Chi vs. Hate ordinance would make it easier to report hate incidents, alderwoman says
Chicago Police data show there have been 254 hate crimes reported so far this year alone - compared with 204 last year, 109 in 2021, and 80 in 2020.
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Suzanne Le Mignot serves as CBS News Chicago's weekend morning news anchor and weekday reporter.
Le Mignot joined the station in 1995 as a freelance reporter and became a full-time reporter in 1999. She has covered a wide variety of stories, with a particular concentration on community-related events, including serving as a news correspondent for CBS' Southside neighborhood newsroom from 1999-2000.
Prior to joining CBS, Le Mignot was a news anchor and reporter for WBBM-AM Newsradio 780 (1994-99). She was a news anchor and reporter at WGN-AM (1996) and WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee (1995-96) before returning to WBBM-AM in 1996.
Le Mignot worked as a news anchor and reporter in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (1991-92) at Radio and Television Serbia, Trecan Kanal, and NTV Studio B television stations.
She began her broadcasting career at WUSF-TV in Tampa, Florida, as a production assistant and associate producer (1989-93). She also worked as an anchor at the student-run radio station WBUL, and served as a correspondent for the Tampa Tribune and Tampa-based Urban Business Magazine.
In 2007, LeMignot was honored by The Associated Press in the hard news feature category for her investigative report entitled "Tracking Your Security." Her investigation uncovered that bomb-sniffing dogs at Chicago's Metra train stations could not detect the passing scent of explosives. As a result of that story, Illinois passed a law that requires dog handlers to undergo 180 hours of rigorous training and to pass a new state exam. The report also earned LeMignot a Peter Lisagor Award in the in-depth reporting or series category and a Herman Kogan Award from the Chicago Bar Association.
Le Mignot's 2002 reports on a building with 35 tenants without heat changed the way heat shut-offs are conducted in the City of Chicago during the winter.
Le Mignot has won several other industry awards: a local and national Emmy for her breaking news reports on the Blue Line derailment (2008), a local and national Emmy Award for her breaking news reports about the death of Pope John Paul II (2005); the Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Award (1997); two Peter Lisagor Awards (1994 and 1996) and the National Association of Black Journalists Leadership Award, while a student (1993).
She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and has served as a Board Member of the National Association of Black Journalists Chicago Chapter.
Le Mignot has served as a mentor and volunteer at Bunche Elementary School in Chicago's Englewood community. She regularly held workshops and planned field trips centered on building self-esteem for young girls. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago & Northwest Indiana.
Additionally, she is on the Board of Directors of PAWS Chicago, the largest no-kill animal shelter in the Midwest. Le Mignot helped set up the first humane education program with PAWS in 2003. PAWS visits schools in the Chicago area, using the program to teach elementary school children about the importance of nurturing animals. The program has also been used by the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago. Le Mignot has served on the Board of Directors of the Better Boys Foundation. The organization provides educational assistance to boys and girls in the North Lawndale community on Chicago's west side.
Le Mignot is the recipient of the National Civil Rights Library 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in journalism. In 2017, she was inducted into the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
In 2017, Le Mignot also received the "We Dream in Color" Michelle Obama Humanitarian Award for her reports that led to positive change in the lives of those who have endured challenging times.
In 2019, Le Mignot won first place in the Chicago Journalists Association Sarah Brown Boyden Award Competition in the Public Service category for her "Misidentified Man" series of reports. The day before Le Mignot received the award, Senate Bill SB2309 was introduced on November 14, 2019. The bill would make fingerprinting and DNA testing mandatory in John and Jane Doe cases in Illinois. In 2021, she received The Shantieya Smith "We Fight for Her Award" by MOVE and YOVE (Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere and Youth Opposed to Violence Everywhere) for her reports bringing attention to missing and murdered black girls and women in Chicago. She was also chosen by Better Magazine in 2021 as one of the top 10 Black Women of Impact in Chicago and chosen by the America Nation Multicultural World Foundation as the 2021 Multicultural Woman of the Year.
In 2022 Le Mignot's series of reports on stolen SNAP benefits led to a state law enacted in 2023. HB2214 requires the tracking of that type of fraudulent activity by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
In 2025 she received the North Lawndale Community Coalitions Trailblazer Award. Le Mignot was recognized for her reporting that led to positive change in the North Lawndale community, especially for victims of mortgage fraud.
She has served as a Trustee of Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities, an organization that supports children and adults with developmental disabilities in DuPage and Cook counties. Le Mignot has also served on the Board of Trustees of Lifeline Humanitarian Organization. The group provides medical supplies and aid for war orphans throughout former Yugoslavia. She has served on the Advisory Council for Smile Train, an organization that provides life-saving cleft palate surgery for children in need worldwide.
Since 2022, Le Mignot has served as a guest lecturer for science communication courses and workshops at the University of Chicago, helping students pursuing STEM majors and PhD, MD, and MS degrees with their on-camera presence, writing, and ways to simplify complex topics for powerful messaging to the masses.
Le Mignot speaks several foreign languages, including Spanish, French, Serbian, and Patois (a Jamaican dialect).
She graduated with honors from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Mass Communications and has a certificate in food and health from Stanford and completed the T. Colin Campbell plant-based certificate program at eCornell.
Le Mignot has a daughter and lives in Chicago.
Chicago Police data show there have been 254 hate crimes reported so far this year alone - compared with 204 last year, 109 in 2021, and 80 in 2020.
Officer Jordan Collins was taken into custody while on duty Monday.
An autopsy determined Myrtle Simmons-Brown died from blunt force trauma. Prosecutors said Brown's DNA was found under her nails.
It wasn't the first time the Chipp Inn in Noble Square has been hit by robbers in recent months.
She was charged with felony disorderly conduct and false report of an offense after saying she was robbed when she was off duty, but police said that never happened.
Police said it appeared the woman was the victim of a homicide and that her body was dumped during the early morning hours.
Dr. Daniel Amen says after doing more than 200,000 brain scans on his patients, research has shown you have to prevent or treat the eleven major risk factors that are shown to impact your mind.
Both suspects were ordered to be detained by a judge after prosecutors detailed the ordeal in court on Friday.
Two suspects were barricaded before surrendering to police and a third suspect fled and was arrested after a police chase.
Fuel Movement Community Center was born from the unimaginable struggle of a teen, and later in life the dying wish of his daughter.
In preparation for the season, she is offering tips on how to prevent that dreaded holiday weight gain.
The effort is intended to help free up space in city shelters for those who plan to stay in the city.
"I'm just grateful it wasn't one of my parents, you know."
The same group of perpetrators also burglarized two cosmetics and fragrance stores, police said.
The boy was standing in a hallway when two unknown offenders fired shots in the victim's direction