The Columbia Chronicle

Illinois detention center among worst in U.S.

By Hallie Zolkower-Kutz

November 26, 2012

The Tri-County Detention Center in Ullin, Ill., a holding facility for undocumented immigrants while their right to legal residency is being determined by authorities, was named one of the 10 worst detention centers in the country Nov. 15 by the Detention Watch Network, a national coalition of community leaders and advocates.The report is part of Detention Watch Network’s “Expose and Close” campaign, which aims to rev...

Wicker Park ranked No. 4 hipster neighborhood in U.S.

By Dannis Valera

October 1, 2012

Chicago’s usual sea of beards, plaid, Buddy Holly glasses and skinny jeans are paired with solemn faces this week—the eclectic neighborhood of Wicker Park, home to many Columbia students, was recently crowned fourth in Forbes’ and Nextdoor.com’s inaugural list of “America’s Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods.”Read the full story by our Assistant Arts & Culture Editor, Emily Ornberg, here on our website!http:/...

Iraqi media outlet visits Columbia

By Heather Scroering

July 23, 2012

Five Iraqi journalists from a news outlet in the newly democratized nation visited Columbia’s Journalism Department on July 12.In the United States for a 16-day leadership program funded by the U.S. State Department, the members of the Iraqi Media Network came here to understand the inner workings of Columbia’s journalism program.“We are striving in Iraq to build new media outlets and have effective rule in new media outlets,” said J...

Tea Party rallies for fall elections

By Tim Shaunnessey

April 23, 2012

The Democratic Party was in the crosshairs when the Chicago Tea Party mobilized April 16 to speak its mind.The Tea Party held its fourth annual Tax Day rally at Daley Plaza on the corner of Washington and Dearborn streets. The gathering featured a number of speakers expressing their discontent with the work of the Democrats and rallying support for conservative efforts in thiselection year.Tea Party supporters carried sign...

Barriers as suicide prevention wouldn’t work at Columbia

By Editorial Board

April 9, 2012

Mental health is an important concern at any college or university. In the last decade, reaching out to troubled students has become even more pressing in the wake of recent campus shootings and a few well-publicized suicides across the nation. Even Columbia has had its fair share of less-publicized suicide scares, especially at residence halls. Some researchers are coming forward to advocate “means restriction,” a suicide...

Occupy needs students

By Editorial Board

October 17, 2011

For weeks now, the Occupy movement has gained momentum, media attention and, of course, scrutiny. What began as a small ragtag group protesting Wall Street greed in downtown Manhattan has erupted into a national phenomenon, with participants voicing anger about the many wars America is fighting, the sour economy and even Palestinian repression. A sister movement called Occupy Colleges encouraged students to walk out of their classes...

Open Streets event closes down State Street

By Lisa Schulz

September 26, 2011

Seven blocks of State Street will be shut down to vehicle traffic between Lake and Van Buren streets on Oct. 1 to host “Open Streets,” a five-hour festival promoting on-foot exploration of downtown businesses and ways to get active.The free event, arranged by the Chicago Loop Alliance and the Active Transportation Alliance, runs from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and doubles as a celebration for the 100th day of the “Go Do Good...

Family Sports Festival brings together variety of athletes

By Lindsey Woods

September 19, 2011

The second annual Family Sports Festival, which took place on Sept. 17, hosted an array of professional and recreational sports programs, including visits from Olympic and Paralympics athletes.The festival, which was free, took place at Armour Square Park, 3309 S. Shields Ave., starting at 11 a.m. The purpose of the event, according to Amy Rosko, event director, was “to broaden people’s understanding of opportunit...

Obama’s plan better than nothing

By Matt Watson

September 19, 2011

President Barack Obama announced his jobs plan that he hopes will pull America out of its unemployment crisis to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 8. The plan is essentially another stimulus, this time totaling $447 billion, with $253 billion going to varying forms of tax cuts and $194 billion to new spending on roads, schools and preventing public employee lay-offs.Surprisingly, the Republican response to the bill was...

Someone You Should Know: Wonjung Bae

By Alexandra Kukulka

September 6, 2011

This year’s Student Academy Award for a documentary was given to a film called “Vera Klement: Blunt Edge,” which is about an 80-year-old Jewish painter’s imaginative process as she paints. Wonjung Bae, 30, directed the documentary to better understand her own mother, who is also an artist. Born in Busan, South Korea, Bae is a filmmaker who is interested in issues of identity, modernity and art.Bae received her mas...

Chicago Tea Party rallies on Tax Day

By Heather McGraw

April 25, 2011

The U.S. government changed the deadline to file taxes this year but that didn’t prevent the Chicago Tea Party from holding its third annual Tax Day rally to gather support for the movement.Tea Party members gathered outside Daley Plaza on April 18 to hear speakers from across the nation talk about the party’s future and what impact the Chicago group will have on it.Speakers at the event included Rep. Joe Walsh, of Illin...

Conservatives try to silence students

By Editorial Board

March 28, 2011

Republican legislators in several states, including New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin, are pushing for changes in local voting laws that would affect college students’ ability to cast their ballots on election day. A New Hampshire bill would limit student voting in college towns to those whose parents had previously established permanent residency there. Other proposals include ending same-day registration and requi...