Stephanie Zimmermann

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Stephanie Zimmermann |Frank Main

Anat Kimchi was studying the criminal justice system because she thought she could help make it fairer. Kimchi, 31, a University of Maryland grad student, wanted to figure out which nonviolent offenders were the most likely to abide by the conditions of their early release from prison and which were likeliest to fail — and why. Her work was ambitious and heavy on data analysis. So, in June 2021, she took a break and came to Chicago to visit a friend.

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Stephanie Zimmermann |Frank Main

June 29, 2023, and Henry Graham, a lost soul in one of America’s wealthiest neighborhoods, was strolling Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Again. For years, Graham had ricocheted back and forth among Chicago, Evanston and South Bend, Indiana. He’d bounce from homeless shelters to jails, prisons and hospitals, the troubles in his head never fully addressed. On a good day, he’d walk in to St. James Episcopal Cathedral near Huron Street and Wabash Avenue for some free food and a little camaraderie.

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Stephanie Zimmermann |Frank Main

Mariana and her coworkers from Volaris were hungry. It had been a long flight to Midway Airport on the Mexican airline, and they hadn’t had breakfast. So, on Nov. 13, 2023, after checking in at their hotel, the young flight attendant and her friends decided to go out to eat and, after that, to do some shopping at Sephora. “I remember that there were many people because it was shopping season, Thanksgiving was approaching,” she later wrote in Spanish in a victim-impact statement.

2 weeks ago | sumikai.com | Stephanie Zimmermann

In der Präfektur Iwate im Nordosten Japans hat sich Ende Februar der schlimmste Waldbrand seit Jahrzehnten ereignet. Das Feuer, das in der Stadt Ōfunato ausgebrochen ist, hat zahlreiche Bewohner zur Flucht gezwungen. Die Ryori-Grundschule konnte trotz der Folgen ihre langjährige Tradition fortsetzen und ihre Einschulungszeremonie am 1. April abhalten. Die Praxis, die Zeremonie an genau diesem Datum abzuhalten, soll bereits vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg eingeführt worden sein.

2 weeks ago | wbez.org | Stephanie Zimmermann |David Struett

Bridgeport resident Ellen Grimes, 66, is fed up. She has tried finding a more affordable homeowners insurance policy for her two-flat but kept getting rejected by companies that didn’t want to insure her 1880s-era home. “After a year of trying to find a decent rate, I gave up,” Grimes said. Her annual premium this year is $3,246. In 2020, it was $2,423. The extra $823 makes her wonder if it’s worth it. “Do I stay in Chicago? It erodes my desire to stay and renovate my building,” she said.