Sign in

Blair Paddock

@blairpaddock.bsky.social
947 followers 437 following 163 posts

prisons + investigations for @wttw.bsky.social bpaddock@wttw.com mouseartsandletters.org

PostsRepliesMedia
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 6h
Tonight!
030
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
An important announcement in today’s Tribune:
4203
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Yesterday, advocates rallied outside of Gov. Pritzker's office to say the state's violating its own constitution. To remedy that, they want to bring back parole. news.wttw.com/2026/09/17/a...
news.wttw.com
Advocates Rally in Support of Reinstating Parole in Illinois: ‘We’re Violating the Constitution’
Advocates said it’s time to recognize the value of second chances, and for parole, or “earned reentry,” to be reinstated. That would allow people to be released before the completion of their sentence...
075
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thanks to @ninametz.bsky.social for the wonderful piece on our Halsted St. group documentary project and Mouse! www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/17/h...
chicagotribune.com
Halsted Street to be the focus of a (third) documentary
Mouse Arts and Letters Club will focus on historical stories in their film about this Chicago street.
152
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
News :-D Night :-D
053
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
rereading this today www.nplusonemag.com/issue-4/essa...
nplusonemag.com
My Life and Times in American Journalism | Philip Connors
His abiding obsessions were taxes and weapons. He thought taxes should be cut always and everywhere, except for poor people, and he thought America should build as many weapons as possible. The more w...
010
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
NEW: An incarcerated deaf man is suing the Illinois Department of Corrections, alleging they are not providing him with the same phone access as those non-disabled. At one point during the holidays, he said he went 54 days without the ability to call his family. news.wttw.com/2026/09/03/i...
news.wttw.com
Illinois Prisons Do Not Provide Equal Phone Access to Incarcerated Deaf People, Lawsuit Alleges
A new lawsuit filed against the Illinois Department of Corrections alleges incarcerated deaf people do not have equal access to phone calls.
099
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We are making a group documentary about Halsted Street. Come join us.
2155
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Jared Rutecki @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Incarcerated Illinoisans admitted to solitary confinement appear to no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets, according to advocates. (via @blairpaddock.bsky.social)
news.wttw.com
Illinois Prisons Move to Restrict Access to Electronic Tablets for Those in Solitary Confinement
Incarcerated Illinoisans admitted to solitary confinement appear to no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets, according to advocates.
1108
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
NEW: Illinoisans in solitary confinement will no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets. news.wttw.com/2026/08/31/i...
news.wttw.com
Illinois Prisons Move to Restrict Access to Electronic Tablets for Those in Solitary Confinement
Incarcerated Illinoisans admitted to solitary confinement appear to no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets, according to advocates.
2159
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Cengiz Yar @cengizyar.com · 27/08/2026
Disturbing trend: Local jails are rebooking immigrants in an effort to circumvent federal rules and regulations, legal experts say. @propublica.org's nationwide analysis shows that in the past year, two Florida jails had unusually high numbers of rebookings. www.propublica.org/article/immi...
propublica.org
These Local Jails Were Supposed to Detain Immigrants for Only 72 Hours. One Woman Was Held for a Total of 26 Days.
Rebookings of immigrants into local jails are an effort to circumvent federal rules and regulations, legal experts say. Our nationwide analysis shows that in the past year, two Florida jails had unusu...
5212103
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Aura Bogado @aurabogado.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Illinois law says local officials can't help federal agents deport people. So how did so many residents end up on ICE's radar through information shared by local police, sheriffs, and prosecutors? I filed 394 FOIA requests to find out. (An @injusticewatch.org partnership with @theintercept.com!)
injusticewatch.org
Illinois promised to protect immigrants. Local officials helped deport them anyway.
In over a third of Illinois counties, cops, sheriffs, and even prosecutors helped federal immigration agents route at least 150 people into the deportation system since Trump returned to office, despi...
16503258
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Another month, another News Night :-D
Poster: NEWS NIGHT
Mawa lqbal of WBEZ
What a horrific discovery at a
Far South Side funeral home has exposed about the state's oversight of the funeral and burial industry
Calvin Davis of Capital B News
Why Gary, Indiana had the highest storm-outage counts in the region — and what it reveals about NIPSCO's vegetation management failures
Jack Norton of n+1
How ICE has built out
detention infrastructure in Florida, reshaping local political capacities and priorities
Wednesday, August 26 at 7 PM
Mouse Arts and Letters Club
555 W. 31st St.
020
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Shannon Heffernan @shannonheffernan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"Approximately 25 incarcerated men have launched a hunger strike at Lawrence Correctional Center over restrictive housing conditions, according to lawyers from civil rights law firm Uptown People’s Law Center." Important reporting from @blairpaddock.bsky.social
0236
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
NEW: A couple dozen men at Lawrence Correctional Center are on hunger strike over conditions in solitary confinement. They say they haven’t received mental health treatment, out-of-cell time, or access to tablets to communicate with family. news.wttw.com/2026/08/12/d...
news.wttw.com
Dozens of Incarcerated Men at Lawrence Prison Begin Hunger Strike Over Restrictive Housing Conditions
The men declared the strike from their restrictive housing, or solitary confinement, cells on Monday, alleging a lack of mental health treatment and out-of-cell time at the prison in the southeast reg...
02418
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
August @ Mouse (☆▽☆) mouseartsandletters.org
Poster that says: August Happenings
All events open to public, free or suggested donation Member coworking hours: Mon. - Thurs. (10-6)
1/2
Halsted St. Group Documentary Meeting
Tuesday, August 4
7PM - 8 PM
“Miners, Groom, Pneumoconiosis(矿民、马夫、尘肺病)”
Screening + Q&A with Director Jiang Nengjie
Monday, August 10
7PM - 9PM
Arabic Club
Wednesday, August 12
6 PM - 9PM
Making Miniatures from Scraps
Saturday, August 15
12 PM - 2:30 PM
"The Motorcycle Diaries" Screening
Saturday, August 15
7PM - 9PM
Injustice Watch Article Club
Tuesday, August 18
6:30 PM - 8 PM
Job Night: Bob Night
Thursday, August 20
7 - 9 PM
Roshini Collective Art Critique Workshop
Saturday, August 22
5PM - 7 PM
Mouse Arts & Letters • 555 W. 31st St.Poster that says:

August Happenings
All events open to public, free or suggested donation
Member coworking hours: Mon. - Thurs. (10 - 6)
Signal Hill Issue 3 Launch
Tuesday, August 25
Community Newsroom + News Night Wednesday, August 26
Arabic Club
Wednesday, August 26
Reading Group: Absolute Ethical Life
Thursday, August 27
Game Night Social for Labor Organizers
Friday, Augsust 28
Textile Night Monday, August 31
031
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: Cook County judges often ordered accused people to be detained while awaiting trial despite, by the court’s own assessments, being at low risk of rearrest or missing court. news.wttw.com/2026/07/30/c...
news.wttw.com
Cook County Judges Often Detain Pretrial Defendants Deemed a Low Risk of Reoffending or Missing Court, Report Says
A recent report from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice says Cook County judges often ordered accused people to be detained while awaiting trial despite, by the court’s own assessments, being a...
022
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Tonight!
034
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Today :-) from 3 - 5 :-)
000
Reposted by Blair Paddock
The Marshall Project @themarshallproject.org · 24/07/2026
There have been more than 70 fires, including a dozen cases of self-immolation, in the last three years at an Illinois prison that was supposed to be a model of prioritizing mental health treatment and healing instead of punishment.
themarshallproject.org
How An Illinois Prison Drove Desperate Men to Set Themselves on Fire
Designed to help people with serious mental illness, Joliet Treatment Center repeatedly failed to prevent or respond to fires, despite two deaths.
23733
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Jared Rutecki @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
New from me: A WTTW News analysis of CPS disciplinary records offers a rare look at employee misconduct findings & the system leaders use to punish workers. Records shed a light on a process affecting hundreds each year that many employees say remains difficult to understand, navigate or challenge.
news.wttw.com
More Than 700 CPS Employees Disciplined for Misconduct Over 1 Year, 10 Faced Allegations of Sexual Abuse
One year of employee discipline data, obtained by WTTW News, reveals more than 700 cases of misbehavior across Chicago Public Schools. Case outcomes ranged from verbal warnings and written reprimands ...
12511
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
A couple of nights ago, Eric and Amy went to the black-crowned night heron rookery at the Lincoln Park Zoo to capture their calls. Next Sunday, we will break down their sounds, transforming them into a reimagined soundscape. RSVP (free) as spots are limited: events.ticketleap.com/tickets/mous...
010
Reposted by Blair Paddock
n+1 @nplusonemag.com · 16/07/2026
“At 7 AM on a Saturday, I participated in a mass-casualty simulation drill held in the firefighter training area of O’Hare International Airport.” New: Morley Musick participates in a fake plane crash. www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
nplusonemag.com
Disaster Rehearsal | Morley Musick
At 7 AM on a Saturday in September 2025, I participated in a mass-casualty simulation drill held in the firefighter training area of O’Hare International Airport.
052
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Injustice Watch @injusticewatch.org · 15/07/2026
Update: Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed this legislation into law. Read our work below with @boltsmag.org to see how Illinois is raising the compensation for wrongfully convicted people, who often leave prison with few means to rebuild their lives.
015841
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
NEW: California continues to resist restrictions on solitary confinement. Prison officials had implemented some minor reforms in 2023, as a sort of compromise when Newsom vetoed a bill meant to ban the more torturous aspects of solitary confinement. But they're now dialing even those back.
boltsmag.org
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts
California officials dial back the minor reforms they've made to isolation in prison, four years after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to rein in solitary confinement.
312357
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
NEW: 375 days without stepping foot outside. Three men at Menard Correctional Center allege they were kept in solitary confinement for months on end, instead confined to filthy and unventilated cells so small they couldn’t fully extend their arms. They're suing IDOC. news.wttw.com/2026/07/14/3...
news.wttw.com
375 Days Without Stepping Foot Outside: Lawsuit Alleges No Yard Time for Some Incarcerated at Menard Prison
Three men filed a lawsuit Monday against administrators at the Illinois Department of Corrections and Menard Correctional Center, alleging that they inflicted cruel and unusual punishment on the plain...
16535
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"She will spend the remainder of the film playing and overplaying the part of the tearful bride, dabbing her cheeks dozens of times while men dance like sparrows around her, throwing axes into each other’s hands." from @morleymusick.bsky.social chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi...
chicagoreader.com
Home movies tell the story of Chicago’s Polish diaspora - Chicago Reader
Film scholar Agata Zborowska’s “Not-So-Ordinary” project archives and restores amateur films from the city’s Polish immigrant community.
011
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
News! Night! July 29! 7 PM! @cplhouse.bsky.social @ctoner.bsky.social @mitchtrout.bsky.social
NEWS NIGHT
Crystal Paul
of
Block Club Chicago
Identifying
271 Midway Blitz
Border Patrol Agents
Casey Toner
of the
Illinois Answers Project
Illinois Gamblers Lost $7.7 B
in 2025 Alone, But
Lawmakers Only Provide Spare Change for Treatment
Mitch Armentrout of the
Chicago Sun-Times
Scandal in Springfield:
One State Rep. Resigns, Another Federally Indicted On Wire Fraud Charges
Wednesday, July 29th at 7 PM
Mouse Arts and Letters Club, 555 W. 31st St.
2114
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
FYI, Pritzker signed SB248 into law last Friday. Incarcerated people who committed crimes when they were under 21 will get another chance at challenging their convictions. news.wttw.com/2026/06/30/b...
news.wttw.com
Bill Awaiting Pritzker’s Signature Would Clear Hurdle for People Challenging Sentences on Crimes Committed When Under 21
This bill would expand on prior laws and court rulings that have increasingly required judges to take defendants’ youth into account.
032
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
NEW: Illinois is rebuilding the state’s largest women’s prison outside of Chicago. I spoke with incarcerated women and employees about the 140 mile move. news.wttw.com/2026/07/13/l...
news.wttw.com
Logan Prison Is Moving 140 Miles North. Here’s What Employees, Incarcerated Women Have to Say
Logan Correctional Center, the largest women’s prison in Illinois, will be rebuilt with an 800-bed capacity about 140 miles north of its current location. As of this spring, Logan housed around 1,200 ...
0106
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
CPD has overspent its budget five years in a row, according to Chicago’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports from 2021 to 2025.
02110
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 06/07/2026
Palestinian olive oil importers contend with drought, tariffs, and settler violence to bring their product to Chicago. bit.ly/4vi8lRs
chicagoreader.com
Palestinian American olive oil importers in Chicago are struggling
Palestinian olive oil importers contend with drought, tariffs, and settler violence to bring their product to Chicago.
0145
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
“This has nothing to do with Judaism. This has nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestine conflict. This has to do with foie gras.” from @morleymusick.bsky.social and some photos from me chicagoreader.com/food/food-dr...
chicagoreader.com
Are the animal rights protests at Galit anti-foie gras or anti-Israel?
The foie gras wars at Lincoln Park restaurant Galit have reached a stalemate.
011
Reposted by Blair Paddock
WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
The bill, SB248, would remove a procedural hurdle for incarcerated people who were sentenced when under the age of 21 to challenge their convictions. to.wttw.com/4gO0JlU
to.wttw.com
Bill Awaiting Pritzker’s Signature Would Clear Hurdle for People Challenging Sentences on Crimes Committed When Under 21
This bill would expand on prior laws and court rulings that have increasingly required judges to take defendants’ youth into account.
074
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
For my latest, I reported from Florida, where more death-row prisoners have been executed since 2025 than all other states combined. I looked at how this accelerated pace is affecting people on the ground, beginning with a priest who ministers to men on death row. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/m...
nytimes.com
Capital Punishment Is on the Decline. Except in Ron DeSantis’s Florida.
714955
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Big Deal for those filing post-conviction petitions: A bill awaiting Pritzker’s signature would remove a procedural hurdle for incarcerated people who commited a crime <21 to challenge their sentence. news.wttw.com/2026/06/30/b...
news.wttw.com
Bill Awaiting Pritzker’s Signature Would Clear Hurdle for People Challenging Sentences on Crimes Committed When Under 21
This bill would expand on prior laws and court rulings that have increasingly required judges to take defendants’ youth into account.
022
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Casey Toner @ctoner.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/24/a... Our story on Illinois lawmakers including Gov. JB Pritzker balancing the budget off the backs of gamblers. Last year people in the state lost $7.7 billion gambling. Of those losses, more than $4.1 billion went to sportsbooks, slot machines and casino operators
illinoisanswers.org
Addicted to Gambling in Illinois: ‘Someone Has Decided They Can Make Money Off You’
People in Illinois lost more than $7.7 billion gambling last year.  As lawmakers increasingly bet on gambling to pay the state’s bills, they have only spare change to treat compulsive gamblers
0139
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Cook County has been called the wrongful conviction capital of the country. But who is giving the county this title? In her new book, “Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Conviction,” author Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve tries to answer that. news.wttw.com/2026/06/23/c...
news.wttw.com
Cook County Has Been Called the Wrongful Conviction Capital of the US. New Book Explores Why
Illinois makes up about 15% of wrongful conviction cases nationwide, according to Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, the author behind “Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Convicti...
011
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Hello, if you are in NY, please come!
010
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Another must-read from @morleymusick.bsky.social. Some photos I took made it in :-)
021
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
You can listen to records made inside Midwest jails and prisons at Walls Turned Sideways next week. I spoke with the duo behind the event. news.wttw.com/2026/06/04/c...
news.wttw.com
Chicago Gallery to Play Records and Other Recordings Created Inside Midwest Prisons and Jails
Albums recorded in Midwest jails and prisons that will be spun at the gallery Walls Turned Sideways on June 12. After the live listening event, a group discussion will allow audience members to debrie...
0104
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Carol Rosenberg @carolrosenbergfeed.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Exclusive: How a prisoner ended up alone in the war court in a death penalty case at Guantanamo Bay. --A look back at a most unusual pretrial hearing in the long-drawn-out 9/11 case at the place the Pentagon calls Camp Justice. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/03/u...
nytimes.com
How a Prisoner Ended Up Alone in Court in a Death Penalty Case
0236
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Please join us at Mouse on Wednesday, June 3, to hear from @nvancleve.bsky.social about her new book, “Crime Fictions”.
021
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Please join us at Mouse on Wednesday, June 3, to hear from @nvancleve.bsky.social about her new book, “Crime Fictions”.
021
Reposted by Blair Paddock
cam rodriguez 🔎 @camrodriguez.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
catch me, @gracehauck.bsky.social and @knibbs.bsky.social @ the mouse arts & letters club this coming wednesday! 🐀🔎📰
a promo for News Night held at the Mouse Arts and Letters Club on May 27 at 7 pm. It includes handwritten names of Grace Hauck from Illinois Answers Project, Cam Rodriguez from WBEZ/Sun-Times, and Kate Knibbs from WIRED.
082
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
@ Mouse on Saturday, May 23 !
041
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
News Night! Wednesday at Mouse :-)
News Night @ Mouse, 555 w. 31st st
Wed. May 27 7 pm

Grace Hauck Illinois Answers Project
Cam Rodriguez WBEZ/Sun-Times
Kate Knibbs WIRED
054
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
NYC’s first News Night. June 14 :-)
010
Blair Paddock @blairpaddock.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
a must-read on the most vital institution in chicago: the harold washington library, from @morleymusick.bsky.social chicagoreader.com/city-life/pe...
chicagoreader.com
The life and times of the Harold Washington Library - Chicago Reader
Regulars recount reading, drawing, and fighting in Chicago's beloved library
0144
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
NEW: With a Chance at Freedom, They Faced an Unexpected Obstacle: Their Own Lawyers @samanthamelamed.bsky.social @dylancpurcell.bsky.social @inquirer.com
propublica.org
With a Chance at Freedom, They Faced an Unexpected Obstacle: Their Own Lawyers
Pennsylvania courts allow attorneys to argue against their convicted clients’ bid for justice. It has resulted in people spending years or decades in prison before being freed based on issues lawyers ...
312052