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Investigations

The Newsroom produces deeply researched investigative stories that shine a light on abuses of power and waste within government.

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Investigation

Emanuel Soft on Chicago Polluters Despite Tough Talk

A BGA/Medill analysis shows environmental enforcement declined under the two-term mayor. City inspection staff was slashed as mayor cut costs.
Feb 22, 2019 5:00 AM
Investigation

Chicago Public Schools to Pay $4M in Special Ed Teen's Drowning

Documents released after a judge lifts a publication ban against the BGA offer new details about failed oversight, warnings that were ignored and "mayhem" at high school pool on the Southwest Side in 2017.
Feb 8, 2019 5:00 AM
Investigation

Cook Judge Bars Publication of Documents About Student Drowning, Raising Free Press Concerns

After CPS lawyer provides BGA with internal records about drowning death of teen with autism, a Cook County judge issues order temporarily prohibiting publication. School district lawyers say they released the documents by mistake.
Feb 7, 2019 5:00 AM
Investigation

Taxpayers Covered Millions in Gym Costs Jesse White Promised to Pay

Illinois’ Secretary of State said he would raise most of the funds needed to build a new Chicago home for his Tumblers gymnastics team. He didn’t, but taxpayers did.
Jan 11, 2019 11:30 AM
Investigation

The King of Recusals: How Ald. Ed Burke’s Private Law Business Intersects With His Public Power

Chicago’s longest-sitting alderman has recused himself 464 times in the last eight years, far more than all other aldermen combined. Following recent federal raids, questions of his conflicts of interest have arisen again.
Dec 26, 2018 12:18 PM
Investigation

Taxpayer Tab for Chicago-area #MeToo Cases $55 Million and Growing

Legal costs mount as hundreds of public bodies in the Chicago region over the last decade have faced allegations of sexual assault, harassment or abuse.
Nov 26, 2018 10:00 PM
Investigation

How Dolton, Illinois Reflects America's Changing Suburbs in 2018

BGA and WBEZ spent months in Dolton reporting on a growing national trend: for the first time, there is more poverty in suburbs than in cities.
Nov 12, 2018 12:00 AM
Investigation

Interactive Map: Pollution Hits Chicago's West, South Sides Hardest

New research shows toxic threats are greatest in minority neighborhoods near industrial areas. Interactive map also shows pollution dangers near your home.
Oct 25, 2018 6:00 AM
Investigation

Un mapa interactivo confirma que oeste y sur de Chicago son los más afectados por la contaminación

Una nueva investigación muestra que las amenazas tóxicas son mayores en los pequeños vecindarios cercanos a las áreas industriales. El estudio, según los activistas, puede contribuir en la lucha por la reubicación de la industria sucia en sus comunidades.
Oct 25, 2018 6:00 AM
Investigation

Searchable Map: Is Your Blue Cart Recycling Tossed in a Landfill?

Browse and search more than 500,000 recorded residential recycling contaminations.
Oct 10, 2018 12:00 AM

Investigations

Emanuel Soft on Chicago Polluters Despite Tough Talk

Chicago Public Schools to Pay $4M in Special Ed Teen's Drowning

Cook Judge Bars Publication of Documents About Student Drowning, Raising Free Press Concerns

Taxpayers Covered Millions in Gym Costs Jesse White Promised to Pay

The King of Recusals: How Ald. Ed Burke’s Private Law Business Intersects With His Public Power

Taxpayer Tab for Chicago-area #MeToo Cases $55 Million and Growing

How Dolton, Illinois Reflects America's Changing Suburbs in 2018

Interactive Map: Pollution Hits Chicago's West, South Sides Hardest

Un mapa interactivo confirma que oeste y sur de Chicago son los más afectados por la contaminación

Searchable Map: Is Your Blue Cart Recycling Tossed in a Landfill?

Featured articles

How Dolton, Illinois Reflects America's Changing Suburbs in 2018

As Tons of Chicago Recycling Go to Dumps, a Private Firm Is Paid Twice

Trapped: Neglected Elevators Put Chicago’s Public Housing Residents at Risk