Esther Yoon-Ji Kang
@estheryjkang
Followers
1K
Following
2K
Media
34
Statuses
1K
Reporter @WBEZ, Chicago’s @NPR station. I cover race, class, work, housing, Asian American issues. Twitter noob. Email: ekang at wbez dot org
chicago
Joined October 2009
As move-out date arrives at Chicago building raided by feds, one resident looks back — and ahead https://t.co/mw4EzdHY1i Heartbreaking story by @estheryjkang
wbez.org
For Darren Hightower, the South Shore building holds difficult memories but also reminds him of how he advocated for himself and his neighbors. Now, he just needs to find a new place to live.
0
1
1
“We are the strongest in the state. And I mean it,” said Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson in a lengthy interview Thursday with WBEZ. “We don’t fold. Broadview’s not scared. … Leave Broadview alone.” https://t.co/BFRx64d9Tt
wbez.org
Immigration agents have aggressively responded to protests outside what was once a sleepy ICE facility in the western suburb. Mayor Katrina Thompson says she’s not backing down.
2
5
12
New: Some 4 million people in the U.S. could lose federal housing assistance under new plans from the Trump administration, say experts who reviewed drafts of two unpublished rules obtained by ProPublica.
propublica.org
Drafts of unpublished rules obtained by ProPublica detail plans that would open the door to full-time work requirements, two-year limits on living in federally supported housing and stripping aid...
10
125
142
BREAKING: Timothy C. Evans, chief judge of the Cook County circuit court for 24 years, has lost his re-election bid to Judge Charles Beach, 2 courthouse sources told me. The vote this afternoon was Beach 144 and Evans 109, one of the sources said. Awaiting official stmt…
5
12
29
Do you know who your landlord is? For many renters in Chicago & the US, their landlord is an LLC. That makes it hard for people to get issues addressed in their homes—and for the city to crack down on problem landlords.
wbez.org
Who's your landlord? For many Chicago renters, their landlord is a faceless entity called an LLC, a limited liability company. That anonymity makes it tough to hold problem landlords accountable.
0
0
0
A Labor Day reminder: today there isn't a single city, county, or state in the U.S. where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment. Millions of people with jobs—even multiple jobs—aren't safe from homelessness in America. https://t.co/SfHWiQzP6o
265
5K
13K
Lawndale Christian Legal Center offers an alternative to prison and helped Shaq Wilson rebuild his life. Now, a new West Side building will support 20 men. https://t.co/kWJSQ2Q1GK
wbez.org
Lawndale Christian Legal Center offers an alternative to prison and helped Shaq Wilson rebuild his life. Now, a new West Side building will support 20 men.
0
3
3
A @LawndaleLegal program that keeps young #Chicago men out of #prison is expanding to 20 furnished studio apartments with mental health services, a tech lab and a commercial-grade kitchen for culinary training. @estheryjkang reports this @WBEZ story. https://t.co/SsMaOF9QXQ
wbez.org
Lawndale Christian Legal Center offers an alternative to prison and helped Shaq Wilson rebuild his life. Now, a new West Side building will support 20 men.
0
2
2
From barbershops to bakeries, business owners are worried about how they’ll sustain themselves in the coming months. Many small business owners are bracing themselves for the financial impact — even as news about the tariffs changes by the day. https://t.co/8wOHqkOf4q
wbez.org
From barbershops to bakeries, business owners are worried about how they'll sustain themselves in the coming months.
0
3
6
The National Public Housing Museum opens Friday. While many Chicagoans are familiar with the disinvestment, decaying buildings and gang violence associated with the projects, the museum aims to paint a fuller picture of the history of public housing. https://t.co/lviXRaT9bx
wbez.org
The museum tells a less familiar story about the history of public housing. “It was a decent, lovely place to live,” a former resident says.
0
1
6
“[The ordinance] is about understanding that if you continue to do your job well, your employment is not going to vanish one day for some sort of bureaucratic reason,” said Evanston Mayor @DanielBiss.
wbez.org
Dining hall workers and housekeepers can keep their jobs if the university changes contractors. NU raised concerns about the impact on costs.
0
2
2
A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s efforts to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB was created after the 2008 financial crisis to help protect consumers from predatory practices by institutions like big banks. https://t.co/YjlbFnGz7q
wbez.org
Layoffs at the CFPB are on hold, for now. Advocates say a mini agency at the state level could help protect consumers, but it might not be enough.
0
2
12
I reported this story in collaboration with @ElviaMalagon. Read and listen to it. Right here👇🏽 . Trump's immigration arrests in Chicago raise questions about 4th Amendment violations
chicago.suntimes.com
President Donald Trump has said his administration is targeting dangerous criminals, but attorneys working with those detained in Chicago say many do not have criminal records. Attorneys say many...
0
4
6
'It is very much being pushed off of a cliff, without any resources.' There's not much for kids w/development disabilities when they finish high school. There's a 5-year wait list for services like help finding a job. Great read by @estheryjkang @WBEZ:
wbez.org
School districts prepare students for post-grad life, but skills and potential are lost as Chicago families try to figure out the next steps on their own.
3
10
8
Also, a piece from our archives: One Chicago father started a cookie business w/ a social mission: to employ people w/ special needs -- like his son, who has autism. It was their story that got me wondering about other Chicago families.
wbez.org
1
0
0
It will take significant funding & systems redesign to make lasting changes. But in the meantime, some tips for parents of children with developmental disabilities on how to navigate the maze:
wbez.org
Locating services for young adults with developmental challenges is tricky. One expert offers advice to help families navigate the maze.
1
0
1
“It is very much being pushed off of a cliff, without any resources,” says Josh Long, chief of @ChiPubSchools' Office for Students w/ Disabilities. This comes, he added, after the school district invested “millions of $$, per the federal law, in special ed from [age] 3 to 22."
1
0
0
Advocates say the adult developmental disabilities world is a maze. Families struggle to access services & funding for young adults with autism, Down syndrome, epilepsy, etc. as their children lose the skills and potential they developed in school. https://t.co/VLCzljjgj0
wbez.org
School districts prepare students for post-grad life, but skills and potential are lost as Chicago families try to figure out the next steps on their own.
1
2
1
Tens of thousands of Chicagoans with intellectual disabilities have aged out of school and are now left hanging. As they confront funding delays and a service system many describe as a “maze,” disabled young people risk losing the skills they developed. https://t.co/3qsaQDmGc4
wbez.org
School districts prepare students for post-grad life, but skills and potential are lost as Chicago families try to figure out the next steps on their own.
0
3
2