Katie Schulder-Battis is a Chicago Reporter contributor and graduate student at Northwestern University. This content is made possible through partnership with the Graduate Science Journalism Medill School Northwestern University and the Chicago Reporter. Formerly incarcerated women are leading a grassroots movement to reform the criminal justice system in Chicago and beyond. Since 1980, the number […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tipflation declining in Chicago; new ordinance to raise wages
Restaurant tips in large American cities have been on the rise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but new evidence suggests that Americans are experiencing tipping fatigue. The tipping boom is likely coming to an end in Chicago restaurants, after the city government passed a new ordinance in October to gradually phase out tipped […]
Posted inKey Issue
Tip and Wage Theft Still Prevalent in Chicago Restaurant Industry Despite New Ordinance
Chicago’s City Council passed a new ordinance intended to guarantee living wages for service industry workers, but experts believe that more strict legislation is needed to safeguard against employer fraud. The Chicago One Fair Wage ordinance, passed in October, will phase out Chicago’s subminimum wages for tipped workers over a five-year period, impacting restaurants in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Marshall Scholar, Ethan Ostrow, aims to expand restorative justice in Chicagoland and the U.S.
After two years of leading creative writing workshops in the Cook County Jail, University of Chicago student Ethan Ostrow said there is one moment he thinks about often. He recalled how one participant shared that he had been charged with manslaughter after killing his best friend in a drunk driving accident. “Watching him blink back […]
Posted inKey Issue
Cook County Sheriff’s Office accused of retaliation and First Amendment violations
Two University of Chicago students were banned from volunteering in the Cook County Jail after publicly criticizing jail policies. A letter from the People’s Law Office alleges that the students’ dismissal constitutes a First Amendment violation. As the new school year began, University of Chicago students Ethan Ostrow and Harley Pomper were preparing to resume […]
Posted inInside Chicago Reporter
The Chicago Reporter welcomes Katherine Schulder-Battis
Katherine “Katie” Schulder-Battis joins The Chicago Reporter to fill the position of Multimedia Editor/Investigations Reporter. While new to the team her name and work may strike a familiar chord. Last year, Katie moved from Brooklyn to earn an MSJ at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a concentration in Social Justice. It’s at this […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
How Chicago’s Electronic Monitoring Program Fails Women and Domestic Violence Survivors
Advocates say the Cook County Sheriff’s Department’s house-arrest policies trap women in unsafe situations—and often force mothers to choose between their safety or their children. On an April night in Chicago, Alexis Mansfield, an attorney who regularly assists women with criminal justice involvement, received a phone call from a woman in distress. The caller had […]
Posted inOpinion
In the Name of Love, Justice and Humanity
Community Renewal Society (CRS) and its subsidiary, Chicago Reporter, is steadfast in its commitment to honoring the sanctity of life. We grieve the loss of all lives impacted by the culture of violence across the global diaspora, perpetuated through war, racism, poverty, disinheritance, xenophobia and all crimes against humanity, including white supremacist patriarchal systems of […]
Posted inFeature
Escaping the ‘hunger games’ of Chicago’s high school application process: Chicago’s segregated schools and the nonprofit creating pathways to college
Nearly 70 years after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of desegregating public schools, Chicago’s school system remains largely segregated. Low rates of enrollment and poor test scores on the Illinois Scholastic Assessment test scores have contributed to funding cuts and school closures—issues that disproportionately impact school districts located in Chicago’s South and West sides. […]
Posted inCommunity Hero SpotLIGHT
Spotlighting Our Hero: Lamenta Conway M.D, MPH
The Community Hero Spotlight program is a consortium of media partners highlighting ordinary people who are making an extraordinary difference in the lives of others and community. The Chicago Reporter encourages its readers to vote for our HERO: Lamenta Conway M.D, MPH. Heroes with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd most votes will receive money to […]
Posted inFeature
Cook County Jail’s ‘Start Early’ doula program addresses the needs of its pregnant population
As the number of incarcerated women around the U.S. continues to skyrocket, some correctional facilities have started adapting to meet the needs of an increasingly gender diverse population. A pilot program at the Cook County Jail aims to address the needs of pregnant women entering the criminal justice system, who make up between 3% and […]