Robert Blaszkiewicz
@robertblaszk.bsky.social
Marketing and communications at Franciscan Health, formerly of Chicago Tribune and Times of Northwest Indiana, indie music fan, Disney vacation planner, husband, dad, neurodivergent ally, opinions are my own.
Pinned
Did some searching and added more Northwest Indiana folks. If I added you and you don't want to be on here, let me know and I'll remove. If you want to be added, let me know and I'll do that, too. #nwi #nwindiana #regionrat
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
"The newspaper industry served as a feeder for our entire news media ecosystem. So when we lose those newspapers, we've lost that journalism. In the early 2000s, we had 40 journalists per 100,000 people. We're now down to 8 journalists per 100,000 people," says @victorpickard.bsky.social.
December 16, 2025 at 7:12 PM
"The newspaper industry served as a feeder for our entire news media ecosystem. So when we lose those newspapers, we've lost that journalism. In the early 2000s, we had 40 journalists per 100,000 people. We're now down to 8 journalists per 100,000 people," says @victorpickard.bsky.social.
Happy 100th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Za-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Za-...
Expialidocious
YouTube video by Pogo
www.youtube.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Happy 100th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Za-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Za-...
Indiana Senate FTW
a man wearing a red helmet is raising his arms in the air in front of a crowd of people .
Alt: Final scene from the movie "Breaking Away" of the Cutters team winning the Little 500 bike race.
media.tenor.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Indiana Senate FTW
Looks like my parents, who have lived in the 1st District for more than 50 years and would have been gerrymandered out of it, are going to get to stay in their district.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/i...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/i...
Indiana redistricting bill fails in Senate, as lawmakers reject new Republican-favored congressional map
The Indiana Senate voted 31-19 to defeat a mid-census redistricting map Thursday, ending a months-long effort by the Trump administration to shift Indiana’s congressional districts.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Looks like my parents, who have lived in the 1st District for more than 50 years and would have been gerrymandered out of it, are going to get to stay in their district.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/i...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/i...
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
One of the most blatantly authoritarian threats in a Trump term full of them
December 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
One of the most blatantly authoritarian threats in a Trump term full of them
What Sen. Bohacek is demonstrating is basic decency. Sad that it even has to be said.
Indiana GOP Sen. Bohacek on Trump's use of r-word: "When it seems quite clear we're isolating a population by use of a slur, at some point you have to speak out... it's a word used to denigrate the intellectually disabled community... you can't validate slurs like that... it's a matter of character"
December 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM
What Sen. Bohacek is demonstrating is basic decency. Sad that it even has to be said.
Wife is putting our ornaments on the tree and just put up a Bo ornament (modeled after the Obamas' dog) we bought at the gift shop in the East Wing of the White House in 2016. That gift shop, along with the entire East Wing is now rubble in some golf course. Shit.
November 30, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Wife is putting our ornaments on the tree and just put up a Bo ornament (modeled after the Obamas' dog) we bought at the gift shop in the East Wing of the White House in 2016. That gift shop, along with the entire East Wing is now rubble in some golf course. Shit.
What a massive disappointment.
Northwestern University will pay a $75 million fine to settle allegations of antisemitism from the Trump administration, restoring hundreds of millions of federal funding, officials announced Friday.
Northwestern agrees to $75 million fine to settle Trump dispute
Northwestern’s $75 million settlement, to be paid over three years, is the second-highest amount agreed to by a university.
trib.al
November 29, 2025 at 2:51 AM
What a massive disappointment.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
My first piece for the newly-rebranded @msnowreports.bsky.social: RFK Jr.'s changing the CDC's stance on autism and vaccines signifies just another step in the backlash to #Neurodiversity. And it is a disservice to #ActuallyAutistic people.
www.ms.now/opinion/rfk-...
www.ms.now/opinion/rfk-...
Opinion | RFK Jr.'s latest anti-vaccine move will cause untold harm to autistic Americans
The Trump administration is working toward treating autism as something to be prevented, rather than building a health care system that helps people.
www.ms.now
November 24, 2025 at 10:06 PM
My first piece for the newly-rebranded @msnowreports.bsky.social: RFK Jr.'s changing the CDC's stance on autism and vaccines signifies just another step in the backlash to #Neurodiversity. And it is a disservice to #ActuallyAutistic people.
www.ms.now/opinion/rfk-...
www.ms.now/opinion/rfk-...
"Maps based on Trump 2024 baseline numbers might not hold in a difficult midterm because the new districts would have narrower margins and not all Trump’s voters would necessarily turn out in a midterm. 'In fact, I mean, if you really got too cute, you could find yourself at 6-3,' Bray told me."
EXCLUSIVE: The Republican leading Indiana’s resistance to Trump’s redistricting pressure campaign is finishing a surreal, dystopian week.
Indiana's Senate President breaks his silence on Trump’s redistricting pressure campaign and why he's resisting 👇
Indiana's Senate President breaks his silence on Trump’s redistricting pressure campaign and why he's resisting 👇
Why Is Indiana Resisting Trump’s Redistricting? The Senate President Explains.
Rodric Bray is doing what he thinks is right, even when the president calls him a "RINO."
www.politico.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"Maps based on Trump 2024 baseline numbers might not hold in a difficult midterm because the new districts would have narrower margins and not all Trump’s voters would necessarily turn out in a midterm. 'In fact, I mean, if you really got too cute, you could find yourself at 6-3,' Bray told me."
"If you dig what you do they will never get you down ..." RIP Todd Snider www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXTI...
Todd Snider - The Ballad of the Devil's Backbone Tavern (Live: Return of the Storyteller)
YouTube video by Todd Snider
www.youtube.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:25 PM
"If you dig what you do they will never get you down ..." RIP Todd Snider www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXTI...
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
WATCH body cam video of an ICE agent arrested for DUI after his shift at the Broadview facility.
He crashed into some bushes after officers found him asleep at the wheel and knocked on the window.
"Oh this is a fun one,” the officer tells his sergeant.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
He crashed into some bushes after officers found him asleep at the wheel and knocked on the window.
"Oh this is a fun one,” the officer tells his sergeant.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
‘Doesn’t look good’: ICE agent charged with drunken driving after shift at Broadview detention center
An Immigration and Enforcement agent has been charged with drunken driving after his car crashed after a shift at the Broadview detention center.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:10 AM
WATCH body cam video of an ICE agent arrested for DUI after his shift at the Broadview facility.
He crashed into some bushes after officers found him asleep at the wheel and knocked on the window.
"Oh this is a fun one,” the officer tells his sergeant.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
He crashed into some bushes after officers found him asleep at the wheel and knocked on the window.
"Oh this is a fun one,” the officer tells his sergeant.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
October 27, 2025 at 10:19 PM
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
I'm skeptical that they can redraw the maps in such a way to achieve their goals. Indiana's 2nd Cong. Dist. used to be a swing district until they put more Dem voters in the 1st. In trying to steal a district they could weaken others enough to lose GOP seats in what could be a wave election.
Indiana governor summons lawmakers for redistricting session amid national GOP pressure
indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/27/i...
indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/27/i...
Indiana governor summons lawmakers for redistricting session amid national GOP pressure • Indiana Capital Chronicle
Gov. Mike Braun announced a special legislative session to redraw Indiana’s maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
indianacapitalchronicle.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:15 PM
I'm skeptical that they can redraw the maps in such a way to achieve their goals. Indiana's 2nd Cong. Dist. used to be a swing district until they put more Dem voters in the 1st. In trying to steal a district they could weaken others enough to lose GOP seats in what could be a wave election.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
In Gary, Indiana this morning—
Community members have gathered in protest of ongoing ICE flights.
This small, sleepy airport is where many captives from the Chicago area detention center are transported (frequently in the middle of the night) as the next step in the deportation pipeline.
Community members have gathered in protest of ongoing ICE flights.
This small, sleepy airport is where many captives from the Chicago area detention center are transported (frequently in the middle of the night) as the next step in the deportation pipeline.
October 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In Gary, Indiana this morning—
Community members have gathered in protest of ongoing ICE flights.
This small, sleepy airport is where many captives from the Chicago area detention center are transported (frequently in the middle of the night) as the next step in the deportation pipeline.
Community members have gathered in protest of ongoing ICE flights.
This small, sleepy airport is where many captives from the Chicago area detention center are transported (frequently in the middle of the night) as the next step in the deportation pipeline.
My family was able to visit the Obama White House in 2016. Visitors entered through the East Wing, where I shot this photo out the window from an area that I'm guessing is now torn down. I remember the solemn atmosphere and respect for history throughout the tour. It was a different era.
October 22, 2025 at 1:20 AM
My family was able to visit the Obama White House in 2016. Visitors entered through the East Wing, where I shot this photo out the window from an area that I'm guessing is now torn down. I remember the solemn atmosphere and respect for history throughout the tour. It was a different era.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
here’s more context to the videos DHS is putting out from Chicago.
October 15, 2025 at 12:39 AM
here’s more context to the videos DHS is putting out from Chicago.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
Just heard that Indianapolis will be the first local media market to get its own Public Editor, who will monitor all the newsrooms in town. tinyurl.com/2s44zxe8
Poynter launches public editor project to serve news audiences in Indianapolis - Poynter
Partner newsrooms will publish the editor’s independent analysis of local news coverage across the market.
tinyurl.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Just heard that Indianapolis will be the first local media market to get its own Public Editor, who will monitor all the newsrooms in town. tinyurl.com/2s44zxe8
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
A WGN-TV video editor and producer was roughly detained by two Border Patrol agents on Friday morning during a highly visible rush hour enforcement action in Lincoln Square.
WGN-TV producer detained during ICE enforcement action in Lincoln Square
A WGN-TV video editor and producer was roughly detained by two Border Patrol agents on Friday morning during a highly visible rush hour enforcement action in Lincoln Square.
trib.al
October 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
A WGN-TV video editor and producer was roughly detained by two Border Patrol agents on Friday morning during a highly visible rush hour enforcement action in Lincoln Square.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
CPD has 20+ injured on duty this afternoon, most/all from federal use of gas. Related: no arrests by CPD, no documented uses of force by CPD. (I wasn't everywhere / didn't see every skirmish. And possibly some late-entry TRR forms to come.) Saw two federal arrests, saw one on video didn't witness.
Chaos in Brighton Park. This is representative of the amount / direction of pepper and smoke sent into the neighborhood, in this case, for no reason I can discern other than because they were leaving. Feds had a clear path out in a different direction, and residents were vocal but not violent here.
October 5, 2025 at 1:26 AM
CPD has 20+ injured on duty this afternoon, most/all from federal use of gas. Related: no arrests by CPD, no documented uses of force by CPD. (I wasn't everywhere / didn't see every skirmish. And possibly some late-entry TRR forms to come.) Saw two federal arrests, saw one on video didn't witness.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
NEW: ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the Trump administration’s cuts to an aid program.
Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.
ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...
projects.propublica.org
October 3, 2025 at 12:15 PM
NEW: ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the Trump administration’s cuts to an aid program.
"Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress has been temporarily interrupted."
I guess the Kimmel news hit the Disney Parks.
I guess the Kimmel news hit the Disney Parks.
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress has been temporarily interrupted. On average, an interruption takes 86 minutes. http://www.wdwst.at/detail/waltdisneyscarouselofprogress #MagicKingdom #WDW #WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyWorld
September 18, 2025 at 1:08 AM
"Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress has been temporarily interrupted."
I guess the Kimmel news hit the Disney Parks.
I guess the Kimmel news hit the Disney Parks.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
I’m old enough to remember when Bob Iger, whose company recently paid $16 million to settle a meritless Trump lawsuit, and who just indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the Trump administration, was a chair for the **Committee to Protect Journalists** dinner.
September 17, 2025 at 11:33 PM
I’m old enough to remember when Bob Iger, whose company recently paid $16 million to settle a meritless Trump lawsuit, and who just indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the Trump administration, was a chair for the **Committee to Protect Journalists** dinner.
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
Do you know these signs of a TIA? Why you should get checked out before you have a stroke.
https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/4-things-to-know-about-tias
https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/4-things-to-know-about-tias
4 Things You Need To Know About TIAs
Transient Ischemic Attacks are “warning strokes,” signaling a possible full-blown stroke ahead. Get help immediately if you notice symptoms. Learn more about TIAs.
www.franciscanhealth.org
September 12, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Do you know these signs of a TIA? Why you should get checked out before you have a stroke.
https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/4-things-to-know-about-tias
https://www.franciscanhealth.org/community/blog/4-things-to-know-about-tias
Reposted by Robert Blaszkiewicz
Some helpful tips for following the awful news out of Minnesota today.
June 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Some helpful tips for following the awful news out of Minnesota today.