Nearly 70 properties are in receivership after Jiazhao ‘Frank’ Chen defaulted on at least $119 million in real estate loans. A proposed landlord registry could help the city track irresponsible property owners.
Binghui Huang
Binghui Huang is an investigative reporter covering economic and equity issues in Chicago. She previously covered health and business at the Indianapolis Star. With more than a decade in local news, she has uncovered dangerous carcinogenic pollution by a medical device maker, investigated worker abuses in RV factories and revealed shoddy work by workplace safety inspectors due to decades of underfunding and cuts to the department. Her reporting has prompted changes in business practices, legislative reform and increased funding to critical programs.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
City Leaders Tout Tree-Planting Bonanza, But Neighborhood Disparities Persist
Departments have turned to community groups to help break through cultural barriers that have contributed to wide gaps in tree coverage, a critical public health measure
Posted inInvestigations
Chicago’s Efforts to Keep Housing Affordable in Woodlawn Falls Short as Obama Center Nears Opening
Latisha Bolden, exhausted from her eight hour shift at a nearby hospital in early March, came home to devastating news. Her son handed her a notice from their landlord stating […]
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
Chicago’s Quantum Ambitions Come With a Water Question
Editor’s Note: Illinois Answers published a story last year examining the massive public investment aimed at developing the quantum industry in South Chicago. This week, we end a three-part explainer series with […]
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
Chicago’s quantum hub has some of the highest state funding per job. Here’s the breakdown
Editor’s Note: This is the second of three explainers examining key issues in the 128-acre Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park, or IQMP. Today, we look at the project’s potential for […]
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
How Much Public and Private Money Is Powering Chicago’s Quantum Push?
Editor’s Note: We published a story last year examining the massive public investment aimed at developing the quantum industry in South Chicago. This week, we begin a three-part explainer series […]
Posted inInvestigating Responses
Cook County Tried to Rid People of Medical Debt, but, for Many, Help Comes Too Late
Since 2022, Cook County has spent more than $4 million to forgive nearly $500 million worth of medical debt for some 278,000 residents, becoming a pioneer among local governments and garnering waves of positive publicity for their efforts.
But an analysis of Cook County’s debt relief accounts show that many people like Ciaccio saddled with debt should have qualified for free care, a sign that local hospitals are failing to screen for some of the region’s poorest patients even as some use aggressive tactics to collect debt.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
‘Most Drivers Aren’t Making Money:’ App-Based Gig Work Promised Freedom and Flexibility. Workers Feel Exploited and Unsafe.
As the app-based informal economy grows, its many low-wage workers are demanding the same protections and benefits that many other full and part time workers have – to limited success in Chicago.
Posted inInvestigations
Making it in Chicago: Detours and Dead Ends on the Path to Opportunity
The path to upward mobility is paved by affordable and quality education, housing, health care, as well as safe neighborhoods and good-paying jobs… things increasingly out of reach for many Chicagoans. Some city, state and community -led efforts could be part of a roadmap to economic opportunity.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
The Promises and Pitfalls of Quantum Computing in Chicago
South Chicago teenager Silvestre Luna wants what so many young people plan for: a job he likes, good pay and opportunities to grow in his career. He hasn’t had it […]
