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Lawmakers Call for Immediate Action at Chicago Shelter Housing Afghan Children

After ProPublica’s report that Afghan children at a Chicago shelter were hurting themselves, Sen. Dick Durbin asked federal officials to investigate. In the meantime, Heartland Alliance, the facility’s operator, now has interpreters in its shelters.

by Melissa Sanchez,

Reporting From the Midwest

Our team in the Midwest covers Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri. Based in Chicago, it grew out of our first regional publishing operation, which focused on people living and working in Illinois. Read more.

Dozens of Traumatized Afghan Kids Struggle Inside a Shelter That’s Ill-Equipped to Care for Them

Some Afghan children at a Chicago shelter have hurt themselves or others, leaving workers overwhelmed. Employees say the shelter has never experienced this level of chaos and isn’t equipped to provide kids with services they need.

by Melissa Sanchez,

Conservationists See Rare Nature Sanctuaries. Black Farmers See a Legacy Bought Out From Under Them.

In Pembroke, the well-intended efforts of mostly white nature conservationists overlook one thing: The township’s Black farming community has never fully supported them.

by Tony Briscoe, photography by Rashod Taylor, special to ProPublica, ProPublica,

“In Those Pictures, You Can See the Community”

In East and West Garfield Park, Chicago, we sought out residents’ archives to shed light on a neighborhood the city neglected.

by Samantha Cabrera Friend, CatchLight Local Chicago, and Tony Briscoe, ProPublica,

Midwest News Staff

Deputy Midwest Editor
Steve Mills
Reporters
Tony Briscoe, Anna Clark, Jodi S. Cohen, Vernal Coleman, Mick Dumke, Duaa Eldeib, Jeremy Kohler, Megan O’Matz and Melissa Sanchez
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Local Reporting Network Partners

ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:

Chicago Tribune
Chicago
The Southern Illinoisan
Carbondale, Illinois
WBEZ
Chicago
The Daily Herald
Arlington Heights, Illinois
The Business Journal
Youngstown, Ohio

The View From Here: Rethinking What Local News Can and Should Be

In a series of live virtual events, ProPublica asked news leaders from Phoenix, Atlanta and Detroit to share their thoughts about the local news ecosystem in their communities. From trends to challenges, here’s what they had to say.

by Connor Goodwin,

We’re Losing Our Humanity, and the Pandemic Is to Blame

“What the hell is happening? I feel like we are living on another planet. I don’t recognize anyone anymore.”

by Sarah Smith,

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Proposes Further Traffic Ticket Reforms to Help Low-Income Motorists

In 2018, ProPublica reported on how vehicle tickets in Chicago disproportionately harm low-income, Black residents. This latest set of reforms proposes lowering ticket costs and providing debt relief for low-income residents.

by Melissa Sanchez,

He Beat Her Repeatedly. Family Court Tried to Give Him Joint Custody of Their Children.

Wisconsin is considered a leader in the movement to treat fathers as equal caregivers when parents separate. Shared parenting is usually better for children — but the model fails for many women forced to co-parent with their abusers.

by Megan O’Matz,

Heeding Steve Bannon’s Call, Election Deniers Organize to Seize Control of the GOP

The stolen election myth inspired thousands of Trump supporters to take over the Republican Party at the local level, exerting more partisan influence on how elections are run.

by Isaac Arnsdorf, Doug Bock Clark, Alexandra Berzon and Anjeanette Damon,

La agencia de bienestar infantil de Illinois les sigue fallando a las familias hispanohablantes

Dos años después de una investigación de ProPublica, el Departamento de Servicios para Niños y Familias de Illinois todavía no está cumpliendo con una orden de una corte federal para mejorar el servicio a las familias hispanohablantes.

por Melissa Sanchez y Duaa Eldeib,

Illinois’ Child Welfare Agency Continues to Fail Spanish-Speaking Families

Two years after a ProPublica investigation, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services still is not complying with a federal court order to better serve Spanish-speaking families.

by Melissa Sanchez and Duaa Eldeib,

Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Tax Cut”

Billionaire business owners deployed lobbyists to make sure Trump’s 2017 tax bill was tailored to their benefit. Confidential IRS records show the windfall that followed.

by Justin Elliott and Robert Faturechi,

Michigan Supreme Court Limits Use of Restraints on Juveniles

A year after Grace’s story drew national attention when she was jailed for not doing her online schoolwork, outcry over the shackling of young people in court has resulted in a ban on the practice unless there’s a risk of physical harm or flight.

by Jodi S. Cohen,

GOP Legislators in Missouri Oppose Vaccine Efforts as State Becomes COVID Hotspot

Representative Bill Kidd joked that he didn’t get a vaccine because he’s a Republican. Now he has COVID.

by Jeremy Kohler,

A Postal Worker Begged for Stronger COVID-19 Protections. She Ended Up Spending Six Weeks in the Hospital.

The limited response to postal workers’ repeated appeals for help provides a window into the failures of two federal agencies: the Postal Service, which is one of the country’s largest employers, and OSHA, which is supposed to protect workers.

by Maryam Jameel,

Cities in Ohio Want to Use the Same Clean-Energy Financing Company That Saddled Missouri Homeowners With Debt

An Ohio city had a low-interest loan program for energy-saving home improvements. Now, the officials who run it plan to turn it over to the same company behind Missouri's troubled program.

by Jeremy Kohler,

Held Back: Inside a Lost School Year

Teacher Ashlee Thompson had a lot to worry about this year: A deadly virus. A poor district under threat by the state. And now, a new mandate for her students: Learn to read or flunk the third grade.

by Annie Waldman, ProPublica, photography by Cydni Elledge,

After Grace’s Story, Michigan Will Study Its Juvenile Justice System

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed a task force to examine the state’s juvenile justice system and recommend reforms after a Black teen was jailed for not doing her online coursework.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press,

Illinois Dramatically Limits Use of Seclusion and Face-Down Restraints in Schools

A new bill will ban school workers from locking children in seclusion spaces and limit most uses of isolated timeout and physical restraint. A ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation found widespread abuse of the practices in Illinois.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica,

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