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saw that the era of marches and lunch counter protests had come to an end. What people needed
were facts.
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New research shows that millions of people in the U.S. didn’t have enough food last year.
istockphoto.com.

More Struggling With Hunger

By: Christopher Pratt
Posted On: February 8, 2010Originally published as part of the January, 2010 Issue
The news:

More than 49 million people didn’t have enough food in 2008, an increase of 13 million people to
reach a record high, according to a new survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture using U.S.
Census data.

Behind the news:

Many people in Illinois qualify for food stamps and don’t get them.

An estimated $85 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits went unclaimed in
Chicago in 2007, according to a September report released by the Food Research and Action Center, a
Washington, D.C.-based food policy group.

An estimated 141,843 people in Chicago qualified for food stamps in 2007 but didn’t get them,
according to the same report. Some experts think they know why.

“The [Illinois Department of Human Services] offices are understaffed at the same time that the
number of households who are seeking help has skyrocketed,” said Diane Doherty, executive director
of the Illinois Hunger Coalition.

“People are frustrated because they have to come back to apply and wait to get an interview, which is
a requirement for food stamps,” she said.

In addition, more people are applying, including the newly unemployed and those re-enrolling for
another benefit cycle.

“I think it’s pretty clear the need has gone up,” said Evelyn Brodkin, a political science professor at
the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. It’s unclear if the food stamp
system can handle the increased case-load, Brodkin said.

On top of that, the food policy group’s report shows more people need food. Nationwide, 20 percent
of all people sampled said they worried they’d run out of food before getting more money. The
response is reflected in the number of visits to area food pantries— which increased by 26 percent
from July through September, said Bob Dolgan, a spokesman for the Greater Chicago Food
Depository.

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November 11, 2009

Labor department numbers don't reflect real economy
By Christopher Pratt

Last week, the national unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent, its highest point since 1983. In September, the
Illinois unemployment rate was 10.5 percent.

A new interactive graphic by The New York Times put the unemployment rate for Hispanics without high school
degrees at 15.1 percent. For African Americans in the same demographic, the rate is 27.2 percent. For white people
in that same group, the unemployment rate is 17.5 percent.

Explore more with the Times' interactive graphic here.

Labor coverage by The Chicago Reporter here.

Posted at 04:55 PM in Employment/Labor | Permalink ShareThis

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Since the Labor Dept has NEVER reflected the true numbers, when will some company step for the first time in history &
REFLECT the real numbers?

There are enough startups out there that can get the *real* numbers and blow the lid off that pop stand.

And with the internet, someone should or some company should start telling the truth . . . that the numbers are really in the 20
percentile and not what the Labor Dept. wants us to believe.

Posted by: Apres Ski | November 23, 2009 at 08:36 PM

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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, higher rates of hospitalization from
the H1N1 virus have been reported among minority populations in Chicago. Photo courtesy of
istockphoto.com.

H1N1 Virus Takes Toll On Minorities

By: Christopher Pratt
Posted On: December 18, 2009Originally published as part of the November, 2009 Issue
The news:

According to an August report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a
fall resurgence of the H1N1 virus could “cause between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths in the U.S.,
concentrated among children and young adults.”

Behind the news:

More than half of 36 children who died from the H1N1 virus between May and July were from racial
or ethnic minority groups, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A September study by the CDC found that 12 of the 36 children were Hispanic, while six were black
and three were Asian. Thirteen of the children had received the seasonal flu vaccine, and 11 had
“high-risk” medical conditions. And 19 had received antiviral treatment.

Between April 24 and July 25, 1,557 cases of the virus were reported in Chicago, and 205 of the cases
led to hospitalization, according to an August CDC report. Among Hispanics, African Americans and
Asians, higher rates of hospitalization from the virus were reported.

Dr. Julie Morita, medical director of the immunization program at the Chicago Department of Public
Health and co-author of the August report, cautioned that the data are still preliminary. “I do feel like
it’s premature to make any interpretation of that data,” she said.

But Dr. Jorge Parada, associate professor of medicine at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School
of Medicine, said the disparity in the numbers might be from the lack of access to health care among
minority groups. “It is hypothetically possible that there is some genetic predisposition, but right now
it’s that they’re not getting care. Either way, it’s not good news,” said Parada, who is medical director
of the infection control program at Loyola.

Mark Dworkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said that as of yet he didn’t
see any reason to believe minority children—Latino, in particular— were at a higher risk of H1N1
infection. “However, if they don’t have good access to the vaccine, they will be at higher risk,”
Dworkin said.

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September 23, 2009

Are four Special Operations cops sentenced last week tip of the iceberg?
By Christopher Pratt

Four police officers formerly assigned to an elite unit pleaded guilty to theft and official misconduct, and each was
sentenced to six months in jail on Friday, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The four officers were in now-disbanded Special Operations Section. Seven former members of that unit have
been arrested as part of a federal corruption probe. A November 2007 investigation by The Chicago Reporter,
found that 63 officers from the unit had received more than 10 complaints of misconduct--more than any other
unit in the department.

The Reporter investigation also revealed that a disproportionate number of police officers most often accused of
misconduct patrol predominantly black police districts.

Posted at 10:46 AM in Criminal Justice | Permalink ShareThis

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