Chicago City Council members have advanced an $8.75 million settlement in a police shooting case. People being released from the Cook County jail will be able to get a key resource on their way out the door - a free state ID. Federal prosecutors have all but rested their case against former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke.
The man allegedly responsible for the mass shooting in north suburban Highland Park in 2022 will defend himself in his upcoming trial. Chicago officials say there are no immediate plans to build a migrant encampment on a vacant lot in Morgan Park. Illinois State Police increasingly use “clear and present danger” reports to prevent people who may be a threat from having or getting firearms.
Elly Fishman has reported several stories related to Chicago’s migrant crisis. Recently, she went looking for a project that brought hope and joy into the conversation. She immediately thought of Sullivan High School. Fishman is a freelance writer and the author of “Refugee High: Coming of Age in America,” which chronicles the 2017-18 school year at Sullivan, a high school in Rogers Park. It’s a unique environment, largely because its student body represents more than 40 countries. “What brings ...
A Chicago cop with a controversial history in the line of duty is running to become a Cook County judge. Rural schools in Illinois will get a larger voice in state decisions starting next year through the Rural Education Advisory Council. An Illinois Congressman is seeking to revive the legacy of America’s first Black sports hero.
A new report shows Black and Latino borrowers in the Chicago region continue to receive higher-cost, government-backed mortgage loans more often than other groups. Rural schools in Illinois will get a larger voice next year in state decisions. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is expanding next year.
Jahmal Cole asked a question to the crowd of volunteers assembled in a church parking lot in the Chatham neighborhood on a recent Saturday. “How come there ain't no holiday lights on the South Side of Chicago?” he said into the microphone. “I've seen it in Edgewater. I've seen it in Greek Town. How come there ain't no holiday lights on the South Side of Chicago?” Cole is the founder of the community organization My Block My Hood My City. For six years, they’ve decorated homes on Martin Luther Ki...
Chicago alderpersons continue pointing fingers and placing blame over the failed construction of a migrant camp in Brighton Park. Some of Alderman Ray Lopez’s constituents used Posada as a backdrop to protest Chicago’s continued sanctuary status. Jurors get a firsthand look at the FBI raid on former Alderman Ed Burke’s office.
The Chicago Bears are reportedly looking into building a new stadium in the South Lot of Soldier Field. Small business owners in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood are pushing back against a chain store that is eyeing a location on Clark Street. Des Plaines is cracking down on travelers who leave their cars on residential streets when flying out of O'Hare.
When West Garfield Park shows up in the news, it’s often accompanied by a crime statistic. Chicago media tends to fixate on violence in the area, but community members offer a bigger story. “If we can get rid of the violence, we’ll have the best community in the world,” says LiFE restaurant owner Joe Black. He is just one of many residents who continue to invest in the neighborhood when others might choose to leave. In this episode, we hear from Black and record shop owner Marie Henderson on why...
Another encampment for migrants could go up in the Chicago Morgan Park neighborhood with mixed reactions. A city council panel will take up whether police officers can contest discipline cases behind closed doors. A Muslim-American attorney says a Chicago law firm fired her for speaking up for Palestinian rights.
Political fallout continues from the dispute over a scuttled migrant base camp in Brighton Park. A fire raced through a home in North Lawndale on Chicago's West Side this morning, killing one man and critically injuring his mother. Chicago-based McDonald’s expects to open nearly 10,000 restaurants over the next four years, the fastest period of growth in the company’s history.
Chicago comedian Kenya Elan says she regularly makes her audiences scream. “It’s a lot of release,” Elan said. “I feel like my comedy is based in release, because I feel like once you let it out, you can move forward in some sort of way. You can take the next steps.” Elan is a cast member at The Lincoln Lodge in Logan Square (she’s part of a show Friday, Dec. 8 where the audience guesses each comedian’s zodiac sign). In this episode, she explains her Chicago roots in Hyde Park and Humboldt Park,...
A controversial plan to house migrants in a winterized tent in Brighton Park in Chicago’s southwest side will not be moving forward – local residents celebrated. A corporate executive with business in Ed Burke’s ward tells a jury he felt “weird” after a conversation with the former alderman. Chicago State University will be joining a new athletic conference and hopes to start a Division 1 college football team.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office says the state will not move forward to house migrants at a Brighton Park site. Burger King executive Zohaib Dhanani testifies in the federal corruption trial of former Alderman Ed Burke. Illinois kids under 5 will soon be able to receive a monthly book from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
As we gear up for the 2024 presidential election, we often hear this refrain: “Just vote.” But voting is just one way to engage in our democracy. We wanted to get a sense of how to become more civically engaged on the local level, so we turned to Grace Del Vecchio, the editorial program coordinator for Documenters at City Bureau. They help train Chicagoans to document local government meetings, so they have seen firsthand the countless ways people engage in our city’s democratic process. In this...
The state has halted work on the migrant tent city in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood to review environmental testing. A new study says most Chicago Public School students who enroll in college take more than four years to complete. Republicans and Democrats running for office in Illinois next year have finished submitting their nominating petitions.
A spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker said construction of a base camp to shelter migrants in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood is temporarily paused. The C.E.O. of Chicago Public Media, the parent organization of WBEZ, is stepping down. A “clipper” weather system is expected to bring another period of snow to the Chicago region starting this evening.
Naomi Davis grew up in St. Albans, Queens. She recalls it as a walkable neighborhood where neighbors invested back into their community. Now, Davis helms Blacks In Green, a Chicago organization taking an environmental justice approach to Black community development. That includes BIG’s “Sustainable Square Mile” initiative. They want to help Black neighborhoods become self-sustaining in their local economy and energy grid. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Davis about what it would take t...
A study commissioned by the city of Chicago found traces of contamination in the soil of the site selected to house a winterized camp for migrants. The Illinois State Police launched an online portal that lets residents submit anonymous tips about local, county or state officials they suspect of wrongdoing. Leaders of the Muslim Civic Coalition are revealing plans to introduce an act that would honor the legacy of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy who was stabbed to death.
Chicago has finished its fifth month in a row with a drop in murders compared to last year. A consultant's report finds Illinois prisons at Pontiac, Logan County, and Stateville at Joliet are nearly inoperable. Beer enthusiasts from around Chicago descended on Bronzeville last night for the opening of the Turner Haus Brewery's flagship taproom, the only Black-owned brewery taproom currently operating in Chicago.
Octavia Butler loved science fiction as a child, but she never saw any versions of herself depicted in the traditionally white, male genre. “So at about 14 she said, ‘Well, I guess I have to write myself in,’” said Candace Hunter, the creator of a new Butler exhibit at the Hyde Park Art Center. “And she did. And she did it to much applause and much fanfare.” Butler became one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of her generation, winning two Hugo awards, two Nebula awards and a MacArt...
U.S. Steel is laying off workers at its downstate Granite City, Illinois plant, but there are no such downsizing plans for its steel mill in Gary. Home care and child care workers are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker for increased wages and a pathway to retirement. An AI chatbot is helping local renters address housing issues.
A lawsuit seeks to block Northwestern University from hosting concerts at its stadium. New seating protocols for Chicago City Council meetings spark backlash from good government and civil rights advocates. The Illinois Air National Guard will name its first Black general in the organization's history.
Anna DeShawn grew up in a religious household on the South Side, where she says she “had no connection to queerness.” Once she reached adulthood, she saw a need for more coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. And in 2009, she founded E3 Radio to start telling those stories. She was ready to be a radio personality. “Black women in radio from Chicago, it's a pretty lit lineup,” DeShawn said. “I didn't grow up thinking that this was something I could not do.” And earlier this year, she was inducted into Chicag...
Jurors heard some of the most infamous secret recordings of former Chicago alderman Ed Burke. A new online tool provides a complete look at kids in each community area in Chicago. Meta officially opens its new data center in DeKalb.
United and American Airlines are asking Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to scale back expansion plans at O'Hare Airport. The Chicago City Council is tightening public access amid a slew of chaotic meetings. Faculty at Second City Chicago may soon go on strike.
One of the most jarring political pieces on display at the new exhibit, “Faith Ringgold: American People,” depicts the stars of the American flag reading the word “DIE” and the stripes reading the n-word. Titled “Flag For The Moon,” the piece briefly got the artist arrested for flag desecration when she displayed it in 1970. “She felt the American government – what they were communicating to Black people – [was] that they could put a flag on the moon but disregard Black lives back in the United ...
Construction of a Brighton Park base camp for migrants is underway despite an environmental study’s findings not made public. Former Chicago Alderman – turned government mole – Danny Solis’ voice played throughout a federal courtroom as Ed Burke’s trial continues. It’s been unseasonably cold outside the past few days, but climate experts say the Chicago area may be in for a milder winter than average.
Construction may begin on a Brighton Park base camp to shelter migrants as soon as tomorrow. The federal corruption trial of former Alderman Ed Burke continues. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation finds used car dealers across the country are selling vehicles that have unaddressed safety recalls.
Director Andrew Davis has made films set in deserts and at sea. But when he directs movies based in cities, he always tries to bring them to Chicago. “I understood the city,” he said. “And I understood the fabric of how to get something to look tough, or look slick, or look classy.” Davis grew up in Chicago. You may know him for “The Fugitive,” but he started his career with a different Chicago-based movie. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Davis about his career and the 45th anniversary...
