Your NPR news source

Brett Chase

Reporter, Environmental, Health & Public Planning
A dusty landscape in Chicago
Environment & Public Health
Payments to Little Village residents approved in the $12.25 million settlement over Hilco's dust storm
By Brett Chase
 
Chicago is suing five of the world’s largest oil companies for their part in contributing to climate change, which has caused flooding, shoreline erosion and other damage.
Environment & Public Health
Chicago climate lawsuit against Big Oil moved to federal court -- for now
By Brett Chase
 
man walking bicycle on sidewalk in dusty air
Environment & Public Health
Johnson doubles down, appoints official negligent in Little Village dust storm debacle to run Buildings Department
By Brett Chase  and Lauren FitzPatrick
 
Garbage hauler LRS proposed sending trash down the river from this point on the Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Environment & Public Health
Proposal to ship tons of Chicago garbage down the river is dead in the water
By Brett Chase
 
General Iron protest
Environment & Public Health
Pritzker backs down on General Iron and signs a deal to toughen environmental oversight in low-income areas
By Brett Chase
 
Cars driving through flooded street
Environment & Public Health
Chicago sues five giant oil companies, accusing them of climate change destruction, fraud
By Brett Chase
 
An aerial view of the collateral channel located near West 31st Street and South Kedzie Avenue in Little Village Thursday morning, Jan. 4, 2024.
Environment & Public Health
EPA to decide if foul-smelling, toxic Southwest Side waterway needs cleanup — and who would do it
By Brett Chase
 
Olusimbo Ige says she will carry out Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promises on reforming mental health care in Chicago, starting with small changes in the beginning.
Environment & Public Health
Mental health is a top priority in 2024, Chicago’s new public health chief says
By Brett Chase
 
Maria Caripa holds her 1-year-old daughter outside a Near North police station on one of the hottest days of the year last August.
Environment & Public Health
Southwest Side is hottest part of Chicago during summer, climate study finds
By Brett Chase
 
Tents can be seen at a site where the state had planned to set up winterized base camps to house up to 1,500 migrants at South California Avenue and West 38th Street in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.
Environment & Public Health
Pritzker rejects toxic migrant shelter site in Brighton Park
By Fran Spielman , Tina Sfondeles , and 1 more
 
The Brighton Park migrant housing tent on Monday shows a roof now covering the shelter. But construction was halted Sunday at the site intended to house newly arrived migrants pending an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency review of a nearly 800-page city consultant’s study that was released Friday night.
Politics
Brighton Park migrant site construction halted pending environmental review
By Tina Sfondeles  and Brett Chase
 
Construction crews with the Department of Water Management demonstrate how they remove lead service lines and replace them with copper ones, after a press conference announcing a $336 million EPA Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the City of Chicago to help remove old lead service lines, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023.
Environment & Public Health
Biden lets Chicago replace dangerous lead water lines much slower than other cities
By Brett Chase
 
Mayor Brandon Johnson presents the 2024 Executive Budget Recommendations during a Chicago City Council meeting at City Hall, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
Environment & Public Health
Chicago wrongly limited affordable housing with aldermanic prerogative, HUD says
By Brett Chase
 
The aftermath of a 2016 fire on a runway at O’Hare Airport. A firefighting foam with a toxic chemical was used to douse flames from the American Airlines plane.
Environment & Public Health
Forever chemicals’ toxic legacy at Chicago’s airports
By Brett Chase
 
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady speaks before getting her COVID-19 bivalent booster during a press conference at a CVS pharmacy in the West Lawn neighborhood.
Environment & Public Health
Dr. Allison Arwady takes job at top U.S. health agency to curb overdoses, suicides
By Brett Chase
 
Construction crews work to replace lead pipes in the Oakland neighborhood last winter.
Environment & Public Health
Biden loans $336 million to Chicago to fix lead water pipe problem
By Brett Chase
 
Samuel Corona (right), an activist with the Alliance of the Southeast, chants, “Stop General Iron!” at a rally outside City Hall in June.
Environment & Public Health
Judge denies bid to force opening of relocated General Iron on Southeast Side
By Brett Chase
 
Views of the Damen Silos on the South Side of Chicago on Sept. 14, 2023.
Environment & Public Health
Damen Silos demolition delayed by federal review
By Brett Chase