Karen Lewis, former president of the Chicago Teachers Union, dies at 67
On February 7, Karen Lewis, the former president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), died at the age of 67. Lewis, who retained the title of CTU president emerita, had been diagnosed in October 2014 with glioblastoma, a type of aggressive brain cancer. She officially stepped down from her union role in 2018, turning the office over to CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey, who had been named acting president after Lewis’ diagnosis.
Lewis’ death prompted an outpouring of sympathy and warm recollections from the corporate media, fellow union officials and others. Stacy Davis Gates, the current CTU vice president, referred to her as “the most transformative leader that the city has seen in this century.” Jacobin, the semi-official publication of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has posted no less than four articles on Lewis as of this writing, while failing to post a single article on last week’s
EXPENSIVE repairs could be needed to old buildings on the edge of the Dorchester market site. Recent storms blew tiles from the roof of the North Linneys into gardens in Great Western Road which back on to the area. An inspection has now revealed that little is wrong with the tiles, apart from those which broke when they were ripped away, but the nails holding them in place have rusted through on some of the structure and are no longer up to the job. To carry out an effective repair it is thought that all the tiles may have to be taken off, the underlying timber repaired or replaced where necessary, and then re-tiled.