Articles by Regional Reporter, Illinois Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco
Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco is the Midwest regional reporter for Grist and WBEZ Chicago. He previously covered waterways, wildlife, and agriculture for the Mississippi River Basin Agriculture and Water Desk, Harvest Public Media, and WNIJ Northern Public Radio.
All Articles
-
![a woman in her 70s filters water at a kitchen sink]()
![a woman in her 70s filters water at a kitchen sink]()
Chicago was supposed to warn residents about toxic lead pipes last year. Most still have no idea.
Eight months past a federal deadline, more than 90 percent of at-risk Chicagoans haven’t been told their drinking water could be unsafe.
-
![People dig a trench to replace lead pipes in front of a house]()
![People dig a trench to replace lead pipes in front of a house]()
Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades.
The city with the most lead service lines in the country doesn’t plan to finish replacing them until 2076.
-
![collage of the book Sea of Grass with headshots of the authors on either side]()
![collage of the book Sea of Grass with headshots of the authors on either side]()
How America’s prairie was nearly destroyed — and why it should be restored
A new book traces the environmental collapse of a crucial ecosystem and how its return could fight climate change.
-
![Contestants in a fishing tournament use hand-held nets to catch Asian carp as they leap from the water near Bath, Illinois.]()
![Contestants in a fishing tournament use hand-held nets to catch Asian carp as they leap from the water near Bath, Illinois.]()
Illinois must protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp. A toxic mess stands in the way.
Only 40 miles separate voracious Asian carp from the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. To stop them, Illinois must reckon with its legacy of coal ash pollution.
