Chicago

Jason Van Dyke has been sentenced to over six years in prison. Read Pacific Standard's most relevant stories on the Chicago policeman's murder of a black teenager.

• By Kelley Czajka

A police officer stands guard in front of R. Kelly's recording studio in the West Loop as city inspectors go through the property on January 16th, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

The NRDC hopes its new research into municipal pollution can help organizers push for sound, equitable policy.

• By Sophie Yeo

Riding along with the man who helps Chicago's heroin users stay safe.

• By Dylan Walsh

Educators from the Acero charter school network hold signs as they protest during a strike outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters on December 5th, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

President Trump on Monday echoed arguments from his campaign, but his information seems outdated.

• By Francie Diep

On Friday, a jury convicted Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago police officer, of the second-degree murder of black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

• By Emma Sarappo

A demonstrator holds an American flag emblazoned with the names of victims who were fatally wounded by police officers.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

How shifting economies, demographics, and provincial neighborhoods shaped the well-known accents of many Midwestern cities.

• By Edward McClelland

The research the attorney general drew his conclusions from had some serious flaws.

• By Ashley Hackett

On the latest episode of Pacific Standard's podcast about how our stories are made, contributing writer Sophie Yeo discusses the impact of climate change litigation.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

Many states have banned or severely limited solitary confinement for juveniles because of its negative impact on youth. But Chicago's Cook County detention system has gone in the other direction.

• By Ashley Hackett

In a city that has continually pushed for stricter gun laws, the Chicago Police Department has routinely failed to flag people whom it considers mentally unfit to legally carry a gun.

• By Ashley Hackett

In 2012, Little Village residents helped shut down a coal plant. Now, a redevelopment company plans to build a distribution center in its place, bringing more dirty trucks to the neighborhood.

• By Sophie Yeo

A new study suggests the so-called ACLU effect might be to blame.

• By Kate Wheeling

While other major U.S. cities see the disparity in outcomes between black and white women battling breast cancer grow, a unique program in Chicago has reversed the trend.

• By Naomi Elster

The city has reputation for violence, but without some of the best trauma centers the situation could be much worse.

• By Eric Ferkenhoff & Darnell Little

In Chicago, the Rohingya have seen deep communal and governmental support to acclimate to life in the states, and to advocate for their people from abroad. In Milwaukee, the community hopes to follow suit.

• By Rebecca Holland

An interview with Ruby Pinto about a series of new exhibitions across Chicago that make a powerful case for police abolition.

• By Elizabeth King

Local organizers are pushing hard to get rent control on a spring referendum—but can their efforts succeed?

• By Elizabeth King

Even when authorities know a gun has changed hands unlawfully, they often can't determine its ownership history.

• By Mick Dumke

A controversial tax that is currently being debated in Illinois and elsewhere is about more than just sugar in soda.

• By Monique Reed

The sociologist and poet talks about how creativity allows her to tackle social problems in almost limitless ways.

• By Elizabeth King

The Obama Presidential Center is poised to transform Chicago's Jackson Park, as well as its surrounding neighborhoods. But residents want a binding community benefits agreement.

• By Natalie Y. Moore