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JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight: 
remembering the work and life 
of a longtime correspondent

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for "NewsHour."

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ELIZABETH BRACKETT, 
Journalist: And the question 
people are now asking is, 
what will the long-term

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impact on their community be?

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Elizabeth 
Brackett once said she 
wouldn't take no for an answer.

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And it was a trait that came 
to define much of her 40-year 
career in journalism, including

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more than 25 years as a special 
correspondent based in the 
Midwest for the "NewsHour."

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ELIZABETH BRACKETT: These three 
acres of corn are all that 
Boyer (ph) has left of the 800

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acres he planted this year.

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He's completely wiped out.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Whether she 
was covering the impact of 
devastating floods in Iowa, the

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space shuttle Challenger 
disaster, or families 
fleeing after Hurricane 
Katrina, Elizabeth's

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reports stood out in 
the way she captured the 
voices of those affected.

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WOMAN: We have been 
walking since yesterday.

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We have had people that have 
been walking for three days.

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Everybody's out on the bridge.

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Nobody gave us nothing.

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We haven't eaten in three days.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: She 
was competitive.

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And as one of her producers 
at the "NewsHour," 
Merrill Schwerin, put 
it, "She always pushed

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for more, more interviews, more 
phone calls, more perspective."

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Elizabeth wanted to be at 
the front of a breaking 
story, as was the case 
when she covered the

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heated battles over an abortion 
clinic in Wichita, Kansas.

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ELIZABETH BRACKETT: Three 
hours after patients had gotten 
into the clinic, those who had

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not been arrested from Operation 
Rescue were still on the street.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Elizabeth was 
a true Chicagoan at heart.

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She worked for several 
TV stations, most notably 
with our colleagues at 
WTTW for two decades,

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where she was a correspondent 
and host for "Chicago Tonight."

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She often focused on 
education and the deadly 
toll of gun violence.

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But she loved politics as 
well, and Illinois was a 
great place to focus on that.

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She reported extensively 
on the downfall of former 
Governor Rod Blagojevich.

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And she wrote a book about it.

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ELIZABETH BRACKETT: The calls 
for impeachment are growing.

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There is now a bill introduced 
into the Illinois legislature 
calling for impeachment, in the

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House.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: She received 
numerous awards during her 
career, including national and

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regional Emmys, as well 
as a Peabody Award.

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She retired, so to speak, in 
2014, but still was reporting 
10 stories a year for WTTW.

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ELIZABETH BRACKETT: Well, after 
all that worry, it didn't rain.

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And I really had a great week.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Remarkably, she 
completed her first triathlon 
at age 50 and went on to win

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five global titles 
in her age group.

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Elizabeth died Sunday after an 
apparent bicycle accident on the 
lakefront path in her beloved

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hometown of Chicago.

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She was 76 years old.

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And we are heartbroken.

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And, online, we have more 
remembrances of Elizabeth from 
producer Merrill Schwerin,

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who, together, they worked 
on dozens of stories.

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That and more is on our 
Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour.