Zareen Syed's Avatar

Zareen Syed

@zareensyed.bsky.social

chronically indecisive Chicago Tribune reporter usually writing a mix of education, food and stories centering underrepresented groups ✉️ zsyed@chicagotribune.com

1,290 Followers  |  83 Following  |  33 Posts  |  Joined: 13.11.2024  |  1.9771

Latest posts by zareensyed.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Almost 55,000 children in Gaza acutely malnourished, Lancet study estimates Study shows clear link between Israeli restrictions on aid entering Gaza and levels of malnutrition among children Almost 55,000 children in Gaza are estimated to be acutely malnourished, far more than have so far been identified as victims of the potentially lethal condition, a study published in the Lancet, the respected international medical periodical, has revealed. The study, published on Wednesday, and led by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), offers a month-by-month breakdown through much of the two-year conflict, and shows for the first time a clear link between Israeli restrictions on supplies entering Gaza and levels of malnutrition among children. Continue reading...

Almost 55,000 children in Gaza acutely malnourished, Lancet study estimates

08.10.2025 22:37 — 👍 230    🔁 210    💬 23    📌 14

🍕 Free gift link to my review here:
chicagotribune.com/2025/10/07/restaurant-review-pizzamici/?share=zghztucrapt1m0cuiasa

08.10.2025 18:51 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Mayor Brandon Johnson signs executive order establishing ‘ICE-free zones’ • The TRiiBE Johnson is calling for a full investigation into “all of the brutality” that federal agents have conducted this past week.

HAPPENING NOW — This morning, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones.”

“That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as grounds for these raids,” Johnson said to applause.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/mayo...

06.10.2025 14:31 — 👍 3457    🔁 1103    💬 72    📌 121
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Forty Acres Fresh Market, Chicago’s only Black-owned grocery store, is a new option for fresh food in Austin Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood is an expansion of Liz Abunaw’s community-focused effort to offer fresh produce via home deliveries and pop-up markets.

Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood is an expansion of Liz Abunaw’s community-focused effort to offer fresh produce via home deliveries and pop-up markets.

06.10.2025 16:57 — 👍 38    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 1
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Forty Acres Fresh Market, Chicago’s only Black-owned grocery store, is a new option for fresh food in Austin Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood is an expansion of Liz Abunaw’s community-focused effort to offer fresh produce via home deliveries and pop-up markets.

Liz Abunaw, owner of Forty Acres, said her store is a business-driven approach, not an idealistic project to “solve hunger” in Austin. But it's addressing a gap in the market, intensified by the differences between Chicago neighborhoods and how those differences break down along racial lines.

06.10.2025 16:08 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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This video of Chicagoans intervening to save a man from being abducted off the streets by ICE is making the rounds on Instagram.

Community action works.

Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DPZL2AL...

05.10.2025 17:24 — 👍 44091    🔁 15705    💬 3467    📌 3037
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NEWS: Trump is federalizing 300 National Guard troops in Illinois, Gov. Pritzker announced.

04.10.2025 17:31 — 👍 94    🔁 67    💬 10    📌 13
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Fewer foreign students, fewer dollars: U.S. colleges feel the pinch DePaul University has told faculty it will immediately reduce spending following a 30% decline in international enrollment this fall. The move is the latest by U.S. colleges to cope with the disruptive education and immigration policies of President Donald Trump.

30% decline in international student enrollment at DePaul. The financial impact of that is staggering.

04.10.2025 01:21 — 👍 4    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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Chicago-area doctors are returning from Gaza with horror stories, and demands for elected officials A group of doctors who worked in Gaza are urging members of Congress to sign onto a bill that would limit weapons sales to Israel. They say they can feel the tide turning.

He's one of a handful of local doctors, w/ Jewish Voice for Peace, calling on lawmakers to block bomb sales to Israel and speak out against famine in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank.

Read the story, but most importantly, press play👂
www.wbez.org/politics/202...

26.08.2025 16:43 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Chicago-area doctors are returning from Gaza with horror stories, and demands for elected officials A group of doctors who worked in Gaza are urging members of Congress to sign onto a bill that would limit weapons sales to Israel. They say they can feel the tide turning.

Chicago doctor Thaer Ahmad will never forget one of the 1st times he declared a patient dead in Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, after a father carried in his three lifeless daughters.

Those girls weigh heavy on Ahmad's mind as he demands action from Illinois politicians.
www.wbez.org/politics/202...

26.08.2025 16:43 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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The Wieners Circle hands out free hot dogs — and insults — for Caleb Williams’ 4 TD passes The Wieners Circle made good on the promise of free hot dogs Tuesday if Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams threw four TD passes vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

It's not all investigations, politics and crime news. A good daily newspaper captures the flavor of its city. @zareensyed.bsky.social did that masterfully with her coverage of the craziness at the Wiener Circle yesterday www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/23/w...

24.09.2025 16:50 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Thank you for the kind words, Steve!

24.09.2025 17:40 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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The Wieners Circle hands out free hot dogs — and insults — for Caleb Williams’ 4 TD passes The Wieners Circle made good on the promise of free hot dogs Tuesday if Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams threw four TD passes vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Wieners Circle had promised free hot dogs if Bears QB Caleb Williams threw four TD passes Sunday vs. the Cowboys — which he did.

Now it was showtime behind the counter.

@zareensyed.bsky.social's story with photos by E. Jason Wambsgans.

trib.al/JERFTZg

24.09.2025 01:30 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
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The Wieners Circle hands out free hot dogs — and insults — for Caleb Williams’ 4 TD passes The Wieners Circle made good on the promise of free hot dogs Tuesday if Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams threw four TD passes vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Don’t miss this fun story: @zareensyed.bsky.social filed a great dispatch from Weiner Circle’s free hot dog day @chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/23/w...

24.09.2025 01:37 — 👍 21    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
tylenol.com
TYLENOL
We stand with science, and we stand with you.
For generations, families have trusted TYLENOL® when it matters most.
Why? Because Tylenol is one of the most studied medications in history.
The facts remain unchanged: over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals, confirm there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.
Acetaminophen is used worldwide as a first line of defense for pain relief and fever reduction, at the recommendation of independent public health and leading medical professionals and in accordance with the product label.
High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated, especially in the first trimester.
Remember to talk to your doctor.
We prioritize science as the core of how we provide care, and that will never change.

tylenol.com TYLENOL We stand with science, and we stand with you. For generations, families have trusted TYLENOL® when it matters most. Why? Because Tylenol is one of the most studied medications in history. The facts remain unchanged: over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals, confirm there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism. Acetaminophen is used worldwide as a first line of defense for pain relief and fever reduction, at the recommendation of independent public health and leading medical professionals and in accordance with the product label. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated, especially in the first trimester. Remember to talk to your doctor. We prioritize science as the core of how we provide care, and that will never change.

A pop up box on Tylenol dot com

23.09.2025 04:11 — 👍 24521    🔁 6189    💬 684    📌 429
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ICE agents held 5-year-old girl outside Leominster home to get father to surrender, family says Video appears to show federal immigration agents trying to coax the man out of his Massachusetts home while asking, “Is that your daughter?”

ICE agents held a man’s five year old autistic daughter and taunted him with “Is that your daughter” in an attempt to get him to come out of the house.

They were rebuffed but two days later took him from his car.

23.09.2025 11:30 — 👍 1151    🔁 506    💬 46    📌 93
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A culture at risk: Chicago’s street vendors quietly disappear from familiar corners during ICE surge Their quiet disappearance marks not just a loss of income for them, it’s also the erosion of a cherished culture by many in the city.

A culture at risk: Chicago’s street vendors quietly disappear from familiar corners during ICE surge

By @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social and @zareensyed.bsky.social

Gift 🔗

21.09.2025 19:23 — 👍 20    🔁 11    💬 0    📌 0
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A culture at risk: Chicago’s street vendors quietly disappear from familiar corners during ICE surge Their quiet disappearance marks not just a loss of income for them, it’s also the erosion of a cherished culture by many in the city.

Chicago's street vendors carry a cultural legacy that's slowly shrinking away from familiar city corners in the middle of the current ICE surge. "What they do is a dying art, born of love.” ✍️ An important story with @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social

21.09.2025 18:30 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/21/chicago-street-vendors-disappear-ice-surge/

A culture at risk: Some Chicago street vendors quietly disappear from familiar corners during ICE surge. On the ground reporting @chicagotribune.com @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social @zareensyed.bsky.social t.co/Ngn42kEAPt

21.09.2025 14:18 — 👍 60    🔁 15    💬 1    📌 0
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Hunt for two escaped horses in west suburbs threatened a town’s biggest industry Residents of a DuPage County town were worried about two escaped horses. Then they learned at least one of the animals was caring a highly contagious disease.

Residents of a DuPage County town were worried about two escaped horses. Then they learned at least one of the animals was caring a highly contagious disease.

09.09.2025 12:02 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Today in things that should never be happening but especially now of all times:

09.09.2025 13:16 — 👍 208    🔁 68    💬 3    📌 1
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Black McDonald’s operators detail history of alleged racial discrimination in lawsuit For 25 years, Robert Bonner was committed to working for McDonald’s. But a lawsuit alleges McDonald’s thwarted Bonner’s attempts to sell his stores.

Black McDonald’s operators detail history of alleged racial discrimination in lawsuit. Story from Darcel Rockett
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/08/m...

08.09.2025 13:56 — 👍 7    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Northwestern President Michael Schill’s exit reopens wounds over campus protests, antisemitism allegations Faculty members and students are reeling from Northwestern University President Michael Schill’s resignation after a turbulent three-year tenure.

Recent higher ed reporting ✍️

➡️ Some faculty members expressed sympathy for Schill, who heeded several unprecedented demands from the right toward the end of his troubled 3 year tenure as Northwestern's leader. Others on campus say they were glad to see him go.

08.09.2025 05:35 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Eeek! I'm so nervous to watch this because I know I'm going to compare every frame and every scene to the perfection that is The Office but I also want to like it in support of the office

05.09.2025 05:26 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0
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‘Between Sky and Sea’ photo exhibit showcases the life of displaced Gazans: ‘Not just war and rubble’ Gaza in the photos of Palestinian photojournalist and filmmaker Ismail Abu Hatab is more than destruction and despair.

The life of displaced Gazans is the focal point of this free exhibit at the Walls Turned Sideways space in East Garfield Park. There's an ambient sound that plays overhead to supplement the viewing experience...drones, sounds of the sea, children. It's very moving.

Thurs-Saturdays through Aug. 23.

12.08.2025 18:14 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Air quality alerts issued across Illinois. But how safe are you inside your home? Although it is recommended to hunker inside during these stretches, experts say indoor air quality can often be just as bad, if not worse, than outdoor air quality.

Air quality alerts issued Thursday in Illinois because of Canadian wildfire smoke marked the latest bout in an increasingly common summer occurrence. The alert covers 34 Illinois counties designated as having unhealthy air for all residents.

31.07.2025 19:48 — 👍 17    🔁 7    💬 1    📌 1
Text reads: "What to Know About Starvation in Gaza and Deadly Violence Near Aid Sites" over a photo of people holding pans and other containers at a charity kitchen in western Gaza City. Photo by Saher Alghorra for The New York Times.

Text reads: "What to Know About Starvation in Gaza and Deadly Violence Near Aid Sites" over a photo of people holding pans and other containers at a charity kitchen in western Gaza City. Photo by Saher Alghorra for The New York Times.

Palestinians have been forced to routinely choose between risking death by starvation or risking death by gunfire to reach food aid sites where Israeli soldiers have repeatedly fired at the crowds, killing hundreds of people over the last two months, according to the UN. nyti.ms/3GLjBCH

28.07.2025 19:10 — 👍 173    🔁 96    💬 39    📌 9

Absolutely gutted. Our colleagues are the best and brightest and their incredible work speaks for itself. Heartbroken for them and for us having lost such unique voices in the newsroom

24.07.2025 21:26 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Pinar Istek anchored the night shift on the photo desk, directing after-hours visual coverage of breaking news. She is a proactive leader who looks out for the whole photo desk and was an essential part of dozens of breaking stories.

24.07.2025 18:01 — 👍 26    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Ahmed Ali Akbar went deep on all angles of Chicago’s vibrant food scene way beyond the plate — the economic, cultural and political winds that power it, but also the fun and community that springs up around it.

24.07.2025 18:01 — 👍 24    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 1

@zareensyed is following 20 prominent accounts