Judith Ruiz-Branch
Public News Service Reporter/ProducerJudith Ruiz-Branch is an award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience as a reporter/producer for TV, radio, print, and podcast news.
She's also served as a Spanish spokesperson and led communications, media, and public relations teams at various organizations in Chicago. She began her career at WGN-TV in Chicago and went on to work for various news outlets including WBEZ Radio, Crain's Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune, and WNIN Tri-State Media among others.
Her bilingual reporting with WNIN earned her two Murrow Awards, most recently for innovation in the digital space. Her favorite stories to report on are health, human interest, equity, justice, and immigration.
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A new report from the Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois concludes that prosecuting children or teens in adult court doesn't improve public safety, even as it increases repeat offenses and disproportionately harms youth of color. The group is urging Illinois to end "automatic transfer" laws that move kids into adult court. It also wants to ensure legal counsel for children during interrogations and strengthen data collection to support more effective juvenile court practices. -
Illinois environmental advocates are fighting against the Trump Administration's repeal of the Roadless Rule which protects millions of acres of National Forests. They argue the law already allows flexibility for fire management - a key reason the administration cites for the repeal - and that roads, not their absence, are the leading cause of forest fires. -
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and advocates are speaking out about the need for Illinoisans to have hard discussions before severe illness sets in. More than 250,000 Illinoisans are living with the disease, with nearly 320,000 serving as family caregivers. -
Experts warn that white nationalist groups disguised as fitness and brotherhood organizations called 'Active Clubs' are spreading rapidly in Illinois, the U.S., and the world. Their decentralized, leaderless structure makes them difficult to track, fueling multi-state and global coordination that poses growing risks of violence. -
Federal crop insurance pours billions of taxpayer money into corn and soybeans in Illinois, but leaves small fruit and vegetable farmers exposed. As climate risks grow, one Illinois specialty farmer says diversity, not subsidies, is his safety net. -
Business and out-of-state ownership of Illinois farmland has surged since 2005, driving up rent prices and limiting conservation practices. Unlike neighboring states, Illinois has no restrictions on corporate land purchases, raising concerns about rising costs, soil health, and long-term food security. -
Chemical runoff from Midwest farms pollutes waterways and poisons communities, according to environmental advocates. One Illinois farmer is speaking out about the dilemma he and others face when trying to implement more climate-friendly farming practices. -
Science is supposed to be fact-based and objective, but new research shows the way it's being used is definitely not. The Northwestern University study finds that partisan use of scientific data in policymaking has increased in the past 25 years, and confirms a widening gap between Democrats and Republicans. -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting the highest rate of tick-bite cases in more than five years, and Illinois doctors are urging people to take preventive measures to curb being infected by these pests. -
Illinois schools have already been grappling with a teacher shortage, budget deficits, and growing student needs. Experts say there was an anticipated budget shortfall of $280 million due to frozen federal K-12 funds, but administration officials say those funds are now unfrozen.
