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Jesus J. Montero of the Cicero Independiente
What Cicero and Stickney Residents Need to Know About the Koppers Coal Tar Plant EnvironmentHealth

What Cicero and Stickney Residents Need to Know About the Koppers Coal Tar Plant

Over the past decade, the Koppers coal tar plant, situated on the border of the town of Cicero and the village of Stickney, has been flagged for more than 50 violations of state environmental laws.
, , and February 13, 2024
Jesus J. Montero of the Cicero Independiente
Koppers disputes most recent environmental violations but plant records reveal two decades of run-ins with Illinois EPA EnvironmentHealthInvestigation

Koppers disputes most recent environmental violations but plant records reveal two decades of run-ins with Illinois EPA

After the Illinois EPA sent them a lengthy violations notice last fall, Koppers executives began selling stock at an unprecedented rate. After MuckRock and the Cicero Independiente reported on those violations, the publicly-traded company hired a crisis communications firm to meet with elected officials and manage the community fallout.
, , and February 13, 2024
Sandra and Jesse Arzola in front of Sandra's family’s house in West ChicagoJonathan Aguilar/Borderless Magazine
West Chicago is Cleaning Up the Last of its Nuclear Contamination. Residents Exposed to Radiation Say ‘It’s Not Over’ EnvironmentInvestigationStaff pickTrending

West Chicago is Cleaning Up the Last of its Nuclear Contamination. Residents Exposed to Radiation Say ‘It’s Not Over’

A local factory was once the largest producer of thorium in the world. This fall, the “radioactive capital of the Midwest” is doing one last cleanup.
July 12, 2022