Charmaine Runes

Digital designer. Front-end developer. Data journalist.


Hi! I’m Charmaine (she/they) — a Chicagoland-based developer, designer, and data journalist by training, but a climber, runner, and granola girl at heart. I value being outside and being in community. I first came to reporting as researcher, so my training in economics and public policy informs my work.

(Looking for my data visualization portfolio?)

I’m currently an interactive news designer at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Before that, I worked at WBEZ (Chicago Public Media), South Side Weekly, and the Urban Institute. I primarily write in HTML, CSS, and Javascript but I am also comfy with Python.



june 24, 2021

chicago's vaccine disparity widens

An update on Chicago’s vaccination efforts

april 24, 2021

running for the south side

South of Roosevelt, running groups aim to make Black and brown runners visible and safe.

april 14, 2021

a timeline of CPD killing children

Between 1940 and 2020, Chicago police killed at least forty children.

march 27, 2021

grocery store employees lagging behind on vaccines

Chicago's grocery store workers are in one of the largest job sectors eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1b and tend to live on the South and West Sides.

february 17, 2021

where can i get my COVID shot?

The following locations are where many South Side residents eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are getting vaccinated.

february 3, 2021

chicago's winter homeless count may be inaccurate

Chicago’s annual homeless count provides a “snapshot” of who is sleeping on the street, but critics say it’s inaccurate and can be traumatic.

january 26, 2021

chivaxbot: which chicagoans are getting vaccinated?

Who is dying? Who is vaccinated? A Twitter bot updated daily.

january 5, 2021

as remote learning continues, reopening plans remain a concern

Worries abound that reopening schools will not improve the educational experience of children in communities where COVID-19 positivity rates are the highest—and may put them at risk.

october 27, 2020

bicycling for environmental justice

Cyclists took a pedal-powered tour of community gardens and sites of environmental degradation and neglect.

august 6, 2020

COVID-19: an illustrated FAQ

Up-to-date information on how to keep yourself and others safe, and what lies ahead for Chicago.

july 22, 2020

a city of extremes

How the 1995 heat wave and COVID19 reveal what's changed (and what hasn't) in Chicago's health equity landscape