Park bathrooms as a key to expanding access to public toilets: "The plumbing exists, the site work would be less invasive, and they're distributed somewhat equitably throughout the city;" And more!

I got to visit a Head Start center this morning and physically being in a space that is all about care and learning was incredible. Going to start keeping a list of places that make me feel like I'm looking into a window into the good future and definitely taking suggestions.

"You can't go around terrorizing people and making them feel small and shitty and then call them evil when they destroy themselves. You will never walk down the street and feel a lightness come over you. You will never fly." - Miriam Toews, All My Puny Sorrows

A small but growing movement has sprung up in Nashville that is radical in its simplicity: People are building wooden benches and placing them at bus stops where there is no other place to sit. nashvillebanner.com/2025/09/22/g...

Roger Severino wrote the Health and Human Services chapter of Project 2025 and was once thought of as the worst potential pick for HHS secretary. This is the awesome piece that I read last year (oh gosh it was only last year) where I learned about him, his wife, and their whole awful deal.

3 School Districts to Lose $65 Million Over Gender and D.E.I. Policies. The federal Education Department accused New York, Chicago and Fairfax, Va., of discrimination and said it would pull federal funds from their magnet schools. (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/n...

People still text me when Sam Nugent does crazy stuff like talk about "partnering with the federal government" at a press conference about the federal law enforcement harassing and detaining residents of a city- managed shelter in her ward.

Do them all.

On the other hand this creates the conditions to treat the district not as a unified project under collective governance, but a fragmented set of fiefdoms CPS can make sure the right board reps get the right resources to be satisfied, and reps become guardians of schools vs advocates for students

I've been having some conversations about this and am curious to hear what other people think. I think the role of geography and representation has been a pretty murky one with the board, possibly because we are still a hybrid elected/appointed board.

Weather podcasts... Cause I'm a parent (Sung to the tune of Espresso)

EAT THEIR FRAMES

Do not fight inside the frame. Fight the frame.

i would again like to remind everyone that NEGATING A FRAME REINFORCES IT "he's not really targeting criminals" makes it an argument about criminality "this is a fascist attack" states what is actually happening START WITH WHAT IT IS not what it isn't

"The number of times Chicago police officers used any kind of force against members of the public increased 75% between 2021 and 2024...CPD officers are also using force more often against children and those experiencing a mental health crisis" All these reported increases are from CPD's OWN DATA

If you want to hear more about how promoting these views on schools and teachers is an anti-democratic tactic used to stoke grievance, create political opportunities for extremists and dismantle public institutions, I got you something 🎁

There are a few notable and upsetting things about this framing (1) The classroom is not a politically neutral site (we have a civics req for graduation!) (2) Teacher/student power dynamics are not about oppression & indoctrination (3) Education is not an individual project. It's collective.

FWIW this is what happened in 2021 When Taft high School in Chicago tried to start a chapter of Turning Point. School admin called it “an organization promoting racial intolerance" and said its mission was antithetical to the schools values.

Anyway, you are almost certainly braver than your employer and more morally sound than your elected representatives. I hope you find the time and space to embrace that and do something powerful with it!

Just want to highlight the amazing work @jayeallisonashtear.bsky.social did creating an illustrated version of me as a bigger braver version of me to share my independent writing & research. Working with Allison was AWESOME & I have gotten great responses on the pic.

Hi All! New conversation with Ben Joravsky dropped yesterday. We talk about how to manage the volume and intensity of the news cycle by stepping back a little and trying to see patterns and themes. We talk about some of the themes that have emerged since our Project 2025 conversation last year...

Dayton Metro Library hosts free transgender history summit on October 4. ‘Don’t struggle alone in despair. Let’s strive together. Come fill your cup with hope and community.’ ✏️ @hcomeriato.bsky.social

“He wants cats to be in Gracie Mansion. That’s the magnificent home of the mayor. It’s beautiful. We don’t need to have thousands of cats there.” My husband sent me this Trump quote about Curtis Sliwa and I am begging someone to write this children's book.

And I believe we are still waiting... (Putting aside what I think about the cost, where the $ comes from, the scope of the task and the vendor)

It’s not a mystery which policy tools can reduce poverty. Any lawmaker serious about helping struggling families should push for a permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit. Otherwise, families across the country face unnecessary hardship.

5 ILCS 805/15

Hmm, this looks like municipal law enforcement closing off a street and setting up a perimeter in aid of civil immigration enforcement

In light of the Trust Act "with the apparent cooperation of the Broadview police" seems to imply with the support of the Broadview mayor. Is that a correct read? Does that open up another lane for pressure and action?

Anthony Lewellen is an awesome Chicago artist who lives in my neighborhood who has done lots of cool murals that maybe you've seen. I think he's even had some work at this spot in the past. Anyway, artists are great. Post more artists.

Mpox is on the rise in Chicago, but you can get vaccinated now, including at these free clinics at Center on Cottage Grove (the first one is today!)

What they’re doing is coherent. It’s about repealing the idea that women can and should get to choose when and if to have children.

"The organization has asked that anyone not at risk of deportation take action by becoming a consistent presence anywhere that day laborers gather, to build relationships and to offer protection."

Nearly 48,000 students transferred within CPS last year. We want to hear from parents and students about why they transferred and what the process was like.

A theory is coalescing in my head around Pumpkin spice:chai:: Color runs:Holi

"The Agriculture Department said in a statement on Saturday that the report had become “overly politicized, and upon subsequent review, is unnecessary to carry out the work of the department.”" REMINDER: The Ag Sec is the co-founder of the America First Policy Institute

As part of the library summer learning program, kids report out to librarians or student volunteers on what they read and different activities they did. Well, it was such a success that now my kids just come to the library and tell the children's librarian what they've been up to. It's hilarious

Anyway if you are wondering where this is all coming from my doctor suggested I start a health journal and so I'm just sitting here looking over my week trying to be reflective and looking for a way to not have to think about my health (which is getting better! but I'm still a jerk about it)

One of the most effective things I did this week was uncomfortable and made me feel bad and it took me a day or so to bounce back from it. This isn't going to feel great when you're new at it. It was good I did it w/ other people and have really kind friends who listen and help me make sense of it

One thing I found helpful for finding my lane was finding my lens: What of the things happening really affected me emotionally in a way that had personal stakes? What kinds of stories and incidents were legible to me so I could see the moving pieces? Where could I build my knowledge and focus?

Finding your lane is great bc it also means connecting with a community, deepening your understanding of what's happening, and shifting your relationship with the world. On any given day when the news is awful I know a whole bunch of people doing wonderful things that bring me hope and joy.

The thing everyone can do right now is to find your lane if you don't already have one and work that lane diligently and with commitment.

Nearly 7 out of every 10 adults in state prison were first arrested before the age of 19. Increased criminalization of youth serves as a bad omen for a wave of adult criminalization in the not-so-distant future.

ATLANTA (AP) — Vaccine advisers selected by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have declined to recommend COVID-19 vaccines to all Americans.

@wbur.org is looking for our next round of fellows! Applications are open for our three fellowship positions. Learn more about the roles and apply here:

"Under federal law, members of Congress have explicit authority to inspect immigration detention facilities, including conducting unannounced visits. State and city lawmakers don’t have that authority and must rely on DHS or ICE to approve such requests."

One more thing, if the feds are using a style guide they are capitalizing the W in white but not the B in Black For additional context...

Some context for federal threats to withhold magnet funding from Chicago Public Schools because CPS has a Black Student Success Plan.

“The Black Students Success Plan, however, is designed for and exclusive to black students and black educators...It is not, for instance, available to white or Asian American students and educators. This is textbook racial discrimination"- Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for Civil Rights

In the last 2 weeks my husband stopped working overnight and my daughter started at the public school up the block. Theres been a huge and noticeable improvement in how we all function individually and as a family. Good public systems and manageable working conditions do all that and more.

A recent survey found nearly 1/2 of rural facilities could close or restructure due to Medicaid cuts. Nearly 3/4 of respondents said they anticipated layoffs or furloughs, including of front-line clinicians. kffhealthnews.org/news/article... #Medicaid #healthpolicy