Chicago Education, Affordable Housing, Vaping: Patch Partner News

Every day, Patch brings stories to its readers from more than a dozen news and information partners. These organizations contributing to Patch range from Kaiser Health News to the Racine County Eye to Chalkbeat – and others, both local and national.

As much as a news organization, Patch is a publishing platform that would love to share your thoughts, ideas and information, too. Here is just a sample of some recent posts. If you'd like to appear on the Patch platform, and have your work be among the stories that attract more than 80 million reads each month, contact colin.miner@patch.com.

Years Ago, This WV Doctor Linked Mysterious Lung Disease To Vaping.

By Kaiser Health News

Dr. John E. Parker was working at a West Virginia hospital in 2015 when a 31-year-old female patient was admitted with acute respiratory problems. A team of doctors ultimately suspected that her mysterious case of lipoid pneumonia might be related to vaping and weren't sure they had seen anything like it before.

They were intrigued enough to publish a case report — a type of medical paper on unusual or provocative patient findings.

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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Has Trusted This Deputy To Oversee Schools: What's Her Plan?

By Chalkbeat

When Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled a new school board she also named Sybil Madison deputy mayor for education and human services. But while Chicagoans have seen the board in action at lively monthly meetings, most of Madison's role so far has played out behind the scenes.

Since her first official day at work in early July, Madison said she's been busy getting to know the leaders, assets and challenges at the eight departments under her purview, especially Chicago Public Schools.

"My role isn't to run the schools; that's taken care of, because you know [schools CEO] Janice Jackson has that down, and her team is doing a great job," Madison said. "My role is to forward the mayor's vision, to work closely with that team to achieve that vision, and to understand where the mayor's office, me and my team can add value to that work."

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DIY Affordable Housing: How This Fremont Woman Helped Build Her Dream Home

By CalMatters

Julieta Aquino strolls proudly through her gleaming new home, a modest split-level condo on a busy thoroughfare in the East Bay suburb of Fremont.

With her 14-year-old daughter in tow, she proudly scans the still-sparsely furnished, open floor plan living room-kitchen, pointing out the glistening, stainless steel fixtures and laminate countertops.

"It's a pretty decent-sized kitchen considering it's just two of us," said Aquino. "I'm going for a farmhouse style."

A 31-year-old single mom with a limited income and no college degree, Aquino has done the seemingly impossible: become a homeowner in one of the most brutally expensive housing markets in the country.

And all she had to do was help build it herself.

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Emails Show VA Took No Action To Spare Veterans From Trump Immigration Policy

By ProPublica

Top officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs declined to step in to try to exempt veterans and their families from a new immigration rule that would make it far easier to deny green cards to low-income immigrants, according to documents obtained by ProPublica under a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Department of Defense, on the other hand, worked throughout 2018 to minimize the new policy's impact on military families.

As a result, the regulation, which goes into effect in October, applies just as strictly to veterans and their families as it does to the broader public, while active-duty members of the military and reserve forces face a relaxed version of the rule.

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Organic Recycling Center In Fairmount Park Offers Free Compost

By Philadelphia Neighborhoods

Tucked away down a hill just off West Ford Road in Fairmount Park sits the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center. Many people may not know about this hidden treasure, but mounds of compost, wood chips, firewood, gravel, and other gardening materials sit, waiting for Philadelphians to come and use them in their own gardens.

According to Parks and Recreation policy, city residents are entitled to up to 30 gallons of free organic materials from the site. All someone needs is an ID with a Philadelphia address, a shovel, and something to carry mulch or compost in.

READ MORE HERE

If you work at a news organization or a nonprofit and would like to partner with Patch, contact Patch's Manager of News and Content Partnerships, Colin Miner, at Colin.Miner@Patch.com.