U.S. Senate: Durbin will be back for fourth term

For our final project for Reporting for Converged Newsrooms, my colleague, Sarah Perkins, and I covered Senator Dick Durbin’s campaign re-election on Nov. 4 at The Westin River North hotel in Chicago.

It was a great night for Durbin, as he beat his opponent, Jim Oberweis, and earned his fourth term in the senate by winning 51 percent of the vote, with 30 percent of precincts reporting. Oberweis, his Republican challenger, had 45 percent when he conceded the race.

Durbin held an 11.7 percentage point lead over Oberweis (49.5 percent to Oberweis’ 37.8), according to a Real Clear Politics poll. The Chicago Sun-Times released a poll on Oct. 28 that had Durbin leading 49 percent to Oberweis’ 39 percent.

It was an awesome experience to live-tweet during the night, be in attendance for his victory speech, and take photos of Durbin in his winning moment.

We wrote a story highlighting Durbin’s campaign and his winning speech on deadline until 2 a.m. that same night, and it was such an overall satisfying final project. Check out the full story, as well as some of our photos on The Red Line Project.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin celebrates his victory against Jim Oberweis with veteran Tony Simone. (Photo/Sarah Perkins)

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is joined on stage by his campaign team during his victory speech at The Westin River North hotel on Nov. 4. (Photo/Jackson A. Thomas)

Senator Durbin celebrates with his wife, Loretta, during his victory speech. (Photo/Jackson A. Thomas)

Waukegan teachers strike ends after new contract reached

For my first Storify assignment, I curated information from various news outlets, Facebook feeds, Twitter feeds, Google images, website hyperlinks and YouTube videos focusing on the teachers strike in Waukegan, Illinois, which ended Thursday, Oct. 30. Be sure to check it out!

Infographic created with Piktochart about Latino voting stats

Check out this infographic I created using Piktochart for my Reporting for Converged Newsrooms course at DePaul! It highlights many facts and stats about the importance of the Latino vote in America across various elections over the last few years.

Fun costumes take spotlight at 2014 Chicago Marathon

If you’re looking for a fun and fashionable spin on the 2014 Chicago Marathon, check out this video produced and edited by me and fellow classmate Sarah Perkins!

(Video edited and produced/Jackson A. Thomas and Sarah Perkins)

Every year, people spend a lot of time physically and mentally preparing for the Chicago Marathon. And this year is no different.

But the runners weren’t just stretching and training. Volunteers weren’t just prepping water cups on the sidelines. And spectators didn’t just spend their time creating posters.

Fun costumes also took center stage at the 2014 Chicago Marathon, from runners, spectators and volunteers alike — just in time for Halloween.

We interviewed volunteer performers, spectators and runners at this year’s marathon. Each one had a different take on some of their favorite costumes, what inspired their costume for the day, and some of the wackiest wardrobe they’ve seen at the marathon.

Chicago sidewalk wreckage: Part two

Take a peek at our first exploration with the Red Line Project!

Bryn Mawr Stop: You can find this chipped, chunky piece of sidewalk off the intersection of North Broadway and West Catalpa Avenue, right underneath the bridge of the Bryn Mawr Red Line stop. It’s next to Northside Auto Repair, 1115 W. Catalpa Ave.

Stumbled upon a broken sidewalk near you? To prevent any injuries, report it to 311 and tweet a picture of it to us at @redlineproject. We will post it here and credit you. (Photo/Jackson A. Thomas)

Chicago sidewalk wreckage: Part one

Take a peek at our first exploration with the Red Line Project!

Bryn Mawr Stop: You can find this uneven sidewalk—which isn’t very wheelchair- and stroller-friendly—off the intersection of North Winthrop and West Catalpa avenues. It’s at 5504 N. Winthrop Ave.

Stumbled upon a broken sidewalk near you? To prevent any injuries report it to 311 and tweet a picture of it to us at @redlineproject. We will post it here and credit you. (Photo/Jackson A. Thomas)

NBC 5 Investigates reporter Chris Coffey talks convergent journalism

By Jackson A. Thomas

Reporter Chris Coffey, from NBC 5 Investigates, recently talked to our Reporting for Converged Newsrooms class about all the important aspects of convergent journalism.

Coffey began with his background experience. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1998. He said once you finish school, 95 percent of the time new employees can expect to start off in a small market, like he did.

Gov. Quinn Discusses MAP Grants Status at DePaul

Governor Pat Quinn stressed the importance of MAP grants for Illinois students. (Photo/Josclynn Brandon)

By Josclynn Brandon

Originally posted: December 2012.

Gov. Pat Quinn visited DePaul University’s Loop campus on Wednesday to discuss how pension reform is harming the Monetary Award Program (MAP) college scholarships and access to higher education in Illinois.

“This is so important to our state, not only in the past, but certainly now and in the future,” Quinn said.

“We want everyone to have the opportunity to go to college that has the ability to go to college.”