David Schaper

Mississippi River's Many 'Parents' Look To Unify

David Schaper — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:59:00 +0000

Life on the Mississippi River is a roller coaster of highs and lows: record high floodwaters one year, a drought and near-record low water levels the next.

Goat's Head Sent To Cubs Owner Not From The 'Rahm-Father'

David Schaper — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:34:00 +0000

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.

After all, Ricketts is in the midst of intense negotiations with Emanuel's administration over renovating the iconic 99-year old ballpark, as I reported last week.

The famously short-tempered Emanuel may be gr

Chicago Commuters Brace For Delays During Bridge Repair

David Schaper — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:45:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHBK-v4LSco

Checking In On Chicago Schools' 'Safe Passage' Program

David Schaper — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:18:00 +0000

In Chicago on Friday, President Obama explored his home city's gun violence problem at an appearance at a South Side high school — the same school NPR's David Schaper visited two years ago to report on its "safe passage" program to help students get to and from school safely. Schaper returns to see how the program and other anti-violence initiatives are working.

Illinois Claws At Mountain Of Unfunded Pension Liability

David Schaper — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:26:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H62W9iLfKv4

Near-Replica Of Sandy Hook Made Nearby For Students

David Schaper — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 23:01:00 +0000

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.

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.

The Monroe Congregational Church is helping prepare for the transition.

For Sandy Hook's First Responders, Trauma Lingers With Painful Reminders

David Schaper — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:50:01 +0000

The police officers, firefighters and emergency medical teams who rushed to Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday are trying to cope with what they saw there, even as they work to investigate the awful crime that transpired and help their community cope with its aftermath.

The first responders are also struggling with the fact that they weren't able to save anyone, as they had been trained to do.

Volunteer firefighter Chip Carpenter stands on the corner in front of the firehouse, as a huge 18-wheeler pulls out from the elementary school behind it.

N.J. Spars Over Free Beach Access Post-Sandy

David Schaper — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:33:00 +0000

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.

Dillingham is the executive director of the American Littoral Society, a coastal conservation group. Before the storm, he says, the U.S.

Post Sandy: Atlantic City Wants Its Tourists Back

David Schaper — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:12:00 +0000

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.

In Chicago, Violence Soars And Witnesses Go Silent

David Schaper — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:32:00 +0000

It's an old problem and an old code — "don't snitch." And it exists everywhere.

But in Chicago, where homicides and shootings are up significantly this year, that old code is leaving a rising number of violent crimes unsolved.