One year ago, the Latino News Network pivoted its coverage to focus on local Hispanic / Latino communities’ relationships and involvement with democracy.  In the United States, a rich history of inaccessibility and general distrust between communities of color and governmental systems has led to exclusive representation and participation within democratic processes. Our newsroom is committed to actively listening and building trust with the diverse communities we serve so we can provide relevant, accurate, nonpartisan, and in-depth coverage year-round that civically informs and motivates underrepresented and underserved residents.  All six digital news and information outlets under the Latino News Network have also taken a collaborative approach to motivate and support communities through solutions-focused reporting rather than problem-focused coverage.  We will continue this work by practicing collaboration, inclusion, and transparency: We have partnered with trusted organizations to accurately inform the public and expand the reach of our coverage to combat misinformation.  Our team [...]

Almost one year ago, the Latino News Network pivoted its coverage to focus on local Hispanic / Latino communities’ relationships and involvement with democracy.  In the United States, a rich history of inaccessibility and general distrust between communities of color and governmental systems has led to exclusive representation and participation within democratic processes. Our newsroom is committed to actively listening and building trust with the diverse communities we serve so we can provide relevant, accurate, nonpartisan, and in-depth coverage year-round that civically informs and motivates underrepresented and underserved residents.  All six digital news and information outlets under the Latino News Network have also taken a collaborative approach to motivate and support communities through solutions-focused reporting rather than problem-focused coverage.  We will continue this work by practicing collaboration, inclusion, and transparency: We have partnered with trusted organizations to accurately inform the public and expand the reach of our coverage to combat misinformation.  Our [...]

Brandon Johnson’s election this past April as Chicago’s new mayor has been hailed across the country as an electrifying victory by progressive Democrats. But a detailed analysis of vote tallies – one that I and Matthew Wilson of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago conducted – has found a startling gap in voter turnout along racial and ethnic lines in Chicago. Our review of all 1,291 voting precincts throughout the city revealed that a mere 29 percent of registered Black voters and just 20.5 percent of registered Latinos cast a ballot in the April run-off, a far lower figure than the 61.1 percent of Chicago’s registered white voters who turned out. For Latinos, in particular, these figures become even more disturbing given that a significant percentage of Latinx resident aged 18 and over are either legal permanent residents or undocumented, and thus are ineligible to [...]

With multi-unit dwellings giving way to single-unit homes, neighborhoods like Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Pilsen, La Villita, with a historic high number of Latino residents, are seeing their numbers dwindle. Gentrification is driving out Latino residents and with them the ethnic and cultural identities of neighborhoods that were once major gateways for new immigrants, primarily from Mexico and Latin American countries. Now those neighborhoods are attracting wealthy, and often white, residents. As property taxes spike and community members remain on fixed incomes, many homeowners feel they’re being pushed out of the neighborhood they’ve lived in their whole life. The Cook County Assessor’s Office wants the public to understand what programs are out there to help them. Angelina Romero, Chief Communications Officer at the Cook County Assessor’s Office, was a guest on the podcast, “3 Questions With…”, hosted by Hugo Balta, publisher of IL Latino News. https://youtu.be/TyEp6aSAObs There are over 130 different municipalities [...]

An expected bump in violent crime this summer has Chicago officials and community leaders rolling out strategies focused on public safety. Recently, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced a $2.5 million investment to support violence prevention and youth outreach across Chicago by funding the work of more than 250 grassroots organizations on the South and West sides. Still, there’s skepticism that familiar initiatives of making police officers more visible and engaging with the community, work at keeping the peace. Alderwoman Nicole Lee, 11th ward, believes police must have the resources they need to do their jobs, but also insists on accountability in addressing public needs. Alderwoman Lee was a guest on the podcast, “3 Questions With…”, hosted by Hugo Balta, publisher of IL Latino News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scCcWb9jMPs Alderwoman Lee made history when she was appointed alderwoman in March 2022, as the first Asian American woman and first Chinese American to serve on City [...]

IL Latino News covers the social determinants of health and democracy. Ensuring that the public has accurate information about and fair access to the judicial system is a staple for a healthy democratic society. Sunlight poured into a Corliss High School classroom on a Saturday morning, beaming against the backs of black puffer jackets and fur-trimmed coats worn to brave the cold, windy March chills outside. This makeshift waiting room, located in the Pullman neighborhood, was not full of students waiting for the bell to ring, signifying dismissal. In these chairs sat over two dozen community members, adults, hoping to ignite the process of dismissing records that for some, date back decades. This process of expungement completely removes a non-conviction criminal case from one’s public record and while it does not pardon the crime, an expunged sentence will no longer appear on background checks. Dismissals, acquittals, supervision, and TASC probation are some [...]