Block Club Chicago

Block Club Chicago Senior Editor of Investigations Curtis Lawrence is retiring after 44 years in journalism. Our newsroom launched a fund to support The Watch, the investigative team Curtis helped found, in his honor. Donate here: https://lnkd.in/eYjS8cQ3 A native South Sider and Studs Terkel Award winner, Curtis' career took him to six daily newspapers in the Midwest, The Chicago Reporter, and eventually Block Club. As a professor at Columbia College, he mentored generations of journalists over his 20 years. He's even had the honor of working with former students in our newsroom — a testament to his legacy. Over the past year and a half under Curtis and Mick Dumke's direction, Block Club's The Watch team has broken story after story of impact, holding the leaders of the CTA, CHA and CPS — government systems that deeply affect the lives of every Chicagoan, but especially South and West Siders — to account. Read his farewell letter here: https://lnkd.in/eVsNc6zS Cheers to you, Curtis!

Congratulations to AJP-supported outlets Flatwater Free Press, The Marshall Project, Mississippi Today and City Bureau for wins at the 2024 Nonprofit News Awards, presented by the Institute for Nonprofit News! Additionally, Maple Walker Lloyd was named Emerging Leader of the Year for her long list of accomplishments since joining the Block Club Chicago team in 2019, including helping the organization grow to a more-than-$4-million-a-year news operation. Andy Hall and Dee Hall, founders of Wisconsin Watch, received the INN Service to Nonprofit News Award for their significant contributions to nonprofit news. Read more about the winners:

This just in: the winners of the 2024 Nonprofit News Awards (INNYs) were announced tonight at a ceremony in Atlanta. The INNYs honor excellence in journalism, leadership and community service and are presented by INN to members of the 450-newsroom INN Network and their collaborators. Congratulations to the #INNYs2024 winners: Andy Hall?and Dee J. Hall?of Wisconsin Watch, Maple Walker Lloyd?of Block Club Chicago, Voices of Monterey Bay, InvestigateWest, Injustice Watch, The Marshall Project, The New York Times,?California Health Report, Asheville Watchdog, Flatwater Free Press, AL.com, The Post and Courier, Mississippi Today, The Frontier, The Guardian, Borderless Magazine, El Tímpano, City Bureau, Invisible Institute, InDepthNH.org, Springfield Daily Citizen, Jewish Currents, Honolulu Civil Beat, Brookline.News, Dallas Free Press, The Narwhal, The Forward, THE JOLT - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater, San Francisco Public Press, Retro Report, WORLD Channel, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), and Ruby Franzen?of The Hechinger Report. Read more about this year’s winners here: https://lnkd.in/eDpT_Udm The 2024 INNYs were sponsored by Google News Initiative?and Canva.

?? Eighteen independent news businesses took the stage last night as winners of the 2024 LION Sustainability Awards, presented by Knight Foundation and Google during the Independent News Sustainability Summit in Chicago. ?? Kudos to 9 Millones, Altavoz Lab, Block Club Chicago, Borderless Magazine, Canopy Atlanta, CivicLex, El Tímpano, Johnson County Post, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Planet Detroit, Red Bank Green, Santa Cruz Local, Spotlight PA, Technical.ly, The Appeal, Investigative Journalism Foundation, The Pulp, and The Reporting Project for their outstanding work! Read more about their projects and what our judges had to say. ?? https://lnkd.in/guQtUnCR

Congratulations to the 2024 LION Sustainability Awards winners, including AJP portfolio news outlets Block Club Chicago, Spotlight PA and MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Eighteen news organizations were honored with these awards, celebrating excellence in sustainable #localnews. Read more about the winners:

At Clemente Community Academy, students are missing critical instruction time because of absent teachers. According to an investigation by our friends at Block Club Chicago, it’s one of a number of Chicago Public Schools struggling because of a teacher shortage.

Block Club Chicago is hiring a full-time News Editor to help guide reporters in their coverage of Chicago's neighborhoods. Deadline to apply: 10/12. Details:

The Wiggleworms and Jesse White Tumblers are set to perform, and we'll have arts and crafts by Somos Arte and activities by the Y. Plus TWO bouncy houses! Join us Saturday!

From who’s playing and when, get all the info you need to party with us, Chicago-style, at our first-ever block party on Saturday, Sept. 7. RSVP for free at partywithblockclub.org. https://lnkd.in/gUvvRcYH

We’re throwing our first-ever Block Club Block Party — and you're invited! ?? Saturday, Sept. 7, Noon-8 PM ?? McCormick YMCA, just off The 606 in Logan Square, 1834 N. Lawndale Ave.? ?? Live bands, food, beer garden, local vendors, kids activities, games + surprises! ?? FREE! RSVP + get more info at partywithblockclub.org.