With schools turning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to look at how schools were dealing with online education, comparing traditional and charter schools.

CHANGE Illinois is spearheading the development of the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission, whose goal is to create a transparent ward map centered on and drawn by residents.

Chicago’s 50 wards are stretched and twisted into tortured shapes, a not-surprising result of being drawn by politicians to serve their interests. If we have our way, the next map will be drawn by an independent citizens’ commission.

Check out some of the highlights of our interview with Ald. Michele Smith of the 43rd Ward.

Under state law, 25% of revenues collected from recreational marijuana sales are slated for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the justice system. As a result, more than $25 million from cannabis sales are expected to fund organizations that operate in historically underserved Illinois communities.

Chicago Department of Public Health officials rejected a plan that would allow the General Iron metal recycling plant to move and expand on the East Side. Public comments on RMG’s application are still being accepted.

Surveys from voters in the 2020 Local School Elections, plus feedback from election-day hotline queries and a post-election debriefing involving community members, found that expanded voting options, including mail-in and curbside voting, were successful and should be retained for future elections.

With 50 aldermen representing 50 wards, Chicago’s City Council is unusually large among major US cities. There have been proposals over the years to reduce the number of wards or even eliminate the ward system.

The boundaries of Chicago’s 50 wards will be redrawn to reflect population changes shown in the 2020 census. CHANGE Illinois executive director Madeleine Doubek talks about what is at stake and how Chicago residents can get involved.

The competing interests of politicians, racial and ethnic groups, and neighborhoods are likely to make for a contentious process to redraw the boundaries of Chicago’s 50 wards after the 2020 census data arrive.

More than 40 local labor, community, faith, youth and environmental organizations called on the City of Chicago to deny recycling and air operations approvals for General Iron’s proposed Southeast Side facility.

All your Vote by Mail questions, answered.

Despite recent news reports about problems with the postal service, post offices in the state and city of Chicago have equipment and procedures in place to efficiently process mail-in ballots.

On May 22, Illinois state lawmakers made sweeping changes to the way voters will cast their ballots in the upcoming General Election. As a result of this legislation, all election authorities will be urging voters to vote by mail or vote early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 38% of Chicago voters cast ballots in the March 17 Primary Election, a decline from the 53.5% turnout rate in the 2016 Primary. Nevertheless, voters broke records: almost 50% of voters chose to vote early or by mail rather than voting in their home precinct on Election Day.

Many Cook County Jail detainees have no idea they can vote, but a number of local organizations, including LWV Chicago, are working to change that. Julie Shelton coordinates the League’s participation in voter registration drives at the jail.

The League jumped into action to honor Ida B. Wells with a downtown street, and Congress Parkway was chosen to be renamed. Here’s how we did it.

Ask your alderman to support O2018-4176, which calls for East Balbo Drive to be renamed as "Ida B. Wells Drive." LWV Chicago has been leading efforts to make this change.