Melody Mercado

Melody Mercado covers the Loop, West Loop, Gold Coast, and River North for Block Club Chicago.

She started her career as a television reporter at NBC affiliate WHO13 News, where she played an integral role in covering the Iowa Caucus and the racial justice protests of 2020. She later covered the Des Moines city government, with a focus on local policy and its effect on the community for the Des Moines Register.

Melody is an Illinois native from Belvidere, and has a B.A. from Bradley University and an M.A. from DePaul University, both in journalism.