Illinois Health Department admits to exposing more than 700,000 residents' data for years: what you need to know The Illinois Department of Human Services confirms a multiyear security lapse. Tom’s Guide · Jan 8
Forest Glen man gives out free clothes to migrants outside his home: ‘How could I not do something?’ Frank Schmeda realized that most of the migrants had very few belongings. He set up a table with a sign saying “gratis,” or free in Spanish, and started leaving out clothes and shoes every day. Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 10, 2023
Illinois grapples with rise in sports gambling problems as bets hit $1 billion a month CHICAGO — The safest bet before Sunday’s Super Bowl is that there would be millions of dollars spent gambling in Illinois. Wagers placed with the state’s sports gambling industry soared in 2022, with gamblers betting nearly $10 billion and casinos raking in $800 million in revenue from gamblers’ aggregate losses. Chicago Tribune · Feb 13, 2023
Lightfoot asks Illinois for millions more to help migrants; state says funding will stop by end of January Chicago has 1,531 migrants in its care, Lightfoot wrote in a letter to the state, and is running 11 alternate shelters that provide meals, clothing and showers. Chicago Sun-Times · Dec 31, 2022
Venezuelan migrant dies by suicide in suburban Chicago hotel run as shelter, raising concerns about mental health crisis among asylum-seekers CHICAGO — Like the thousands of migrants who arrived in Chicago from the Texas border in the summer on charter buses, Rona Matahary Rozo, who was 30, had a dream of a better life in this country for her and her family. But on Dec. 2 she was found dead… Chicago Tribune · Dec 22, 2022
Asian American candidates in Illinois aim to break state records — and ‘the bamboo ceiling’ At least 22 Asian American candidates are running for offices in the November election and next year’s city elections, not to mention others running in other local races across the state. Chicago Sun-Times · Sep 13, 2022
As more migrants are expected to arrive in Chicago, others wait in a hotel in nearby suburb for a final step: ‘I’m grateful but I also feel stuck here’ CHICAGO — Sitting under a tree on the grass next to a hotel in a southwest suburb of Chicago, several migrant families from Venezuela were talking, still wondering why they had been relocated so far from the city in which they arrived. Chicago Tribune · Sep 9, 2022
Brutal beatings, abuse plague state-run mental health facility, investigation reveals Consequences are few as reports of heinous abuse continue at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in southern Illinois. Chicago Sun-Times · Sep 3, 2022