Two years of Pueblo at 14 East, rewatch our data journalism workshop, and deets about Chicago’s cash assistance program
and 14 East and Pueblo are hiring!
Hey there, reader! It’s your newsletter team — Claire, Elly, Richie, Mariah, Mo, Monique, Grace V., Grace DV., Emily and Cam — back this week with another good one.
Today we have a feature story on Pueblo’s two-year anniversary, the low-down on DePaul study abroad applications, news about Chicago’s cash assistance program and more resources and recommendations to start your week off right.
On Thursday, we hosted an amazing introductory data journalism workshop in partnership with SPJ/ONA DePaul. At that workshop, L.A. Times Data Journalist Ben Welsh showed us how to use spreadsheets to clean and analyze data, teaching how reporters turn numbers into compelling data-driven stories. If you missed the workshop, no worries! You can watch a recording of the event here.
It is because of our readers’ continued support that we are able to host journalism events and professional development workshops like this one. But to continue this work, our newsroom needs funding! So if you value the work we do at 14 East, please consider donating to our ongoing fundraiser. This fundraising event ends this week — so if you haven’t donated yet, now’s your chance! We’re just $30 short of our $3,000 goal, so donate today to help us meet our target. And again, we receive 100% of your donation, so anything helps!
Finally, we have some good news: 14 East and Pueblo are hiring for the 2022-23 academic year! Check the position descriptions and application HERE. Email 14 East Editor-In-Chief Grace Del Vecchio at graceEdelvecchio@gmail.com with any questions.
Okay, now let’s get into the news!
The Eighth Episode of The B-Side
By Elly Boes with Claire Malon
Our eighth episode of The B-Side features an investigative story from a team of DePaul reporters and 14 East contributors. Originally published in May 2021, “Who Wants General Iron?” discusses in-depth how the metal recycling company came to choose the Southeast Side for its new location and the years of organizing that followed.
In this piece — one in an award-winning series of 14 East stories — residents, activists and community members examine the negative impacts of historic industrialization, pollution and the future of their neighborhood.
Story by Elly Boes, Lara Diaz, Adriana Talavera, Citalli Velez
Recorded by Claire Malon
Produced by Elly Boes
Pueblo Turns Two! 🎉
By Richie Requena
Earlier this month Pueblo celebrated our second year as the sister bilingual publication to 14 East. As the current managing editor and co-founder of the magazine, I am grateful that we have been able to keep on going as we work towards our third year as an outlet for journalists and creatives who want to express themselves through their work. We started publishing pieces and news one month after the stay-at-home order set in 2020, and it feels unreal to think of Pueblo as a pandemic paper, because I have so many good memories of it.
Of course, much of our planning happened before we started to publish. Months of planning and meetings were set in motion before our debut on April 10, 2020. We planned weekly in-person pitch meetings in Lincoln Park to be more accessible, collaborations with other Latinx organizations and schemed up other ways to get to our audience. However, the pandemic was not something we were really considering. I very much doubt many people in February of 2020 could have understood the consequence of a global pandemic.
But we went with it anyway, and we continue to go through it together as a staff. We learned how to make more connections with less face time, even today, the world isn’t the same as it was in 2019. We also learn the dynamic position of a student leader, to be a student and a teacher for your classmates all at the same time.
I am most proud of the fact that we have been able to do so much more than stories (of which we have published 45). We have been able to do cultural events for our students so that they can express themselves and public newsrooms so that we can learn reporting tips from Chicago’s journalists and stakeholders.
We also learn the dynamic position of a student leader, to be a student and a teacher for your classmates all at the same time.
As we continue into our third year and restart our hiring process I am excited to see new faces on our staff and still find the motivation to look for new contributors that want to learn something with us, whether that be multimedia skills or even just getting their first byline out there. Seeing our work be a part of people’s portfolios as they grow their careers elicits a special feeling for me that shows they have made it and our publication has made it.
There are so many people I am grateful for, and I want to make sure they get their flowers. We would not be a publication without the enormous efforts of our co-founder Julían Martinez, former Managing Editor Marissa De La Cerda, former 14 East Editor-In-Chief Marissa Nelson, current Editor-In-Chief Grace Del Vecchio, current Managing Editor Cam Rodriguez and our staff advisor Amy Merrick. It’s also important to me to thank my mentor and DePaul alumni Jesus. J. Montero.
See you at year three!
Pueblo Managing Editor, Richie Requena
DePaul News
By Mariah Hernandez
John T. Richardson Memorial Mass
On Wednesday, April 27 DePaul will host a memorial mass for the recent death of DePaul’s ninth president, John T. Richardson. The memorial mass will be located at the Saint Vincent de Paul Church at 5:30 p.m. and a reception after the service will be held in the Lincoln Park Student Center as well. A live stream option is also available and can be accessed through this Zoom link.
DePaul Spring Cleaning
From April 22 to 29 the Office of Student Involvement will be accepting gently worn clothing to be donated. The clothing will go to the local Chicago homeless population through the Lincoln Park Services. In return for your donation, you can receive Earth Day merchandise. You can drop them off in the Lincoln Park Student Center in Suite 201. You can read more about the event here.
Apply for Study Abroad Programs for 2022-23
Applications for December 2022 and Winter/Spring 2023 Study Abroad programs are open and due by May 1. Possible options amongst the many for December 2022 include backpacking in Chile, studying film in Rome or discovering heritage and history in the U.K and Ireland. Winter/Spring options include Tokyo, Australia, France and more. There are two types of programs you can apply for, either a term-long program (quarter or longer) or a short-term program (1-3 weeks). Scholarships are available and you can learn more about the study abroad opportunities through Study Abroad 101 sessions that you can attend here.
Lastly, here is your weekend sports update (April 22 to 24):
The men’s tennis team won against Creighton 4-1 on Friday.
The women’s tennis team won against Butler 4-2 on Friday.
The men’s tennis team won against Xavier 4-2 on Saturday.
The softball team won against Georgetown 10-2 on Saturday.
The women’s tennis team won against St. John’s 4-2 on Saturday.
The softball team won against Georgetown 17-0 on Saturday.
The men’s tennis team won against St. John’s 4-2 on Sunday.
The women’s tennis team lost to Xavier 0-4 on Sunday.
The softball team won against Georgetown 13-9 on Sunday.
Chicago Headlines
By Maureen Dunne
City’s Cash Assistance Program Applications Now Open – Applications for the City of Chicago’s universal basic income pilot, which will provide $500 monthly to 5,000 Chicago households for one year, close May 13. Applications are open to Chicago residents who have faced economic hardship due to the pandemic and whose households earn at or less than 250% below the federal poverty level. Qualified Chicagoans can sign up here for updates on the program. Kelly Bauer of Block Club Chicago has more.
City Announces New Environmental Plan, Installation of Air Quality Monitors — Mayor Lightfoot announced plans to install air quality monitors throughout the city by 2025 to report to the Environmental Protection Agency for compliance with the Clean Air Act. Monitors will be installed near schools and CTA stops, but community members called for more action on lessening air pollution, not just monitoring it. Brett Chase of the Chicago Sun-Times has more.
Howard Brown Healthcare Workers Seeking to Unionize Due to Understaffing, Burnout — The Illinois Nurses Association which represents the LGBTQ-affirming healthcare provider’s nurses, has announced its intent to represent other Howard Brown staff across all of its locations amid a culture of burnout and understaffing. Employees interviewed by Block Club Chicago stated that the negative workplace culture impacts the quality of care patients receive. Howard Brown has responded and stated it will bargain in good faith with the union. Jake Wittich of Block Club Chicago reports.
Lincoln Park Neighbors Seeking to Hire Private Security Patrols, Other Residents Concerned — A group of Lincoln Park neighbors has posted flyers in the neighborhood organizing to hire private security group P4 to patrol the area, citing rising crime. Though city-wide crime rates have increased compared to 2021, Block Club Chicago reporting indicates an 11.3% decrease in robberies in Lincoln Park since 2019. Organizers of the effort ask $1,200 per household planning to opt into the service. Neighbors raised concerns about whether the guards would be armed. Jake Wittich of Block Club Chicago reports.
National Headlines
By Monique Mulima
Emmanuel Macron Re-elected French President – On Sunday French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected, beating far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. Macron won 58.5% of the votes in the runoff election and Le Pen got 41.5% of the votes. Macron will now serve a second five-year term as France’s president. John Leicester of the Associated Press has more.
Gov. DeSantis Signs Bill Revoking Disney World’s Special Status – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday that will strip Disney World of its “independent special district” status. This status allowed Disney World to maintain its own municipal services and ensure that residents in surrounding counties would not have their taxes going towards maintaining Disney. The bill was passed in a move of retaliation for Disney speaking out against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Bill Chappell of NPR has the details.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Trial Continues – Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene faced questions in a trial on Friday about her involvement in the January 6 Capitol Riots. The lawsuit brought by election organization Free Speech For People aims to determine if Rep. Greene is eligible to run for re-election. Greene deflected many of the questions surrounding her involvement and prior knowledge about the Capitol riots last year. Rebecca Shabad of NBC News reports.
Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin Visit Ukraine – U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine on Sunday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the meeting in Kyiv, the U.S. delegation announced over $700 million in foreign military funding to support Ukraine and allied countries to help deal with the ongoing conflict caused by Russian invasion. CBS News has the details.
Elon Musk Buys Twitter – Twitter accepted a deal from Elon Musk to purchase the social networking site for $44 billion on Monday. The Tesla and SpaceX founder and billionaire has described himself in the past as a “free speech absolutist,” which has raised concerns from some Twitter users who are worried about harmful speech on the platform. Greg Roumeliotis of Reuters has more.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Emily Soto
If you have not already seen the film Everything Everywhere All At Once, you are truly missing out. This incredible film from Daniels, stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis. It tells the story of an immigrant Chinese woman Evelyn Wang who owns a chaotic laundromat with her husband Waymond and daughter Joy, and her unexpected path to finding herself and restoring her relationships after years of asking, “what if I had done things differently?”
But when everything in her life seems to be at its lowest, the universe finally gives her the chance to answer that question.
Evelyn is visited by “Alpha Waymond,” the alternate universe version of her husband who is actually a “verse-jumper,” — a person who has been trained to jump through the multiverse to find other versions of themselves and channel their memories and abilities. He teaches Evelyn this skill and says that with it, she is the key to defeating the most talented verse-jumper who is trying to destroy the multiverse, Jobu Tupaki.
It makes us all ask ourselves, what really matters in our lives? What do we care about and what do we want to get out of it?
Despite resisting this call to action, she eventually finds herself so mixed up in the mayhem that she has no choice but to fight. Along the way, Evelyn is faced with her alternate lives and fantasizes over what she could have been, but later realizes the importance of the one she is living.
This story goes beyond the crazy yet perfect blend of action, drama, sci-fi, romance and comedy. It makes us all ask ourselves, what really matters in our lives? What do we care about and what do we want to get out of it? Once you take away all the action and effects, you are left with the story of a family who is just trying to make it through life — a feeling that we have all seen or felt at one time or another.
But my favorite part of the film comes when Evelyn is facing the choice to continue fighting after learning what she is really up against. Raymond, who has no context as to why everyone is fighting, delivers a speech that speaks not only to the characters but to the audience as well. He talks about the small joys in life that help him get through the tough times and how he uses humor — the one thing that drives Evelyn crazy — to show his love.
Ultimately, just pay attention. This film is not one that will feed you an easy, digestible storyline. It makes you think about every twist and turn to figure out what it really means to you.
Resources
Need resources regarding warming centers, rental assistance, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s all for today. Now get outside and enjoy this warm spell before it gets cold again! We’ll see you back here next Monday. Peace!
The 14 East Newsletter Team