Judith Crown

Chicago

Contributing Editor, Notables at Crain's Chicago Business

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Articles

U of I's objection could kill bill to boost funds for state's public universities

1 week ago | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

Proposed state legislation that would boost funding for public universities is pitting the University of Illinois System against underfunded institutions that are struggling with deficits, layoffs and declining enrollment. The Adequate & Equitable Public University Funding Act calls for an additional $135 million a year over 15 years, or $1.75 billion in additional funding, for the state’s public universities.
Big Ten faculties push a NATO-style alliance to blunt Trump attacks

3 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

Faculties at Big Ten universities are proposing a mutual defense pact as a way to blunt the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward higher education. The faculty senates at six Big Ten schools have adopted resolutions in favor of a NATO-style alliance in which member schools would support a fellow institution under political or legal attack. Additional schools have scheduled votes. With billions in research funding hanging in the balance, university presidents have been quiet.
Worker co-ops aim to make a dent in the persistent wealth gap

1 month ago | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

Finding a job can be difficult after serving time in prison, especially one that pays a living wage. The first barrier is having to check the box on a job application that says “formerly incarcerated,” says Kimberly Britt, an owner of the five-year-old South Side worker co-op ChiFresh Kitchen. “The jobs we were able to get were $10 an hour.
Chicago working-class communities see opportunity in alternative wealth-building models

1 month ago | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

A group of South Shore residents hope that their plans to take shared ownership of a rundown building on 71st Street will serve as a blueprint for revitalizing the neighborhood’s commercial corridor. The South Shore Community Development Corp. recently closed on the property, west of Jeffrey Boulevard, and expects to begin a nearly $3 million rehab.
Chicago makes its move to get in on the data center boom

2 months ago | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

Microsoft last year acquired more than 500 acres for a data center in southwest suburban Plano. Compass Datacenters is building a five-building campus on 200 acres at the former Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates. CyrusOne is also developing a 230-acre complex near Yorkville.
Storied Donnelley printing plant revamped into a hulking data center

2 months ago | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

Inside a building not far from the lakefront is where you can clearly see the industrial age meet the digital. A 109-megawatt data center operated by Austin, Texas-based Digital Realty, the 1.1 million-square-foot space serves as a connection point for 600 tenants such as Comcast, Microsoft and Amazon. A series of eerily empty corridors inside the building leads to locked closets housing stacks of servers and networking equipment. But the eighth floor of 350 E.
Five years later: How the pandemic changed Chicago

Feb 10, 2025 | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

By Judith Crown February 19, 2025 In the five years since the COVID-19 lockdowns upended lives and businesses, many have returned to what looks like a pre-pandemic “normal.” But not all. The pandemic’s effects still weigh on Chicago in numerous ways. Memories may have faded with time, but who can forget worrying about not having enough face masks? Or whether "contact tracing" worked?
Impending expiration of federal tax credits could leave more Illinoisans uninsured

Feb 10, 2025 | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

It isn’t just the lowest-income Americans at risk of losing health care if Congress votes to reduce benefits. Lower- and middle-income Americans who buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, marketplace face higher costs that could cause some to drop the coverage and become uninsured. That’s because enhanced tax credits started during the COVID pandemic are set to expire at the end of the year, making them an easy cost savings for Republicans because there’s no vote or action required.
What Illinois faces if congressional Republicans slash Medicaid

Feb 10, 2025 | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

By Judith Crown February 24, 2025 On a typical day at his Sinai Chicago clinic, Dr. Michael Malone sees patients with chronic health problems — diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, congestive heart failure and asthma. A majority of them are on Medicaid. Without that safety-net insurance, Malone worries how his fragile patients would get the medications, tests and other care they need. “How am I going to help someone with congestive heart failure?” he says.
Amid climate of DEI opposition, firms weigh legal and business risks

Jan 6, 2025 | chicagobusiness.com | Judith Crown

When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, large public companies are going underground. Under pressure from conservative activists, they’re rolling back their most public initiatives. But in so doing, they risk antagonizing employees and investors who see spineless corporate bureaucracies. “The companies are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place,” says attorney Lauren Hartz, co-chair of Chicago-based Jenner & Block’s DEI Protection Task Force.