Kristen Schorsch | WBEZ Chicago
WBEZ Chicago reporter
Kristen Schorsch is a reporter on WBEZ’s government and politics team, where she covers Cook County and public health.
Dozens of employees are taking 20% pay cuts or having their hours reduced. The center would not reveal the number of furloughs.
Support groups are trying to address obstacles to care that include language barriers and a persistent shortage of mental health workers.
The county’s emergency management chief said the region faced “an exceptional year” for disasters – from thousands of migrants arriving to record storms.
Black women continue to be disproportionately affected, and more pregnant people who die are losing their lives months after giving birth.
This time, Chicago’s north and northwest suburbs got hit particularly hard on property taxes.
Cook County board president wants to tap reserves to keep in place some programs launched with federal pandemic relief dollars after that lifeline ends.
The county was already helping rent the former hotels in Evanston and Oak Park. The plan won approval from the full board, though some commissioners wanted low-income south suburbs prioritized.
Hospital union workers are seeking better pay and more staff. The report details how a patient died after being left alone in the emergency room.
In June, county leaders said they expected to start the 2024 budget year with an $86 million gap.