CHICAGO MUCKRAKERS

The Chicago Reporter is blogging nearly every day on Chicago Muckrakers. Here’s some of the latest:

• Race, police stops and car searches
  From 2004 to 2009, police officers were two to four times more likely to ask Latino and African-American motorists thank white motorists to search their cars during traffic stops, according to American Civil Liberties Union. The group is asking to ban consent searches. “We hope the department of justice has the [Illinois State Police] terminate asking for consent searches of cars. It is clear this is a practice that has been abused,” said Harvey Grossman, the group’s legal director in Illinois.
  
• High gas prices might squeeze Chicago’s poor tighter than others
  With gas prices registering $1.25 a gallon higher than they were last year in the Chicago area, the average household is spending more on gas. Economists estimate that it’s almost 8 percent of their income on gas.
  
• No drug testing for Chicago’s public housing residents
  The Chicago Housing Authority Board decided to end plans to drug test all public housing residents last week. Many complained that such a move would violate the civil rights of public housing residents, but there were many who supported the plan. What do you think? Should public housing residents be drug tested? Take our online poll and share your opinion.
  
• HIV prison population could grow just by changing a question
  The Illinois General Assembly has approved a measure that will automatically sign up inmates entering prison to take an HIV test, unless they refuse to take it. Until now, inmates were asked if they would submit to the test when entering prison. The change is expected to increase the number of inmates who take the test—and increase the state’s awareness of HIV-positive inmates.
  
• Tough birthday for War on Drugs
  The War on Drugs turned an unofficial 40 years old earlier this month. Two recent reports highlight the effort’s failure to curb drug abuse or to end racially disparate enforcement in Illinois.

NEW BLOGGER

The Chicago Reporter has contracted with Micah Maidenberg to do a daily political/legislative blog on Chicago Muckrakers. His job will be to track legislation in Springfield that’s important to followers of the Reporter. He’ll also be covering some key Chicago City Council committees. Micah is an experienced blogger who most recently worked at progressillinois.com. He is the former editor of Chicago Journaland previously wrote for Residents’ Journal. Micah has won the Illinois State Press Association’s award for feature writing.

STAFF ON AIR

Editor Kimbriell Kelly joins Brian Babylon and Molly Adams for another spicy discussion of the news from a woman’s perspective on “Feminist Wednesdays” of the “Morning AMp” show Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Vocalo, 89.5 FM.

Tune in to WPWR, Channel 50, at noon on Sunday, July 3, and catch editor Kimbriell Kelly as she fills in for host Monique Caradine on “Perspective,” a weekly public affairs TV show focused on Chicago. This week’s show will focus on the increased violence typically seen during the summer and how several groups are working to fight it. Kimbriell will be joined by Tio Hardiman of CeaseFire, Pat Hill of the African American Police League, and Brian Echols of Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civiliation.

If you missed last week’s Perspective, you can see it online. Kimbriell talked withDr. Ian Smith and others about unique ways people are shedding pounds these days.

THE LATEST FROM CATALYST CHICAGO

Catalyst Chicago, which is also published by the Community Renewal Society, provides the finest daily and in-depth coverage of the Chicago Public Schools and the school reform movement. Here’s the latest from our sister publication:

• Impressive ISAT gains don’t impress new leaders
  Elementary schools increased their ISAT scores by 4 percentage points, the biggest gain in years. But leaders pointed to low scores on the EXPLORE college readiness exam as proof that students need a longer school day and year.
  
• Check out Catalyst Chicago’s Reaching Black Boys Resource Center
  The center features research and stories on the problems and solutions that impact African American boys and young men, a directory of programs and a bulletin board for events and announcements. The site also features video clips of speakers from a Reaching Black Boys Symposium last year, featuring Pedro Noguera, New York University; and local leaders such as Rev. Otis Moss III, Trinity United Church of Christ; George Smith, 100 Black Men of Chicago;Shelby Wyatt from Kenwood Academy High School and more.