David Schaper
David Schaper is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, based in Chicago, primarily covering transportation and infrastructure, as well as breaking news in Chicago and the Midwest.
In this role, Schaper covers aviation and airlines, railroads, the trucking and freight industries, highways, transit, and new means of mobility such as ride hailing apps, car sharing, and shared bikes and scooters. In addition, he reports on important transportation safety issues, as well as the politics behind transportation and infrastructure policy and funding.
Since joining NPR in 2002, Schaper has covered some of the nation's most important news stories, including the Sandy Hook school shooting and other mass shootings, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, California wildfires, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and numerous other disasters. David has also reported on presidential campaigns in Iowa and elsewhere, on key races for U.S. Senate and House, governorships, and other offices in the Midwest, and he reported on the rise of Barack Obama from relative political obscurity in Chicago to the White House. Along the way, he's brought listeners and online readers many colorful stories about Chicago politics, including the corruption trials and convictions of two former Illinois governors.
But none of that compares to the joy of covering his beloved Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2016, and three Stanley Cup Championships for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
Prior to joining NPR, Schaper spent almost a decade working as an award-winning reporter and editor for WBEZ/Chicago Public Media, NPR's Member station in Chicago. For three years he covered education issues, reporting in-depth on the problems and progress — financial, educational and otherwise — in Chicago's public schools.
Schaper also served as WBEZ's Assistant Managing Editor of News, managing the station's daily news coverage and editing the reporting staff while often still reporting himself. He later served as WBEZ's political editor and reporter; he was a frequent fill-in news anchor and talk show host. Additionally, he has been an occasional contributor guest panelist on Chicago public television station WTTW's news program, Chicago Tonight.
Schaper began his journalism career in La Crosse, Wisconsin, as a reporter and anchor at Wisconsin Public Radio's WLSU-FM. He has since worked in both public and commercial radio news, including stints at WBBM NewsRadio in Chicago, WXRT-FM in Chicago, WDCB-FM in suburban Chicago, WUIS-FM in Springfield, Illinois, WMAY-AM in Springfield, Illinois, and WIZM-AM and FM in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Schaper earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications and history at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a master's degree in public affairs reporting at the University of Illinois-Springfield. He lives in Chicago with his wife, a Chicago Public School teacher, and they have three adult children.
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President Biden toured areas of western Kentucky damaged by a series of powerful tornadoes on Dec. 10 and 11. The president promised the federal government would be there to help people.
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Thousands of people lost their homes and businesses in the tornadoes that tore through Kentucky last week. Now, residents are sorting out how to move forward and whether or not to rebuild. -
Thousands of families across Kentucky and other states hit by tornadoes are facing a difficult road ahead to rebuild. Supplies are limited and workers are in demand as they try to get things in order.
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In western Kentucky, the city of Mayfield got walloped by Friday night's tornado. Huge swathes of the area were destroyed and an unknown number of people were killed.
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The rapid emergence of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has many questioning whether they should rethink their holiday travel plans. -
The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse is reverberating through Kenosha, Wis., a city of about 100,000. Residents Rittenhouse, who killed two people during protests over a police shooting in 2020.
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Millions of Americans are returning to the skies this holiday season. Crowded airports, staffing shortages, bad weather and disruptive passengers all could make the experience miserable. -
American Airlines is canceling hundreds of flights Monday after canceling over 2,000 flights over the weekend, blaming bad weather and staffing shortages leaving too few flight crews available.
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Democrats say they're close to a deal on the broad reconciliation bill, but transportation planners are anxious because a short-term extension on federal highway and transit programs runs out Sunday. -
Mark Forkner is charged with deceiving safety regulators who were evaluating the plane, which was later involved in two deadly crashes.
