greyson van arsdale
@greysonvanarsdale.bsky.social
freelance reporter covering environment, climate, govt oversight, and activism. aspiring novelist and some other things too.📍Chicago
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
#OtD 16 May 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters went on strike, shutting down almost all commercial transport in the city. The dispute lasted over three months, ending with most of the workers' demands being met in a landmark win shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/str...
May 16, 2025 at 10:10 AM
#OtD 16 May 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters went on strike, shutting down almost all commercial transport in the city. The dispute lasted over three months, ending with most of the workers' demands being met in a landmark win shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/str...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
very awesome article by @kimkelly.bsky.social on how a coal miner SUCCESSFULLY! sued the government to reinstate treatment/protections for black lung
inthesetimes.com/article/west...
inthesetimes.com/article/west...
A West Virginia Coal Miner Just Saved NIOSH’s Black Lung Program
A federal judge ordered the restoration of jobs in the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety’s Respiratory Health Division after a veteran coal miner filed a class action lawsuit argui...
inthesetimes.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:43 PM
very awesome article by @kimkelly.bsky.social on how a coal miner SUCCESSFULLY! sued the government to reinstate treatment/protections for black lung
inthesetimes.com/article/west...
inthesetimes.com/article/west...
Also, if you want to continue to see my work and the work of many excellent journos and editors in @chicagoreader.com - DONATE to support its continued existence! Indy/nonprofit journalism is hard to maintain, but worth its weight in gold, and the Reader NEEDS YOU NOW! donorbox.org/save-the-chi...
Save the Chicago Reader | Chicago Reader (Powered by Donorbox)
We need your help todayAfter more than 50 years of serving Chicago, the Reader faces imminent closure. Can you imagine Chicago without the Chicago Reader? We can’t either. But a perfect storm of sudde...
donorbox.org
March 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Also, if you want to continue to see my work and the work of many excellent journos and editors in @chicagoreader.com - DONATE to support its continued existence! Indy/nonprofit journalism is hard to maintain, but worth its weight in gold, and the Reader NEEDS YOU NOW! donorbox.org/save-the-chi...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
Housing specialists working for the Cook County housing authority don't make enough money to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Cook County, by Lizzie Kane:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/25/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/25/c...
Cook County housing authority union workers say they struggle to afford rent, mortgage payments
Housing Authority of Cook County employees say the workloads are tough and wages are low, causing many union employees to leave the agency, one that is deemed “troubled” by HUD.
www.chicagotribune.com
February 25, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Housing specialists working for the Cook County housing authority don't make enough money to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Cook County, by Lizzie Kane:
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/25/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/25/c...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
Following up on her January article, Rita Oceguera for @thetrace.org writes about why some gun shot victims are choosing to transport themselves to the hospital instead of waiting through slow response times. chicagoreader.com/news/chicago...
Some Chicago gunshot victims don’t trust ambulances
Survivors are choosing to transport themselves to the hospital instead of waiting for emergency services. Experts say the fire department isn’t doing everything it can to improve response times.
chicagoreader.com
February 21, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Following up on her January article, Rita Oceguera for @thetrace.org writes about why some gun shot victims are choosing to transport themselves to the hospital instead of waiting through slow response times. chicagoreader.com/news/chicago...
Just to add: some of these quotes came from a Dec IPCB hearing, where so many ppl turned out for public comment that not everyone was able to speak. If you've never tried to get 50 ppl to an arcane corner of a state govt building downtown in the middle of a weekday, let me tell you: it's HARD.
my latest in @chicagoreader.com: advocates press the Illinois Pollution Control Board to adopt a gas car phase-out to fight climate change & curb health impacts from pollution.
PS: if you care about this issue, email the IPCB at [email protected] ! chicagoreader.com/news/illinoi...
PS: if you care about this issue, email the IPCB at [email protected] ! chicagoreader.com/news/illinoi...
Community members demand stricter emissions standards
A proposal before the Illinois Pollution Control Board would improve air quality by phasing out gas-powered cars statewide.
chicagoreader.com
February 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Just to add: some of these quotes came from a Dec IPCB hearing, where so many ppl turned out for public comment that not everyone was able to speak. If you've never tried to get 50 ppl to an arcane corner of a state govt building downtown in the middle of a weekday, let me tell you: it's HARD.
my latest in @chicagoreader.com: advocates press the Illinois Pollution Control Board to adopt a gas car phase-out to fight climate change & curb health impacts from pollution.
PS: if you care about this issue, email the IPCB at [email protected] ! chicagoreader.com/news/illinoi...
PS: if you care about this issue, email the IPCB at [email protected] ! chicagoreader.com/news/illinoi...
Community members demand stricter emissions standards
A proposal before the Illinois Pollution Control Board would improve air quality by phasing out gas-powered cars statewide.
chicagoreader.com
February 25, 2025 at 3:29 PM
my latest in @chicagoreader.com: advocates press the Illinois Pollution Control Board to adopt a gas car phase-out to fight climate change & curb health impacts from pollution.
PS: if you care about this issue, email the IPCB at [email protected] ! chicagoreader.com/news/illinoi...
PS: if you care about this issue, email the IPCB at [email protected] ! chicagoreader.com/news/illinoi...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
new: illinois regulators are considering a proposal to phase out gas-powered cars + require all new cars to be emission-free by 2035.
advocates say it's necessary to protect communities from deadly pollution near industrial corridors.
from @greysonvanarsdale.bsky.social via @chicagoreader.com:
advocates say it's necessary to protect communities from deadly pollution near industrial corridors.
from @greysonvanarsdale.bsky.social via @chicagoreader.com:
Community members demand stricter emissions standards
A proposal before the Illinois Pollution Control Board would improve air quality by phasing out gas-powered cars statewide.
chicagoreader.com
February 24, 2025 at 4:16 PM
new: illinois regulators are considering a proposal to phase out gas-powered cars + require all new cars to be emission-free by 2035.
advocates say it's necessary to protect communities from deadly pollution near industrial corridors.
from @greysonvanarsdale.bsky.social via @chicagoreader.com:
advocates say it's necessary to protect communities from deadly pollution near industrial corridors.
from @greysonvanarsdale.bsky.social via @chicagoreader.com:
Butler remains one of the most compelling science fiction authors who ever lived. If she were still alive she'd probably rather people focus on the homes and lives burned down in the fires, rather than her own grave, but it's sad nonetheless.. I hope lots more people read Parable bc of this.
January 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Butler remains one of the most compelling science fiction authors who ever lived. If she were still alive she'd probably rather people focus on the homes and lives burned down in the fires, rather than her own grave, but it's sad nonetheless.. I hope lots more people read Parable bc of this.
Re-reading this WaPo investigation on insurance claims post-Hurricane Ian. About to be extremely relevant to LA.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Insurers slashed Hurricane Ian payouts far below damage estimates, documents and insiders reveal
After Hurricane Ian, Florida insurance companies have been aggressively seeking to limit payouts by altering the work of licensed adjusters trained to assess damaged homes, according to a Washington P...
www.washingtonpost.com
January 13, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Re-reading this WaPo investigation on insurance claims post-Hurricane Ian. About to be extremely relevant to LA.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
can't wait until someone asks what my favorite song is and I tell them it's "belligerence limit" by griffin mcelroy, on the album "radio quiet" which is a soundtrack for a tabletop roleplay podcast...
January 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
can't wait until someone asks what my favorite song is and I tell them it's "belligerence limit" by griffin mcelroy, on the album "radio quiet" which is a soundtrack for a tabletop roleplay podcast...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
IMPACT: Following Our Reporting, US Justice Department Sues Six of the Nation’s Largest Landlords in Effort to Stop Alleged Price-Fixing in Rental Markets
@heathervogell.bsky.social
@heathervogell.bsky.social
DOJ Sues Six Large Landlords in Effort to Stop Alleged Price-Fixing in Rental Markets
Federal prosecutors allege that the landlords have used RealPage pricing software to collude and artificially raise rents. The legal action is the latest development stemming from a 2022 ProPublica in...
www.propublica.org
January 9, 2025 at 12:17 PM
IMPACT: Following Our Reporting, US Justice Department Sues Six of the Nation’s Largest Landlords in Effort to Stop Alleged Price-Fixing in Rental Markets
@heathervogell.bsky.social
@heathervogell.bsky.social
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
ABC, NBC & CBS dedicated about 16 minutes of airtime last night to the California wildfires without once mentioning climate change.
Since the news failed do it's job, here's a short summary of the role of climate change and wildfire risk:
www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfir...
Since the news failed do it's job, here's a short summary of the role of climate change and wildfire risk:
www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfir...
Wildfire climate connection
Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States during the last ...
www.noaa.gov
January 8, 2025 at 8:03 PM
ABC, NBC & CBS dedicated about 16 minutes of airtime last night to the California wildfires without once mentioning climate change.
Since the news failed do it's job, here's a short summary of the role of climate change and wildfire risk:
www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfir...
Since the news failed do it's job, here's a short summary of the role of climate change and wildfire risk:
www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfir...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
new from me: researchers found more than 170 license plate cameras—including 40+ in the chicago area—that broadcast sensitive information to the open internet.
neither illinois state police nor the chicago police department, which operate hundreds of cameras, immediately provided any info.
neither illinois state police nor the chicago police department, which operate hundreds of cameras, immediately provided any info.
License plate cameras broadcast sensitive data to open Internet
Researchers accessed unsecured video and license plate data that could be used to track a person's movements. Some cameras were in Chicago.
chicagoreader.com
January 8, 2025 at 2:37 PM
new from me: researchers found more than 170 license plate cameras—including 40+ in the chicago area—that broadcast sensitive information to the open internet.
neither illinois state police nor the chicago police department, which operate hundreds of cameras, immediately provided any info.
neither illinois state police nor the chicago police department, which operate hundreds of cameras, immediately provided any info.
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration made a big deal about pushing for a city-owned grocery store and said they’d pursue state money for the program. But records dug up by @taliasoglin.bsky.social show they didn’t even apply.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/06/j...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/06/j...
Johnson administration passes on state funding for publicly owned grocery store
The decision to pass on state funding raises questions about the future of the bold proposal the mayor first floated more than a year ago.
www.chicagotribune.com
January 6, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration made a big deal about pushing for a city-owned grocery store and said they’d pursue state money for the program. But records dug up by @taliasoglin.bsky.social show they didn’t even apply.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/06/j...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/06/j...
my criticism of 'dont look up' was prolly the most controversial article i have written so far.. personally i think viewing humanity at large as invariably reactive and violently ignorant is extraordinarily out of touch and a real misunderstanding of the problem
i didn’t realize the movie “Don’t Look Up” had so many shooters. people coming out of the woodwork to denounce me as the worst person to live because i’m not a fan of bad satire
It hits to close to home, as you would act just like everyone else in the movie, only caring about your ladder climb to the top.
December 27, 2024 at 12:52 PM
my criticism of 'dont look up' was prolly the most controversial article i have written so far.. personally i think viewing humanity at large as invariably reactive and violently ignorant is extraordinarily out of touch and a real misunderstanding of the problem
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
The Climate Change Superfund Act is now law, and New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world: the companies most responsible for the climate crisis will be held accountable, and New Yorkers will save $75 billion. www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/pre...
Governor Signs Climate Change Superfund Act
Albany – Today, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129/A.3351), nation-leading legislation that will use the polluter-pays model exemplified by existing federal and stat...
www.nysenate.gov
December 26, 2024 at 4:49 PM
The Climate Change Superfund Act is now law, and New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world: the companies most responsible for the climate crisis will be held accountable, and New Yorkers will save $75 billion. www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/pre...
This is excellent reporting, but it doesn't go unnoticed that Trump's future impact on the situation is mentioned FOUR times, whereas Biden is not mentioned once even though his USDA is visibly mismanaging this situation to avoid cutting into Big Ag profits, risking a second pandemic to do so.
December 23, 2024 at 4:20 PM
This is excellent reporting, but it doesn't go unnoticed that Trump's future impact on the situation is mentioned FOUR times, whereas Biden is not mentioned once even though his USDA is visibly mismanaging this situation to avoid cutting into Big Ag profits, risking a second pandemic to do so.
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
Nearly 70 petrochemical companies across the US are sending millions of pounds of pollutants into waterways each year due to weak or nonexistent regulations.
truthout.org/articles/us-...
truthout.org/articles/us-...
US Petrochemical Plants Send Millions of Pounds of Pollutants Into Waterways
There are currently no EPA limits set for these contaminants in effluent water guidelines for the plastics industry.
truthout.org
December 21, 2024 at 8:09 PM
Nearly 70 petrochemical companies across the US are sending millions of pounds of pollutants into waterways each year due to weak or nonexistent regulations.
truthout.org/articles/us-...
truthout.org/articles/us-...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
As Mayor Johnson struggles to balance Chicago’s budget, he’s reserving millions for cops who’ll never be hired www.wbez.org/politics/202...
As Mayor Johnson struggles to balance Chicago’s budget, he’s reserving millions for cops who’ll never be hired
He’s the latest in a line of mayors who’ve budgeted annually for hundreds of ghost cops. And it’s not the only fictional part of his CPD budget.
www.wbez.org
December 13, 2024 at 2:39 PM
As Mayor Johnson struggles to balance Chicago’s budget, he’s reserving millions for cops who’ll never be hired www.wbez.org/politics/202...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
“Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped protections from freshwater and inland wetlands in its Sackett v. EPA ruling, allowing private property development in wetland areas that don’t have a ‘continuous surface connection’ to permanent bodies of water.”
Imperiled wetlands save the Midwest billions in flood damage costs, study shows, but they’re disappearing
Development and climate change contribute, but industrial agriculture is the biggest threat to wetlands, which mitigate flooding disasters.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 9, 2024 at 4:21 PM
“Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped protections from freshwater and inland wetlands in its Sackett v. EPA ruling, allowing private property development in wetland areas that don’t have a ‘continuous surface connection’ to permanent bodies of water.”
I think the challenge of the "AI epoch" (or at least the decade of AI obsession) is for news outlets to build such local trust that readers would RATHER pay $20-50 a month to subscribe to the paper than they would get their news from social media or secondhand.
December 9, 2024 at 2:12 PM
I think the challenge of the "AI epoch" (or at least the decade of AI obsession) is for news outlets to build such local trust that readers would RATHER pay $20-50 a month to subscribe to the paper than they would get their news from social media or secondhand.
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
The central claim of this report is that *no city department is responsible for monitoring or enforcing the environmental provisions in city contracts*
In this year's budget hearings, alders have directly asked CDPH, CDOT, and Dept of Environment if they are doing this work.
They all said no.
In this year's budget hearings, alders have directly asked CDPH, CDOT, and Dept of Environment if they are doing this work.
They all said no.
Today, N4EJ is releasing a new report: Paid To Pollute.
bit.ly/ChicagoPaidToPollute
Our principal finding is that Chicago does not enforce the environmental requirements in its contracts.
Like, at all.
#PaidToPollute
1/?
bit.ly/ChicagoPaidToPollute
Our principal finding is that Chicago does not enforce the environmental requirements in its contracts.
Like, at all.
#PaidToPollute
1/?
December 3, 2024 at 10:18 PM
The central claim of this report is that *no city department is responsible for monitoring or enforcing the environmental provisions in city contracts*
In this year's budget hearings, alders have directly asked CDPH, CDOT, and Dept of Environment if they are doing this work.
They all said no.
In this year's budget hearings, alders have directly asked CDPH, CDOT, and Dept of Environment if they are doing this work.
They all said no.
Very proud of my first story for the Chicago Reader, and grateful for the work by @n4ej.org in authoring a report which shows that Chicago not only doesn't punish its own contractors for violating environmental regulations - it doesn't even track their compliance. chicagoreader.com/news-politic...
City rarely enforces environmental regulations for contractors, report finds
A new report found the department responsible for government contracts doesn’t monitor whether companies violate environmental regulations.
chicagoreader.com
December 3, 2024 at 9:23 PM
Very proud of my first story for the Chicago Reader, and grateful for the work by @n4ej.org in authoring a report which shows that Chicago not only doesn't punish its own contractors for violating environmental regulations - it doesn't even track their compliance. chicagoreader.com/news-politic...
Reposted by greyson van arsdale
The Reader is the first Chicago news org to cover @n4ej.org's findings from Paid To Pollute, which was released on Oct. 1st
Budget hearings for the Dept of Procurement Services are tomorrow
Budget hearings for the Dept of Procurement Services are tomorrow
December 3, 2024 at 6:41 PM
The Reader is the first Chicago news org to cover @n4ej.org's findings from Paid To Pollute, which was released on Oct. 1st
Budget hearings for the Dept of Procurement Services are tomorrow
Budget hearings for the Dept of Procurement Services are tomorrow