It has been a rollercoaster of a year, both personally and professionally (a 🧵). I went from attending my close college friend's memorial to reporting on Trump's attacks on programs that have helped people I love both go to college & feel like they belong there. (1/?) www.wbez.org/education/20...

“I haven’t been there through Pastor Brown’s whole life, but at least I know that he’s been through some things,” Gates said of Brown. “You have to go through … some type of trial in life to be able to show me that you’re worth that ‘mentor’ status.” www.wbez.org/education/20...

From @sammiesmylie.bsky.social at Chalkbeat: Illinois quietly changes scholarship for teachers of color amid lawsuit, threats from federal government www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...

Once again, I'm a lot of fun at parties.

"At least $5.9 trillion will be inherited by billionaire children over the next 15 years, the bank calculates."

Curious about how to access police body-cam video through public records? This new guide explains when recordings are eligible, how long they're kept and how to write a proper FOIA request. https://www.bettergov.org/2025/12/02/how-to-foia-for-body-camera-footage/

Rep. Delia Ramirez introduced the resolution criticizing the agency and is urging her party to take a firmer stance against the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.

A U.S. postal worker on Long Island is accused of trying to help a man escape from ICE custody earlier this month, according to a federal criminal complaint: https://gothamist.visitlink.me/YNagDp

Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:

Highlight of my week: Calling into @wbez.org's Say More to chat with Hari Kondabolu about how Indians really do f***ing love mangoes, what journalists can learn from comedians in these dark times and the most common mispronunciation of his name (Hasan Minhaj 😂) www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...

This week #IL students and faculty delivered stacks of postcards to the state higher education board asking for $25M meant for their public universities to be released. Their colleges have been squeezed by federal cuts, decreases in international students and decades of declining state funding.

Young people in #Chicago age 18-29 can apply to be part of a Civic Matchmaking program run by Chicago Votes and The Civic Success Project. More info here:

Stop what you're doing and read this piece by @vanessalop.bsky.social: "I carry the weight of his sacrifice while navigating the gaping hole left by his departure. I am the daughter who made it, who did better while knowing that “better” came with a cost." chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2...

Our review of 700+ videos of the Portland protests shows a wide gap between the reality on the ground and the characterizations by Trump, Fox News and DHS, which said its office in the city was under “coordinated assault by violent groups.” By @robwdavis.bsky.social and Steve Suo

NEW: U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis is allowing the deposition of Border Patrol boss Greg Bovino to expand to FIVE hours (she'd limited it to 2), and she wants to hear about use of force by CBP in Little Village on Wednesday and Thursday. Plus a reminder to "preserve all body-worn camera footage."

NEW: I found 17 sheriffs in Illinois that have contracts to detain people for ICE through U.S. Marshals Service contracts. IL law explicitly prohibits these types of intergovernmental service agreements. news.wttw.com/2025/10/22/d...

Haunting photo posted by the 40th Ward Instagram. The caption says that the photo represents the remnants of two workers who were taken by ICE today. Chilling.

FULL STORY: A Border Patrol agent pointed a gun at state Rep. Hoan Huynh while he warned North Side residents that immigration agents were conducting enforcement operations, said Huynh, a Vietnam refugee who is running to represent Illinois' 9th District in Congress. @wttw.bsky.social

A federal judge on Monday declined to block Northwestern from disciplining students who refused to complete an online anti-bias training the graduate student plaintiffs say characterizes criticism of Israel as antisemitic, Casey He reports. #chicago #highered chicago.suntimes.com/education/20...

In an email shared with @wbez.org, University of Illinois Chicago leaders said race, gender and other factors will no longer be considered in financial aid and faculty tenure decisions. @opencampus.org #chicago #highered #college www.wbez.org/education/20...

The DHS Twitter has been tagging and calling out a local journalist writing on immigration in Chicago. Local journalists covering what’s happening need continual support especially as they write these important stories.

Going on @wbez.org's Say More with Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber at 10am CT today to talk about his book "Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right." Please call in with questions and comments!!! #chicago #highered #campus #freespeech

"Don't bite the hook": Northwestern History Professor Leslie Harris tells a gathering of faculty, students and staff that universities including her own need to stand together against the Trump administration's 'fascist, authoritarian takeover' #highered #chicago

The deployment of tear gas throughout the Chicago area is a growing health concern. ICE is deploying tear gas in residential neighborhoods, near children, playgrounds, stores, etc. What are the health implications on our communities?

NEW investigation from @lkpwrites.bsky.social: IL colleges are contracting w/ for-profit businesses called online program managers which are paid as much as 50% tuition revenue for each student they enroll. www.wbez.org/education/20...

University of Illinois campuses pays a for-profit company to recruit students for online programs — a practice that would be illegal if done by the universities themselves, a WBEZ investigation found.

“I don’t want to be here anymore… What am I supposed to do?” Trump wants them to self deport. They want to self deport. But many Venezuelans cannot leave … like this woman who told me she now plans to try to turn herself into ICE to get out of USA. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

At the University of Illinois Chicago where dozens are protesting ICE's presence in their city. Multiple students say #ICE detained two women unaffiliated with UIC near the campus Student Services Building yesterday (Weds)

23-year-old journalist Plestia Alaqad, like many Gazans, lost her home in the first days after October 7. unable to reenter her homeland, stuck watching the horror continue, she’s publishing her diaries from reporting on the ground. full interview @teenvogue.com www.teenvogue.com/story/plesti...

For 2 years, Palestinian-American students in #Chicago have had to go to class while witnessing extreme violence against their community in #Gaza: “You feel the guilt of, ‘How am I letting my people go through that?’” @wbez.org @opencampus.org bit.ly/3VTFGCU

A new initiative announced by City Colleges of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository aims to better address food insecurity among students attending community colleges in the city.

In a few moments tune into @wbez.org 91.5 FM to hear Palestinian college student and #Chicagoan Henna Ayesh's story. The past two years have left her tired to the bone - but empowered. #college #Palestine #activism

Several of us went to Broadview tonight to scope out the situation for ourselves. What we witnessed was a completely peaceful—even uneventful—protest/gathering, until the exact moment ICE unleashed a totally unprovoked and unwarranted tear-gas attack.

I feel like news publications should put more energy into asking autistic people how they feel about all this because…

This is an absolutely terrific piece from @texastribune.org and reinforces my belief that the best coverage of right-wing cancelations occur at the local level, after years of the national media focusing on threats from the left. www.texastribune.org/2025/09/19/t...

Playing a major role in this festival is Ald. Stephanie Coleman , who founded the Englewood Music Festival in 2021 with hopes to bring music and positive community energy to her Chicago ward. thetriibe.com/2025/09/sout...

Employees at Fermilab in Batavia and Argonne in Lemont were recently offered voluntary separation packages. The move comes as the Department of Energy recommends funding for the local national labs be reduced by almost $240 million for the next fiscal year, and focuses on new research priorities.

Stay calm & respectful, but know your rights. Carry your student ID card at all times. Avoid unnecessary risks. These are some of the tips UIC officials sent students to prepare for Trump’s deployment of federal agents to the #Chicago area. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/education/20...

#Illinois is the fourth state to be targeted by the Trump administration over long-standing state laws providing reduced #college tuition to #immigrant students who reside in their states but lack legal status. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/immigration/...

Also, note that simultaneously with these changes in that destroy full loan forgiveness/the financial feasibility of entering a low-paying career like social work without being independently wealthy, sharply limiting diversity in a profession with a great deal of cultural competency need +

Social workers in Illinois and across the country say the new loan limits will stymy efforts to get more people, especially those from diverse backgrounds, into their field. My latest for @wbez.org and @opencampus.org: www.wbez.org/education/20...

"The doctors have been meeting with members of the Chicago-area congressional delegation and other political leaders, urging them to speak out against Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, where famine has been declared, and settler violence in the West Bank." www.wbez.org/politics/202...

NEW — Dozens of Black and brown youth graduated from summer Peacekeeper training led by GoodKids MadCity. “I just want to be a person for the youth and be somebody they can look up to, they can talk to and learn from,” GKMC member Reece Johnson said. thetriibe.com/2025/08/i-ju...

Looking back on the past couple of horrible years I do greatly appreciate the simple moral clarity of Bill Burr when he had that infuriating sit down with Bill Maher and they talked about the campus Gaza war protests and Burr simply said “I’m on the side of the kids.” He didn’t need to …

More than 1.6 million people in Illinois owe federal student debt. The Trump administration is trying to speed up their repayment. Here are some steps you can take to prepare. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/education/20...

Psyched to have this story about the Womb Service at DePaul featured by @19thnews.org! Big thanks to @opencampus.org's Colleen Murphy for pitching it ❤️ 19thnews.org/2025/07/depa... #reproductiverights #journalism #college #education @wbez.org

Meet the "Womb Service," a group of DePaul University students who supply birth control to classmates. The Catholic school has long banned the distribution of contraceptives on campus. Womb Service volunteers say the policy is dangerous. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/health-medic...

"This type of student loan, called an income share agreement, could become more appealing in the next few years as President Donald Trump and conservative lawmakers claw back access to federal student loans and grants. . . ." www.wbez.org/education/20... @wbez.org @lkpwrites.bsky.social

I don't like the New York Times referring to regional public universities with their own presidents as "outposts." That comes across as very dismissive of the workhorses of higher education.