Community Focus
The University of Chicago Plans Level 1 Adult Trauma Center on its Campus
On December 17, 2015, UChicago Medicine issued the following statement in response to Chicago’s South Side community’s outcry for a Level 1 Adult Trauma center:
Supreme Court torn Over Texas Affirmative Action Program
Torn as ever over race, the Supreme Court on last Wednesday weighed whether it's time to end the use of race in college admissions nationwide or at least at the University of Texas.
Malia Obama Navigating College Decision-Making Process
Michelle Obama's message for high school seniors fretting about their college prospects is simple. Do your research. Visit college campuses. Sit in on classes. Talk to professors, graduates and students. In the end, picking a college "is a very individual decision."
Heroin, Prescription Pain Pills Top Drug Threat in the U.S.
Heroin and prescription pain pills are among the top drug threats in the U.S., according to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s latest drug threat assessment.
Experts Dismiss Carson's Belief Pyramids Used to Store Grain
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson last week stood by his belief that Egypt's great pyramids were built by the Biblical figure Joseph to store grain, an assertion dismissed by experts who say its accepted science they were tombs for pharaohs.
Russell Simmons’ Card Glitch Keeps Thousands from their Cash
Thousands of customers of pre-paid debit cards backed by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons were left without access to their money more than a week after technical problems first began plaguing the cards.
Why Is Elephant Cancer Rare? Answer Might Help Treat Humans
Cancer is much less common in elephants than in humans, even though the big beasts' bodies have many more cells. That's a paradox known among scientists, and now researchers think they may have an explanation — one they say might someday lead to new ways to protect people from cancer.
Drug Inmates with Long Rap Sheets Among Those Freed Early
A push to overhaul criminal sentencing is prompting the early release of thousands of federal drug prisoners, including some whom prosecutors once described as threats to society, according to an Associated Press review of court records.
AP Interview: Black Lives Matter Skipping 2016 Endorsement
The Black Lives Matter network will skip a presidential endorsement but keep up its political activism by confronting candidates about the treatment of African-Americans in the United States, one of the group's founders says.
Mayor Calls for Big Tax Hike to Pay for Public Safety Pensions, School Construction
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is calling for a $588 million property tax increase over the next four years in his 2016 budget – the biggest tax hike in the city’s history.
Education Advocates Call for Retooled No Child Left Behind on 50th Anniversary
Officials, lawmakers and civil rights groups commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by calling for much-needed updates to the law.
Obama to New Orleans: ‘You Inspire Me, and America’
Visiting residents on tidy porch stoops and sampling the fried chicken at a corner restaurant, President Barack Obama held out the people of New Orleans last month as an extraordinary example of renewal and resilience 10 years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
#Laughingwhileblack Comes to the Aid of Book Club Kicked Off Wine Train
When social media got wind of a predominately African-American female book club getting kicked off of a Napa Valley wine train for laughing too loud on August 22, others who have witnessed similar incidents, created the hashtag “#LaughingWhileBlack.”
Minimum Wage Hikes Gain Momentum Around the Country
The push for a higher minimum wage gained momentum on both sides of the country last month, with New York embracing an eventual $15 an hour for the state’s 200,000 fast-food workers and the huge University of California system announcing the same raise for its employees.
