David Schaper http://nwpr.org en After The Storm: Students Gather For One More School Day http://nwpr.org/post/after-storm-students-gather-one-more-school-day Under cloudy skies and through intermittent showers, 4-year-old Kamrin Ramirez holds in her little hands two cards, one addressed to Ms. Patterson, the other for Ms. Johnson, her two preschool teachers at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla.<p>"I write thank you so much," she says.<p>Plaza Towers was obliterated by Monday's powerful twister, and seven children died beneath the rubble there. Thu, 23 May 2013 22:05:00 +0000 David Schaper 28054 at http://nwpr.org After The Storm: Students Gather For One More School Day Boston Slowly Returns To Sense Of Normalcy http://nwpr.org/post/boston-slowly-returns-sense-normalcy Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>In Boston and surrounding communities, things are getting back to normal after a frightening week. Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:02:00 +0000 David Schaper 26244 at http://nwpr.org Goat's Head Sent To Cubs Owner Not From The 'Rahm-Father' http://nwpr.org/post/goats-head-sent-cubs-owner-not-rahm-father While many in Chicago immediately thought of the famous "Billy Goat curse," when a severed goat's head was delivered to Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts at Wrigley Field this week, I immediately wondered if it was a message from the "Rahm-father," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.<p>After all, Ricketts is in the midst of intense negotiations with Emanuel's administration over renovating the iconic 99-year old ballpark, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/04/05/176368265/a-battle-for-rooftop-views-near-chicagos-wrigley-field">as I reported last week</a>.<p>The famously short-tempered Emanuel may be gr Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:04:00 +0000 David Schaper 25808 at http://nwpr.org Goat's Head Sent To Cubs Owner Not From The 'Rahm-Father' Chicago Commuters Brace For Delays During Bridge Repair http://nwpr.org/post/chicago-commuters-brace-delays-during-bridge-repair <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHBK-v4LSco</p> Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:45:00 +0000 David Schaper 23807 at http://nwpr.org Chicago Commuters Brace For Delays During Bridge Repair Checking In On Chicago Schools' 'Safe Passage' Program http://nwpr.org/post/checking-chicago-schools-safe-passage-program Transcript <p>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: <p>This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel. President Obama was in Chicago today, promoting what he calls ladders of opportunity to the middle class. It's the latest stop of his post-State of the Union tour, fleshing out the proposals from Tuesday night's speech. At a high school near his southside Chicago home, the president said reducing urban gun violence is essential to economic development.<p>PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Because it's very hard to develop economically if people don't feel safe. Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:18:00 +0000 David Schaper 22849 at http://nwpr.org Illinois Claws At Mountain Of Unfunded Pension Liability http://nwpr.org/post/illinois-claws-mountain-unfunded-pension-liability <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H62W9iLfKv4</p> Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:26:00 +0000 David Schaper 20746 at http://nwpr.org Illinois Claws At Mountain Of Unfunded Pension Liability Near-Replica Of Sandy Hook Made Nearby For Students http://nwpr.org/post/near-replica-sandy-hook-made-nearby-students The surviving students of Sandy Hook Elementary will not be returning to their school in Newtown, Conn., where 20 first-graders and six educators were shot to death on Dec. 14.<p>Instead, when classes resume after the holidays, they'll attend a school in the neighboring town of Monroe. Parents, teachers and administrators in both towns are working to make the new school as similar as possible to the one Sandy Hook students left behind.<p>The Monroe Congregational Church is helping prepare for the transition. Sat, 22 Dec 2012 23:28:00 +0000 David Schaper 20203 at http://nwpr.org Near-Replica Of Sandy Hook Made Nearby For Students N.J. Spars Over Free Beach Access Post-Sandy http://nwpr.org/post/nj-spars-over-free-beach-access-post-sandy At an oceanfront park in Long Branch, N.J., Tim Dillingham looks out over the beach in awe of how much the pounding waves and high waters of Hurricane Sandy have changed the Jersey shore.<p>Dillingham is the executive director of the American Littoral Society, a coastal conservation group. Before the storm, he says, the U.S. Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:33:00 +0000 David Schaper 19662 at http://nwpr.org N.J. Spars Over Free Beach Access Post-Sandy Post Sandy: Atlantic City Wants Its Tourists Back http://nwpr.org/post/post-sandy-atlantic-city-wants-its-tourists-back A month after Hurricane Sandy pounded the New Jersey Shore, Atlantic City is back in business. Even though most of the casinos and restaurants sustained very little damage in the storm, they're now suffering from a lack of visitors. Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:12:00 +0000 David Schaper 19395 at http://nwpr.org Post Sandy: Atlantic City Wants Its Tourists Back In Chicago, Violence Soars And Witnesses Go Silent http://nwpr.org/post/chicago-violence-soars-and-witnesses-go-silent It's an old problem and an old code — "don't snitch." And it exists everywhere.<p>But in Chicago, where homicides and shootings are up significantly this year, that old code is leaving a rising number of violent crimes unsolved. Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:32:00 +0000 David Schaper 18272 at http://nwpr.org In Chicago, Violence Soars And Witnesses Go Silent