Recent Contributions
Chicago Muslims Hit Back at Campaign Attacks
by DAVID LEPESKA | Feb 22, 2012
As anti-Muslim rhetoric rises at the local and national levels–some of it fueled by the presidential campaign–a group of Chicago-area Muslims is battling back, using tactics ranging from a TV ad campaign to public forums against bigotry. Gain Peace, a Chicago-based Islamic outreach organization, spent $40,000 in December to produce two television ads intended to
Making the Chicago River Fit to Paddle, Never Mind the Cat in a Coffin
by DAVID LEPESKA | Jan 11, 2012
A dead dog, a cat in a coffin and a body floating in a submerged car. Those were just a few of the items police fished out of the Chicago River on a single day last week. Little surprise, then, that Chicagoans generally view the waterway much as New Yorkers see the East River: a
A Bid to Keep Asian Carp in the Public Eye
by DAVID LEPESKA | Nov 11, 2011
There was a time, not long ago, when environmentalists could arouse fears of invasive Asian carp by highlighting videos of four-foot-long fish leaping out of downstate rivers or the discovery of carp DNA samples a stone’s throw from Lake Michigan. But a recent event in Chicago suggested that sparking public panic about Asian carp these
City Bike Plan Stuck in Rich Rut
by DAVID LEPESKA | Oct 12, 2011
Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to spend nearly $150 million to make Chicago “the bike-friendliest city in the U.S.” That challenge is considerable, given Chicago’s slow start compared to Portland and other bike-centered cities, and Emanuel’s initial plan is drawing complaints about an inequitable distribution of bike-related investment. The Chicago Department of Transportation’s $18 million bike
With Eye to 2012, Police Create Counterterrorism Unit
by DAVID LEPESKA | Sep 9, 2011
As the city prepares to host two international summits next year, and with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaching, the Chicago Police Department is creating a counterterrorism unit, which will bolster security and incorporate lessons from academic research and from New York City’s counterterrorism tactics. The threat of terrorism is a real
Locust SoufflĂ©, Anyone? That’s a Start
by DAVID LEPESKA | Aug 22, 2011
Grasshopper fajitas, mealworm fried rice, Bee-LT’s and similar delicacies will be on the menu for a public tasting buffet in October at the University of Chicago. The insect-dominated bill of fare is the idea of Matthew Krisiloff, a sophomore from California who last year founded Entom Foods, a start-up that seeks to make bugs a
Industry Sees the Upside of Asian Carp
by DAVID LEPESKA | Aug 12, 2011
When federal and state environmental regulators spent a few days at Lake Calumet in Chicago earlier this month fishing for Asian carp with stun guns and half-mile-wide nets, their hunt seemed to underscore the carp’s status as the Midwest’s ecological enemy No. 1. The subject of endless debate over the best control strategies, Asian carp,
Fighting the Syrian Regime From Chicago
by DAVID LEPESKA | Jul 4, 2011
Yaser Tabbara may live half a world away from Syria, where he grew up. But as the uprising there continues, the Chicago lawyer has mounted a one-man legal and diplomatic assault against the Syrian regime to highlight the brutality of its response and help depose President Bashar al-Assad. In recent weeks, Tabbara, 35, attended opposition
New Islamic College Connected to Mysterious Turkish Leader
by DAVID LEPESKA | May 30, 2011
The American Islamic College is expected to gain operating authority from a state education body early next month, a move likely to ignite controversy because of the college’s ties to a murky and far-reaching international movement led by Turkish religious leader Fetullah Gulen. Supporters see the opening of the college as an important step for
Farrakhan Using Libyan Crisis to Bolster His Nation of Islam
by DAVID LEPESKA | Apr 9, 2011
When Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Chicago-based Nation of Islam, staunchly defended Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi recently, he seized headlines for an organization that has made little news in recent years.