RACHEL CROMIDAS
Recent Contributions
Groupon’s Old College Try
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Jun 17, 2011
When Elisabeth Daniels graduates with a degree in creative writing from Columbia College this fall, she could compete against other humanities and journalism majors for the shrinking number of teaching and publishing jobs, stalk freelance gigs or wait tables to pay off student loans. This year she has another option: Groupon. Since its breakout success
Daley Takes University of Chicago Post
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | May 24, 2011
Less than two weeks after ending his 22-year run as mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley has accepted a new job. The University of Chicago announced Tuesday that Daley will become a distinguished senior fellow at the South Side school’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies. He will begin his part-time, five-year appointment on July
Capturing Chicago, One Face at a Time
by RACHEL CROMIDAS, ANDREW A. NELLES, and ASH-HAR QURAISHI | Apr 18, 2011
Through the viewfinder of a camera, two artists, Adam Novak and Sara Collins, have seen a pair of Chicago police officers moonlight as bagpipe players, a fistfight break out on Milwaukee and Division, and an impromptu block party begin in Englewood when residents dragged a man-size speaker onto the street and started blasting Lee Oskar’s
In Grand Crossing, a House Becomes a Home for Art
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Apr 7, 2011
The wooden floors of the house at 6918 South Dorchester Avenue came from a West Side bowling alley. The stacks of vinyl records once stocked a Hyde Park record shop, and some of the windows once served as doors in a museum. Viewed from the kitchen, the words “Museum Hours: 9 to 5” run backward
Teaching Little Fingers New Math Tricks
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Mar 31, 2011
Gabi Bagley, 5, dug through a box of Kid K’Nex toys, bypassing rods and cylinders until she found a purple, teardrop-shaped object about four inches long. “Does that fit your hand just right?” said Cyndi Lopardo, her Preschool for All teacher. “Bring it over.”
Uncertainty at Juvenile Jail in Wake of Latest Lawsuit
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Mar 10, 2011
For much of the past two decades, the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has been considered a prime example of what is wrong with the nation’s juvenile justice system. Three times in the last 10 years, federal court actions have taken aim at patronage, overcrowding and unhealthy and unsafe conditions.
Emanuel Downplays New Advisers’ Daley Ties
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Feb 24, 2011
Even as he named two former key aides to Mayor Richard M. Daley to lead his transition into office, Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel downplayed the ties to Daley as he introduced the transition team during his second press conference since Tuesday’s election.
Private School’s Field Plan Angers Lincoln Park Neighbors
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Jan 28, 2011
When Tom Silfen moved to a co-op building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Francis W. Parker School last August, he envisioned his evenings as including walks in the park with his 4-year-old daughter. But now he’s worried that the view from his window will look like a scene from the television series “Friday Night Lights,”
Capturing Chicago’s Neighborhoods, One Face at a Time
by RACHEL CROMIDAS | Jan 20, 2011
Through the viewfinder of a camera, two artists, Adam Novak and Sara Collins, have seen a pair of Chicago police officers moonlight as bagpipe players, a fistfight break out on Milwaukee and Division, and an impromptu block party begin in Englewood when residents dragged a man-size speaker onto the street and started blasting Lee Oskar’s
Many Platitudes, Little Consensus When it Comes to Education
by RACHEL CROMIDAS and MERIBAH KNIGHT | Jan 17, 2011
Responding to a survey produced in partnership with Catalyst Chicago, WBEZ, WTTW, and the Chicago News Cooperative, front-running mayoral candidates explained their plans for improving public education in the city.