Tyler Spratt had a smile for everyone. He’d spin tales with loved ones, trying to get them to bite, and, when they’d discover the ruse, he’d let out a laugh. Spratt was warm and loving, his obituary notes, particularly with his nephew and younger cousins. He took pride in his job as a chef—the 28-year-old, […]
Author Archives: Shawn Mulcahy
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Parole presupposes that change—a correction—is possible’
Eastern State Penitentiary, in Philadelphia, opened its doors in 1829. Often considered the world’s first true penitentiary, its hallmark six-spoked, wheel-shaped design radiates outward from a central tower, where guards could keep watch over some 500 prisoners. The prison’s creators believed that, through penitence and solitude (now widely considered a form of torture), people would […]
Posted inNews & Politics
Brandon Johnson’s first hundred days as Chicago mayor
“Today the dream is alive,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told a crowded room of supporters at his election night party in April, invoking the words of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in his victory speech. “Tonight is the beginning of a Chicago that truly invests in all of its people.” Johnson’s resounding victory was […]