Chicago Defender

CCSAO Announces Official Misconduct Charge Filed Against Bellwood Police Officer CHICAGO – A Bellwood Police Officer has been charged with a felony count of official misconduct for allegedly sharing confidential law enforcement information with an acquaintance who was a suspect in a crime, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Saturday.

by Willy Blackmore For decades, highways and industrial corridors have exposed Black communities to disproportionate levels of diesel pollution. As the Trump administration eases clean truck standards, environmental advocates warn those neighborhoods could once again pay the highest price. The research is conclusive: Black communities are disproportionately exposed to diesel exhaust and other traffic-related pollution.

Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services provides 600,000 masks to Chicago First Responders As hazardous wildfire smoke continues to impact the Chicago region and air quality levels reach unhealthy ranges, The Salvation Army is opening select facilities across Chicagoland as Air Quality Respite Centers for residents seeking relief from smoky outdoor conditions. Air quality across the region has deteriorated significantly due to smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada and Minnesota.

Nearly two centuries after the first Black woman preacher, more women are called to ministry — but tradition and bias still keep many from the pulpit. While there are some who preach, others who lead, and even an AME bishop, fewer than 1 in 10 Black church leadership positions are led by Black women. That’s despite the fact that 8 in 10 Black church congregants are Black women. Experts say progress has been slower and uneven than expected.

Nolan Wells‘ mother is speaking publicly about what life has looked like in the days since losing her son. Christine Wonsley posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday (July 16) in which she described the weight of grieving a child while simultaneously fighting for answers about how he died. As a healthcare provider, she said she has talked about grief professionally for years. Being on the other side of it, she said, is something else entirely. “Right now everything is so heavy.

Chicago experienced some of the worst air quality in the world among major cities Thursday as wildfire smoke drifted into the region. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued a Red Forecast Air Pollution Action Day, warning that air conditions could become unhealthy — and potentially hazardous — for everyone. Officials say the poor air quality could persist into Friday.

Free Public Experience Features Black-Owned Businesses, Interactive Activations, Live Entertainment, Actors, Musicians, Celebrity DJs, and Performances During the 117th NAACP National Convention Tomorrow, the NAACP will officially open The HUB, the Convention’s signature community gathering space and cultural marketplace, on Friday, July 17, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Mayor Brandon Johnson and NAACP Board Chair Leon W.

President Trump used a primetime address Thursday night (July 16) to revive disputed claims about election security, including assertions CBS News rated false, misleading, exaggerated or unsupported by evidence. Trump opened by alleging that China “carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history” during the 2020 election cycle. CBS News rated this claim misleading.

Newly obtained audio and GPS data are providing the clearest timeline yet of the boat’s movements before Nolan Wells was reported missing on Horn Island. NBC News obtained audio through a records request capturing the group calling for emergency towing assistance on the afternoon of July 4, after their boat’s bilge pump failed. “Hey, we’re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We’re going. We’re sinking.

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to temporarily restore approximately $127 million in grant funding that supports Black farmers and other underserved agricultural producers after the Trump administration canceled the program earlier this year. According to Capital B News, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued a preliminary injunction requiring the USDA to reinstate funding while a lawsuit challenging the cancellations moves forward.