Investigations & Special Projects
Improper Vaccinations At Safety-Net Hospital
My ongoing investigation at Loretto Hospital — which is supposed to serve low-income people on the West Side — has revealed the hospital vaccinated ineligible people at a luxury jewelry shop, Trump Tower and other spots.
We’ve also revealed the hospital’s on-site shots went mostly to white and Asian people, despite its community being majority Black and Latino; and a friend and business partner of an executive was awarded contracts with the hospital that sent millions to his companies.
Problems With COVID Testing Pop-Ups
My ongoing reporting revealed multiple Chicago-area companies received more than $500 million from the federal government for COVID-19 testing — but the results were often flawed or faked. These companies had hundreds of sites and conducted testing for millions during the peak of the pandemic.
The testing companies are now facing state and federal investigations, have been closed and banned from various states and are facing other consequences.
The Ballot: 2023 Eletion Headquarters
I coordinated more than 20 reporters to cover more than 50 races and 180 candidates, creating Block Club’s award-winning election hub, The Ballot. I created a guide to covering the races for reporters; guided and edited their reporting; created The Ballot’s website; worked with tech to provide live results for readers; created guides for readers about how to vote; and coordinated our editorial, social and newsletter teams to ensure our coverage engaged with readers.
Proud City: Chicago LGBTQ+ News
I brought together a team of more than 20 full-time reporters, freelancers and interns to provide factual, empowering coverage of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. Proud City offers year-round coverage, as well as guides and resources to help queer Chicagoans and allies find housing, mental health services and other supports. I organized the creation of a newsletter-based five-week course that teaches people how to be a better ally, as well as more than 50 related stories published during Pride Month, a website and specialty newsletter for Proud City, and more.
Coronavirus In Chicago: A Year Of Loss
I organized Block Club’s “Year of Loss” project. It featured 27 profiles of coronavirus victims from across the city, additional stories about COVID-19 in Chicago, interactive maps showing which neighborhoods have seen the most cases and deaths, a specialty newsletter and a mini-site.
I coordinated the project, wrote multiple stories, assigned stories to reporters and helped them find a diverse group of people to profile to show the breadth of Chicago’s loss. I edited every story, created the project’s mini-site, helped create the special-edition newsletter and organized a social media campaign for the project.
Features
Larry Griffin had COVID-19. He was seriously ill. The only way he could see his wife, Jacki, was to Facetime her, though he could hardly speak because of the machine they were using to help him breathe. It seemed like he just wanted to see his wife, she said.
“I told him, ‘I’m so sorry to see you struggling this way. But anytime you call, I’ll answer,” she said. “I love you so much.”
That was the last time they spoke.
Juan Aponte barely survived coronavirus.
He was on a ventilator for a week. At one point, he has been told, he said his goodbyes to his wife, who was also hospitalized with COVID-19. But he was deeply ill, exhausted and so weak he couldn’t even pick up a phone. He remembers nothing.
Months later, he has recovered — but he is still sick.
For Growing Number Of Kids Shot In Chicago, The Trauma Never Ends
Leo Betancourt, 13, was in a car when he was shot in his back and killed.
On Father’s Day, 3-year-old Devon Quinn was with his dad when someone shot at their car. Devon survived but is paralyzed from the waist down.
During one particularly violent stretch, four children — ages 11, 7, 5 and 4 — were shot within three days of each other.
This Boy Asked For 500 Birthday Cards As He Neared Death; He Got 150,000
“If he was scared then he stayed brave for us and we never knew it,” Anthony Cervone said of his son’s battle with cancer.
Now, nearly two months after Lucas’ death, Anthony and Rina Cervone are crafting a legacy for their son. They gather to read the cards that were sent to him and speak at events. They’ve raised money for charities that supported them during Lucas’ battle and for Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Breaking News
Adam Toledo Video Shows Chicago Police Shooting 13-Year-Old As He Raised His Hands (GRAPHIC VIDEO)
Graphic videos released Thursday shows a Chicago police officer fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo as he raised his hands in a Little Village alley late last month.
To read this story without seeing the video, click here.
A gunman shot and killed a woman in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center Monday afternoon before running into the hospital and randomly opening fire inside, killing a Chicago Police officer who rushed to the scene and a hospital worker just getting off an elevator.
Police, protesters take to the streets after Laquan video released
Protesters marched through streets in Downtown Chicago Tuesday after the release of a video showing one police officer fatally shooting a black 17-year-old.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel added: “Will we use this episode and this moment to build bridges that bring us together as a city or will we allow it as a way that becomes barriers that tear us apart as a city?”
Tyshawn Lee’s killer laughed about murder, wanted to kill more kids: police
The executioner of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee — the Chicago boy lured away from a park and shot dead to get back at his family during a gang feud — laughed and bragged about killing the boy while in jail on a separate charge, prosecutors said Tuesday.
First-degree murder charges have been filed against Dwright Boone-Doty, 22, the alleged gunman in the crime.