Sarah Karp

1 week ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Sarah Karp

With Chicago Public Schools grappling with a $529 million deficit and no clear way to balance its budget for the fall, the state might want to take over the school district’s finances — a move that could open up new revenue opportunities, but also force CPS to make cuts that school board members and the mayor oppose. That’s according to a new report by the nonpartisan financial watchdog group, the Civic Federation.

1 week ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Emmanuel Camarillo |Sarah Karp

On his way out the door, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez had harsh words for Chicago City Hall and the teachers union who he warned wanted to throw the school district into financial distress and then demand a bailout. Martinez, speaking at a City Club of Chicago event Monday, touched on several aspects of his tenure in what served as an unofficial exit interview for the outgoing CEO. He explained his opposition to a borrowing plan to plug a budget hole that ultimately cost him his job.

2 weeks ago | ctpublic.org | Debbie Elliott |Sarah Karp

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

2 weeks ago | wusf.org | Debbie Elliott |Sarah Karp

No Kings protests will be held across the country. The protests are the same day as a military parade in Washington to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday which coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. Copyright 2025 NPR

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Nader Issa |Sarah Karp

A caution for readers: This story contains material that discusses suicide. One afternoon in class last October, a student at Wildwood IB World Magnet School on the Northwest Side told his classmates he would say the N-word in exchange for gum. He said the word “over and over,” elementary school administrators later learned. Others repeated the word. The group of kids laughed. Sitting among them was Jada, one of only two Black students in the seventh grade at the predominantly white public school.