The Cook County Board on Thursday passed limits on the practice of asking potential tenants about their criminal histories, despite pleas to hold off until landlords and property owners had a chance to air their concerns.

The dormitory-style transitional housing program, run by Portland-headquartered nonprofit Bridges to Change, is designed to repair some of the harm the criminal justice system historically has inflicted on communities of color.

Child poverty in the U.S. could be cut in half over the next 10 years with a few simple steps, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The cost would be high — at least $90 billion a year.

Some places lift children out of poverty. Others trap them there. Now cities are trying to do something about the difference.