The Museum of Contemporary Photography will host its annual Darkroom fundraiser Feb. 28 in an effort to bridge its funding gap. The event will honor an acclaimed Moroccan-born photographer and feature an artist auction plus cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Retired ...

While the state continues to function without a budget, Illinois colleges must choose whether or not to fund students’ Monetary Award Program grants for a second academic year.  These state-funded grants for low-income students can make or break their ability to attend college at all.Some schools, such as the Illinois Institute of Technology, are seeking repayment of funds advanced in Fall 2015, while wealthier schools, su...

In his latest attempt to save his reputation and approval ratings, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced he wants to spend more on projects in struggling Chicago neighborhoods using money from downtown developers, according to a Feb. 17 Chicago Sun-Times article.Emanuel wants to close a loophole, called the “Zoning Bonus Ordinance,” which allows downtown developers to build more square footage if they include features such as p...

All around the country, we are watching the greatest environmental crisis in decades unfold. We are waiting for the governments—local, state and national—to expedite the remedies.In April 2014, city officials in Flint, Michigan, officially changed the city’s water source from the much-admired Detroit water system to the highly polluted Flint River to cut costs. This caused immediate problems including harmful water qualit...