Republicans Wed Apr 30 2014

Cinco de GOP

The Illinois Republican Party is celebrating Cinco de Mayo tonight with a fundraising event at Hub 51, 51 W. Hubbard St.

Party Chairman Jack Dorgan and lieutenant governor candidate Evelyn Sanguinetti will be on hand, along with Jovita Carranza, Joseph Galvan and Jay Reyes. Doors open at 5pm. Tickets are $50, with sponsorships available for $250 or $500.

— Andrew Huff

Op-Ed Thu Apr 24 2014

A New President Obama School, Even Though CPS Closed 50 Schools Last Year

By David Stieber

Chicago Public Schools just announced that it will build a new high school and name it after our current president, Barack Obama.

This announcement of the building of a new high school is about a year after the announcement by the unelected, mayorally appointed CPS Board of Education to close the most schools in the history of the United States amidst massive community protests.

This announcement also comes about one month after this same board of education agreed to give themselves $5 million to buy brand new furniture for their new offices.

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— Mechanics

Education Tue Apr 22 2014

United Students Against Sweatshops Pushes to Kick Teach For America Off College Campuses

Chicago Teachers Union vice president Jessie Sharkey, former TFA corps member Jameson Brewer, UIC College of Education professor Rico Gutstein and Chicago teacher Katie Osgood speak out against TFA at a "Truth Tour" panel forum in Chicago hosted by United Students Against Sweatshops. (Photo/ Emily Brosious)

United Students Against Sweatshops, a national college student-organizing group, wants Teach For America to stop recruiting on college campuses.

Teach For America is a non-profit organization whose mission is to "eliminate educational inequity by enlisting high-achieving recent college graduates and professionals" to teach in low-income communities throughout the country for at least two years.

Last month, USAS launched a "TFA Truth Tour" to speak out against the organization at college campuses across the country and "expose the dark side of corporate education reform."

USAS National Student Coordinating Committee member Leewana Thomas said groups like TFA threaten public education.

"We will not stand by while corporate education reformers recruit college students into a deeply flawed organization that is undermining instead of supporting our public education system," Thomas said.

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— Emily Brosious

Op-Ed Thu Apr 17 2014

The Parking Hits Just Keep On Coming

Just last month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel bragged in a statement that, "By delivering on free Sunday parking in the neighborhoods...we're able to make a bad deal better." Apparently, making a "bad deal better," and keeping his word to his constituents, does not mean much to Emanuel. This was showcased in his recent announcement that he supports the reinstatement of paid Sunday parking in neighborhoods throughout the city.

Sunday parking fees were previously eliminated outside downtown as part of Emanuel's renegotiation of Chicago's contract with Chicago Parking Meters, LLC (CPM).

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— Rachel Anspach

Transportation Thu Apr 10 2014

How Lawsuits, Lobbyists and Parking Meter Deals Led to Ventra

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— Jason Prechtel / Comments (3)

Election 2014 Wed Apr 09 2014

Guzzardi Victory Gives Chicago Progressives Hope

In what was perhaps Chicago's most-watched primary this year, young idealist Will Guzzardi beat machine candidate Toni Berrios in the race for State Representative of the 39th District.

Guzzardi's victory went against dominant political assumptions--the previous incumbent's father is machine heavyweight Joe Berrios, the Cook County Democratic Party Chairman and Cook County Assessor. House Speaker Michael Madigan backed the younger Berrios in full force.

Guzzardi showed that someone who is not part of the machine, and who may not be the traditional idea of a politician, can overcome the powers that be. His win showed that grassroots campaigns can be stronger than political influence and capital. Due to his bottom-up campaign and his seemingly staunch progressive stance on the issues, progressives throughout Chicago are thrilled about Guzzardi's triumph.

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— Rachel Anspach

Justice Mon Apr 07 2014

Why the Dialogue Around the Sex Industry is Difficult

The term "sex worker" is a very broad one as it refers to anyone who works in some sort of industry related to sex. This includes prostitutes, escorts, professional dominatrixes, porn performers, burlesque performers, phone sex operators, strippers and go-go dancers. This is a catch-all term for the people who work in this industry.

It is important, before proceeding, to understand just how broad the term sex worker is to cover all of the people who work in that industry. It's also worth understanding that it's not just women who are sex workers; there are also men and people who identify as trans* who are sex workers, even though the dialogue about the industry seems to usually focus on just women.

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— Monica Reida