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The Murder Chicago Didn’t Want to Solve

In 1963, a Black politician named Ben Lewis was shot to death in Chicago. Clues suggest the murder was a professional hit. Decades later, it remains no accident authorities never solved the crime.

by Mick Dumke,

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.

Has Your Family Paid Fees or Fines to a Juvenile Justice System?

Has your family faced financial hardship as a result of a delinquency case? We’d like to hear from you.

by Jodi S. Cohen and Adriana Gallardo,

The Unfinished Business of Flint’s Water Crisis

Criminal charges and a class-action settlement may seem like the last chapter in Flint’s story, but many of the most important reforms at the root of the city’s water crisis remain undone.

by Anna Clark, ProPublica,

The Quiet Rooms

Bill Banning Locked Seclusion and Face-Down Restraints in Illinois Schools Stalls as Lawmakers Run Out of Time

Illinois lawmakers pledge to try again to prohibit what one called “horrific and barbaric” methods of controlling students.

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

Midwest News Staff

Midwest Editor
Louise Kiernan
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

Barreras falsas: estas cosas no deberían impedirle vacunarse contra COVID-19

Se supone que las vacunas contra el coronavirus son gratuitas y están disponibles para todos en Estados Unidos, independientemente de su seguro o de su situación migratoria. Para algunos, no ha sido así.

por Caroline Chen y Maryam Jameel,

False Barriers: These Things Should Not Prevent You From Getting a COVID Vaccine

Vaccinations for the coronavirus are supposed to be free and available to all Americans regardless of insurance or immigration status. For some, that isn’t how it has been playing out. Here are common false barriers to look out for.

by Caroline Chen and Maryam Jameel,

The City That Pinned Its Renewal on a Self-Chilling Beverage Can Wants Its Money Back

A company promised to create 237 jobs making the first ever self-chilling beverage can, winning big public subsidies in return. Four years later, there are no jobs and you still put your beer in the fridge. The city may demand the subsidies back.

by Dan O’Brien, The Business Journal,

Megan O’Matz Joins ProPublica’s Midwest Newsroom

by ProPublica,

Why Opening Restaurants Is Exactly What the Coronavirus Wants Us to Do

Governors continue to open indoor dining and other activities before vaccinations become widespread. Experts warn this could create superspreading playgrounds for dangerous variants and squander our best shot at getting the pandemic under control.

Caroline Chen,

After Hundreds of Meatpacking Workers Died From COVID-19, Congress Wants Answers

A key House subcommittee cited reports by ProPublica and other news outlets in launching an investigation into how the country’s meatpacking companies handled the pandemic, which has killed hundreds of workers to date.

by Bernice Yeung and Michael Grabell,

How Many Vaccine Shots Go to Waste? Several States Aren’t Counting.

The CDC says health facilities should report unused and spoiled COVID-19 vaccines, but many are failing to do so. At a time when there aren’t enough shots to meet demand, significant numbers may be going in the trash.

by Ryan Gabrielson, Caroline Chen and Mollie Simon,

Thousands of Illinois Drivers Would Get Their Licenses Back Under a Criminal Justice Reform Bill

If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the measure that lawmakers passed this week, motorists will no longer lose their licenses for unpaid red-light and speed camera tickets.

by Melissa Sanchez,

She Photographed Police Abuse at a 2014 BLM March Then Watched the Image Go Viral During Capitol Riot

The much-shared pairing of photojournalist Natalie Keyssar’s image of a peaceful Black man being assaulted against a photo of white rioters walking free in the Capitol “represents the rage and sadness I feel.”

by Lisa Larson-Walker,

ProPublica Adds Two New Journalists to Midwest Newsroom

by ProPublica,

These Cities Tried to Tackle Disinvestment. Here Are Lessons From What Happened.

Local governments have made efforts to revive commerce in neglected Black neighborhoods around the country. It hasn’t always worked. But Chicago can learn from their experiences.

by Haru Coryne and Tony Briscoe,

A teenager sitting on their bed while charging an ankle monitoring bracelet, and a surreal aggressive spotlight shines onto them.

Judges Are Locking Up Children for Noncriminal Offenses Like Repeatedly Disobeying Their Parents and Skipping School

Michigan’s juvenile justice system is archaic. Counties act with little oversight, and the state keeps such poor data it doesn’t know how many juveniles it has in custody or what happens to them once they’re in the system.

by Jodi S. Cohen and Duaa Eldeib,

How the History of Waterloo, Iowa, Explains How Meatpacking Plants Became Hotbeds of COVID-19

Waterloo was the site of a historic battle for labor rights and racial justice. But as the meatpacking industry changed, the workforce lost its power and was primed for an outbreak. This is how we got here.

by Bernice Yeung and Michael Grabell,

As COVID-19 Ravaged This Iowa City, Officials Discovered Meatpacking Executives Were the Ones in Charge

Meatpacking was once a path to the middle class in Waterloo. But by the time the pandemic hit, a transformed industry had assembled a workforce from the most vulnerable parts of the world.

by Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung,

Vaccinating Black Americans Is Essential. Key States Aren’t Doing the Work to Combat Hesitancy

States and the federal government also don’t reliably collect data so we won’t have a good idea of whether the vaccine is reaching these critical populations.

by Caroline Chen, Ryan Gabrielson and Topher Sanders,

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