal success.
A group of African-American business leaders is standing solidly behind Chicago Public Schools officials plan to close and consolidate some schools, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Parents opposed to the Emanuel administration's plans to close dozens of public schools urged the mayor to walk the same routes they and their children would have to take to get to new schools, routes they claim often pose a danger of gang violence.
To hear Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis tell it, we should believe nothing that the mayor and school officials say about the plan to close more than fifty schools. She spoke at the Rainbow-Push Coalition this morning, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.
More than a dozen ministers from the South and West sides delivered a letter to Mayor Emanuel's office calling for a year-long moratorium on school closings.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel staunchly defended his administration's plan to close more than 50 schools, as well as the head of the Chicago Public Schools, as thousands planned to gather downtown to protest school closings.
Protesters filled Daley Plaza, marched through the Loop and rallied again in front of School board headquarters to protest the board's plan to close 53 schools on Wednesday. More than 100 of those protesters were detained and ticketed after staging a sit-in outside City Hall.
Students from Chicago Public Schools slated to close at the end of the school year and other opponents of school closings rallied in the Loop on Monday to voice their outrage over plans to close or consolidate 53 schools and 61 buildings.
They're less than five blocks apart; two Chicago public schools, each more empty than full. Now, one has been marked for closing, stirring controversy in the Washington Heights neighborhood.
They called him a racist. They called him the "Murder Mayor." After two days of silence, Mayor Rahm Emanuel finally speaks about the decision to close 53 Chicago public schools.
The closing of more than 50 Chicago public schools will affect nearly 30,000 students--the largest single-year school closing in U.S. history.
Parents and students at the schools CPS plans to close are wondering how much their input actually matters.
A study by Chicago area university professors has found, if history is any guide, the Chicago Public Schools' plan to close 53 schools will fail when all is said and done.
Administrators with Chicago Public Schools have released a detailed document explaining why each of the 53 schools targeted for closing made the list.
The Chicago Public Schools' plan to close 53 schools and 61 buildings, mostly in black neighborhoods, has some West Side residents vowing to fight the Emanuel administration until the end.
Chicago Public Schools will close 54 school programs and 61 buildings in an effort to close a $1 billion budget deficit. Here is the list, released by the Chicago Teachers Union:
Cook County Board Preident Toni Preckwinkle said Thursday she is troubled that the Chicago Public Schools reportedly plan to close about 50 schools this year.
Chicago Public Schools will close 54 school programs and 61 buildings in an effort to close a $1 billion budget deficit.
CPS will announce the closing of around 50 schools between now and March 31. CPS has told some alderman on the Education Committee.
As the Chicago Public Schools prepares to announce its final list of schools that will be closed or consolidated at the end of the school year, district officials were promising investments for schools that receive affected students.
The head of the Chicago Public Schools said Tuesday, despite what critics say, closing some underused or poorly performing schools would be better for the children in them in the long run.
A group of about 50 teachers, parents and students from the Chicago Public Schools boarded a bus to Springfield Tuesday morning, to make their voices heard about school closings.
Chicago Public Schools officials denied rumors Friday that they had banned the graphic novel "Perseopolis" from its schools, explaining they only determined it was inappropriate for use in 7th grade curriculum.
The friends ran track at DeKalb High School, with one of them going on to do the same at UIC.
Murakami added his 17th homer in the fifth, a two-run shot to center off Jameson Taillon that traveled an estimated 428 feet.
City officials say a vehicle heading northbound on Route 41 collided in the intersection with another vehicle traveling westbound on Park Avenue to southbound Route 41.
Chris Brady had six saves for Chicago and has six shutouts this season.
An 18-year-old man was found dead in the alley from gunshot wounds following a large fight on Friday night, police said.
In a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of "teen takeovers," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is threatening to bring charges against parents if their teens violate the local curfew.
State Rep. Josh Turek and State Sen. Zach Wahls squared off Thursday over which candidate can flip Iowa's open Republican-held Senate seat, as millions in outside spending reshapes the primary's final stretch.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin say their concern is there may be more emergency exit doors than flight attendants in the event of an evacuation.
Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) is suing the city of Chicago, its inspector general's office, and the Board of Ethics, accusing them of defamation.
The Supreme Court has maintained mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone, setting aside for now a lower court order that blocked abortion providers from prescribing the widely used drug through telehealth and shipping it to patients.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
Engineers at Northwestern University have created a wireless polygraph to detect stress.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday announced an expansion to the city's CARE Program, a specialized team that responds to mental health crises without police.
A Texas couple is filing a lawsuit accusing the AI company of guiding their teenage son in using drugs, resulting in a fatal overdose.
An American on the repatriation flight began showing symptoms of hantavirus and another "tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus," the Department of Health and Human Services says.
More than 100 people from a cruise ship dealing with an outbreak of the rare and deadly hantavirus are set to be disembarked.
Flight attendants at Chicago-based United Airlines have approved a new labor contract, marking their first pay increases in six years.
The Chicago Fire FC announced Wednesday morning that its new stadium in the South Loop will be named McDonald's Park.
U.S. prosecutors allege a man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to scam a Mexican billionaire out of $450 million.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Chicago-born house music track, which began as a personal poem in 1982 and became a defining anthem of the city's house music scene, has been selected for permanent preservation by the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
The recall includes three lots of the seasoning products sold nationwide at Walmart and on the Blackstone website.
Cicero police said just before midnight, officers responded to a large group of people fighting in an alley in the 2500 block of South 58th Avenue. An 18-year-old man was found dead in the alley from gunshot wounds, police said.
The nonprofit The Brotherhood for the Fallen held the 10-1 benefit on Saturday in memory of officer John Bartholomew and in honor of officer Nelson Crespo. All proceeds benefit their families.
Nearly 1,500 runners from more than 50 countries took part in the race with a course across steep stone steps, mountain roads, and rural villages.
Therapists and volunteers from Northwestern Medicine teamed up with the Go Baby Go program to create the special ride-on cars.
City officials say a vehicle heading northbound on Route 41 collided in the intersection with another vehicle traveling westbound on Park Avenue to southbound Route 41.
A burglary suspect was taken into custody after allegedly stealing a Cook County Sheriff's car on Saturday morning.
The friends ran track at DeKalb High School, with one of them going on to do the same at UIC.
Two women were shot during robbery in Chicago's West Loop early Saturday morning.
An 18-year-old man was found dead in the alley from gunshot wounds following a large fight on Friday night, police said.
Pothole complaints continue everywhere, but especially on one street in the Pullman neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
People in Lincoln Park and Lakeview have rallied against a plan to build a new industrial ComEd electrical substation in their neighborhoods, pushing local and state leaders to get involved.
Monday marks one year since Illinois enacted Karina's Law — legislation aimed at taking firearms out of the hands of people accused of domestic abuse.
Tenants at a South Shore apartment building said they've noticed their rent fluctuating by hundreds of dollars a month due to a change in how their utility billing system is set up.
A man from the Chicago suburbs lost $69,000 of his savings to a scam by a thief using an AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge to intimidate him.
Murakami added his 17th homer in the fifth, a two-run shot to center off Jameson Taillon that traveled an estimated 428 feet.
Chris Brady had six saves for Chicago and has six shutouts this season.
Carson Kelly hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and drove in four runs as the Chicago Cubs stopped a five-game White Sox winning streak with a 10-5 victory over their crosstown rival.
Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Ian Happ hit a long home run and five Chicago Cubs pitchers combined for a 2-0 shutout of the Atlanta Braves that snapped a four-game losing streak.
A Davison Township police chief released body camera video showing how a senior "water wars" prank brought an officer within milliseconds of opening fire on a student.
A man was found shot to death Thursday morning in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood.
One man was killed and another was critically injured Thursday morning in a shooting in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood.
A young man was shot and killed while getting into his car in the Ashburn neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side Thursday morning.
A Chicago-area man who ran a business helping people apply for asylum and immigrant visas was recently sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud and child pornography.
