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Stories:
Heroin, Homelessness and the Opioid Crisis
Energy
Great Lakes
Mining
Other Environment Stories
Labor and Immigration
Urban Planning and Development


Energy Stories


In These Times:
At the Bullfrog Hotel, those left behind by the global economy find relief — and a place to talk Trump, July 25, 2017.
The Heroin Crisis We’ve Ignored, April 24, 2017.

The Chicago Reader:
Home Sweet Home for the Homeless, March 10, 2017.
The Residents of Rezkoville’s Tent City Battle the Elements, and Personal Demons, June 29, 2016.
The Last Days of the Lugo Hotel
, March 4, 2016.

The Chicago Tribune:
The Homeless Encampments of Chicago, April 19, 2016.

The Guardian:
Homeless but employed: The Chicago restaurant workers living under a bridge,
April 17, 2016.

Telasur:
Debt and Drugs: A Toxic Colonial Legacy for Puerto Rico, Feb. 22, 2016.

 


Energy Stories


Chicago Reader:

Chicago Without Coal: What would it take for the Fisk, Crawford, and State Line coal-fired power plants to close up shop? And what would happen if they did?,
Oct. 14, 2010.

Christian Science Monitor:
Green Living: Off the grid families pioneer sustainable energy lifestyles, April 7, 2010.

Midwest Energy News:
Why the nuclear industry targets renewables instead of gas, February 6, 2015.
Illinois report says Exelon nuclear straits not so dire, January 8, 2015.
On Utilities and Solar, Wisconsin Goes its Own Way, December 3, 2014.
Murky Waters: Chicagoans worry petcoke moving to barges, October 16, 2014.
Eagle permits: A way forward for wind, or a license to kill? January 31, 2014.
In Chicago, neighbors say petcoke rules full of loopholes, January 14, 2014.
First it was Detroit, now PetKock piling up in Chicago, October 14, 2013.
As Chicago-area refinery grows, historic town fears for its future, Jan. 30, 2013.
As U.S. plants close, coal still hot in Germany despite renewables revolution, Oct. 1, 2012.
From Dusseldorf to Duluth, the promises and pitfalls of solar, Sept. 27, 2012.
Illinois industry, enviros gear up for legislative fight over fracking, Sept. 14, 2012.
Fracking in Illinois: Farmers debate options when landmen come calling, Aug. 15, 2012.
Experts: Chicago aggregation could hurt renewable energy, unless the RPS is fixed, Aug. 10, 2012.

New York Times (Chicago Edition):
Power Station's Closing Could Create Problems, Feb. 11, 2012.
Community is Torn Over Expansion of Oil Refinery, Sept. 15, 2011.
Clean Coal Debate Focuses on Gasification Plant, March 10, 2011.

 

Great Lakes Stories


Great Lakes Echo:
Fiscal Cliff Could Dump Sewage into Great Lakes, Dec. 11, 2012.
Milwaukee Pioneers Innovative Stormwater Controls, April 5, 2011.

New York Times (Chicago Edition):
Two fishermen, crusaders for their turf, June 24, 2011.
The Round Goby, An Uninvited Resident of the Great Lakes, Is Doing Some Good, May 26, 2011.
Notre Dame professor leads effort to keep Asian Carp out of Great Lakes, March 31, 2011.

OnEarth:
A Year After Pipeline Spill, Tar Sands Oil Still Plagues a Michigan Community
, July 25, 2011.
Michigan Oil Spill: The Tar Sands Name Game (and Why It Matters), Aug. 12, 2010.

WBEZ (Great Lakes Echo):
Grand Calumet River delivers toxic load to Lake Michigan
, Jan. 26, 2013.

 

Mining Stories


Chicago Reader:
A Mining Tragedy: Miners from around the country come to Chicago doctor Bob Cohen for help getting coal companies to pay black lung benefits. And though the disease is preventable, he can only expect to get busier, March 30, 2006.

Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy:
Pacific Rim and Beyond: Global Mining, Global Resistance and International Law, Summer 2012.

Earth Island Journal:
Fueling the Tiger: The US Coal Industry Wants to Boost Exports to Asia – Native American Tribes Stand in the Way, Winter 2013.
No Discussion on Some of Rio Tinto's Most Notorious Operations at Shareholder Meeting, April 2013.

The Economist:
Copper Mining: A Boom too Far?, April 14, 2012.

GlobalPost:
Activist Shareholders Represent Victims of International Mining Projects,
May 14, 2013.
Religious Groups Keep an Eye on Global Mining Giants, April 27, 2013.

High Country News:
Retirees Join Environmentalists in Fighting Arizona Copper Mine, May 2012.

In These Times Magazine:
Mining Giant Sued Over Silicosis Epidemic, May 1, 2013.
The Original Coal Country, Oct. 16, 2012.
Steelworkers in Arizona’s ‘Copper Triangle’: A Proud History Fading, March 29, 2012.

Washington Post:
Alaska Vote Pits Fisheries Against Mines,Aug. 25, 2008.
Upper Peninsula Looks Ahead, and Back, as Mine Interests Call, April 3, 2007.

 

Other Environment Stories


The Chicago Reporter:
Dirty Secret: Pollution from Rail Yard Emissions in the Chicago Area Plagues the Health of Nearby Residents, Jan. 4, 2010.

Earth Island Journal:
Border War: Immigration Is a Political Minefield. Can Environmentalists Have a Reasoned Debate on the Issue?, Summer 2009.

New York Times (Chicago Edition):
Rules for identifying clean dirt to be considered, Sept. 23, 2011.
Black Carbon Testing Finds High Levels, April 21, 2011.

The Washington Post:
Landfill Worries Cloud Hopes for New Orleans Gardens, July 4, 2009.

 

Labor and Immigration Stories


AlJazeera America:
Northwestern should embrace Wildcats union effort, February 12, 2014.

In These Times:
Blood on the Tracks: Railway whistleblowers get some federal protections at last, April 15, 2013.
Chicago Middle School Students Berate Officials: ‘Don’t Close Our Schools!’, Feb. 8, 2013.
Facing Job Losses and Wage Cuts, Chicago Janitors Pay Rahm Emanuel a Birthday Visit, Nov. 30, 2012.

The New York Times (Chicago Edition):
UPS Workers Demand New Approach to Safety, May 5, 2011.
Bankruptcy Suit Alleges Fraud in Factory Sale, Dec. 23, 2010.
A Thriving Industry Built on Low-Compensated Temp Workers, Aug. 26, 2010.

The Progressive:
Chicago Teachers Say Why They Had to Strike, Sept. 14, 2012.

The Washington Post:
Suit Puts Focus on Immigrant Workers Rights, Oct. 11, 2009.
Family Blames Soldier's Suicide on Anti-Malaria Drug, Oct. 12, 2008.

 

Urban Planning and Development Stories


Better Government Association:
A 'Smart Streamlining' Test Case: How DuPage County is Merging and Purging Government Units and What it Means for Illinois. March 9, 2014.

Better Government Association and State Journal-Register:
Government Surplus: A BGA Rescuing Illinois Investigation Explores the Glut of Closed Public Facilities and Why They are Becoming a Strain on Communities Statewide. December 2, 2013.

New York Times (Chicago Edition):
Trying to Ignite Spark of Revival in a Grim Gary, December 4, 2010.

Shelterforce Magazine:
Emerging from Chicago's Shadow: Towns Long in Chicago's Shadow Have Sought Creative Ways to Collaborate for Federal Funding, While Building Off Existing Partnerships as Part of a Long-Term Approach to Neighborhood, and Regional, Stabilization. Fall/ Winter 2009.

WBEZ Public Radio:
South Side Neighborhoods Vie for Presidential Library. July 3, 2013.
Southeast Side: Will New Community Rise on Old South Works Steel Site? May 31, 2013.
Artists Aim to Paint Brighter Future on Chicago's Southeast Side. May 31, 2013.