Restaurant tips in large American cities have been on the rise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but new evidence suggests that Americans are experiencing tipping fatigue. The tipping boom is likely coming to an end in Chicago restaurants, after the city government passed a new ordinance in October to gradually phase out tipped […] The post...

Chicago’s City Council passed a new ordinance intended to guarantee living wages for service industry workers, but experts believe that more strict legislation is needed to safeguard against employer fraud. The Chicago One Fair Wage ordinance, passed in October, will phase out Chicago’s subminimum wages for tipped workers over a five-year period,...

After two years of leading creative writing workshops in the Cook County Jail, University of Chicago student Ethan Ostrow said there is one moment he thinks about often.  He recalled how one participant shared that he had been charged with manslaughter after killing his best friend in a drunk driving accident.  “Watching him blink back […] The post...

Two University of Chicago students were banned from volunteering in the Cook County Jail after publicly criticizing jail policies. A letter from the People’s Law Office alleges that the students’ dismissal constitutes a First Amendment violation. As the new school year began, University of Chicago students Ethan Ostrow and Harley Pomper were preparing...

Katherine “Katie” Schulder-Battis joins The Chicago Reporter to fill the position of Multimedia Editor/Investigations Reporter.  While new to the team her name and work may strike a familiar chord. Last year, Katie moved from Brooklyn to earn an MSJ at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a concentration in Social Justice.  It’s...

Advocates say the Cook County Sheriff’s Department’s house-arrest policies trap women in unsafe situations—and often force mothers to choose between their safety or their children. On an April night in Chicago, Alexis Mansfield, an attorney who regularly assists women with criminal justice involvement, received a phone call from a woman in distress....