The Chicago Reporter articles from February 2004

The Chicago Reporter archives from February 2004

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... I wanted to address your comment regarding reparations for slavery [Editor's Note: "Slavery's Legacy," December 2003]. As a retired teacher, I feel that this issue will go unresolved for an eternity or until those who possess the power and...

Self discovery: being white, Jewish and suburban didn't make sense to Kevin Coval when he was a teen, but hip hop did.(New Voices)
February 1, 2004... Kevin Coral stood in front of 10 black students in his John Coltrane T-shirt and khaki corduroys, trying to hush the chit chat before a performance at an Evanston Township High School evening class. Then he bounced his hands in rhythm and let...

Diminishing returns: poor families are paying the price for fast tax refunds.(Keeping Current)
February 1, 2004... A group of activists is charging that corporations are taking advantage of the working poor's need for fast money by targeting the beneficiaries of a special federal program intended to boost people out of poverty. "This is our money,"...

Beyond the base: competing in the most diverse statewide race ever, Democratic Senate hopefuls face a primary free-for-all. And no one has a dependable bloc of votes.
February 1, 2004... Eeryone on the 7900 block of South Dorchester Avenue knows Kim Gilmore. Now 41, Gilmore grew up in a home around the corner, and still lives in the neighborhood. On weekdays he's a deputy bureau chief with the Cook County human resources...

Slim chances: two long shots carry on with lean campaigns, but can't avoid the speculation that they can't win.
February 1, 2004... Nancy Skinner and Joyce Washington both have to know the odds aren't in their favor. But they're going to tell you anyway: They're in it to win. Among the seven Democrats competing in the March 16 primary for U.S. Senate, Skinner and Washington...

Parting shot.
February 1, 2004... January 20, 2004 A well-bundled George Torreon withstands frigid temperatures and cold winds off Lake Michigan while ice fishing in Belmont Harbor on the city's North Side. For Torreon, it has become a 15-year tradition. [ILLUSTRATION...