It’s tax season, and pretty soon, it’ll be audit season. An “audit” is when the IRS investigates whether an individual or corporation accurately reported and paid their taxes. In 2023, a Stanford study found an unsettling discrepancy when it comes to who does – and does not – get an IRS audit. “Black taxpayers are about three to five times as likely to be audited than everyone else,” said Daniel Ho, one of the study ’s authors and the director of Stanford’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance...
Apr 09, 2024•17 min
Chicago Public School principals get their budgets, some Evanston city council members want more information about a potential migrant shelter, and thousands flocked to Adler Planetarium to watch the solar eclipse Monday.
Apr 09, 2024•4 min
President Joe Biden is expected in Chicago for a reelection fundraiser. Evanston is looking into converting a vacant office building into a shelter for migrants. More than 300 University of Illinois Chicago faculty, students and alumni are sounding the alarm about an effort to rein in campus speech.
Apr 08, 2024•4 min
“Theater feels spiritual to me,” actor Jon Michael Hill told The Rundown. You may know him from TV shows including “Detroit 1-8-7” and “Elementary,” but Hill is also a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member. He plays the introverted main character and narrator of “Purpose,” a world premiere from playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins and director Phylicia Rashad—yes, that Phylicia Rashad. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Hill about “Purpose,” developing new characters and bringing the a...
Apr 08, 2024•19 min
Hundreds of UIC students and faculty are speaking out, worried about free speech on campus. A website tied to right wing activists publishes data connected to hundreds of voters. Evanston looks to convert an office building into a migrant shelter.
Apr 08, 2024•4 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is unveiling new strategies to cut red tape and speed up development in the city, particularly for the construction of affordable housing and development. A state lawmaker from Chicago wants city parks to get more money for programming and upkeep if they host a major music festival. Chicago’s Bureau of Forestry is advising residents that the “mass cicada emergence” will begin later this month and will last until early June.
Apr 05, 2024•3 min
The WasteShed is an organization that diverts reusable materials – mostly arts and crafts and school supplies – away from landfills and into the hands of schools and anyone else who visits one of their locations in Evanston and Chicago’s Humboldt Park Neighborhood. WasteShed founder Eleanor Ray is something of a trash archeologist. And instead of buying something you need brand new, she encourages patience. “The waste stream provides,” Ray said. “You'll sort of think of something and you'll be l...
Apr 05, 2024•18 min
This week, our parent company, Chicago Public Media, announced significant programming changes and staff layoffs. The Rundown podcast host, Erin Allen, addresses how they will affect the show. You can learn more about the announcement, including its impact on our sister station Vocalo, as well as the Chicago Sun-Times, here .
Apr 05, 2024•2 min
It’s still four months away, but law enforcement is already planning for the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. A coalition of Black and Brown leaders joined Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in support of work permits for all immigrants. Two civil rights groups are urging the Chicago Police Department to rethink its use of traffic stops.
Apr 05, 2024•5 min
Law enforcement agencies gathered at Soldier Field to prepare for any emergency that might arise at this summer’s Democratic National Convention. Roughly one in 10 Cook County Democratic voters appeared to skip voting for a presidential candidate in last month’s Illinois primary. The total solar eclipse is Monday.
Apr 04, 2024•4 min
If you didn’t get to experience the 2017 solar eclipse, Monday is your chance for a repeat. Between 12:51 p.m. and 3:22 p.m. in Chicago, you’ll be able to watch the moon cross between the sun and the Earth. You’d have to drive a few hours to witness a total eclipse, but the city will still offer a pretty spectacular view. Geza Gyuk, the Senior Director of Astronomy at the Adler Planetarium, told us Chicago will get 20 times darker than usual at the height of the eclipse at 2:07 p.m. In this epis...
Apr 04, 2024•17 min
Some members of Illinois’ hospitality industry are rallying against an effort to eliminate the state’s credit for tipped workers. The last of the 200 or so migrants living in Oak Park have been resettled. Yesterday City council members debated a proposed electrification ordinance and misinformation surrounding it.
Apr 04, 2024•4 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is moving forward with plans to transform vacant downtown buildings into apartments. More than two dozen Illinois advocacy groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case about homelessness. Chicago Public Media, the not-for-profit parent of WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, announced layoffs today.
Apr 03, 2024•3 min
Vernard Gilmore remembers the moment he realized he wanted to be a professional dancer. While attending Curie High School in Chicago’s Archer Heights neighborhood, a friend showed him a video of a ballet called “Revelations,” the signature work of visionary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey. “And from that moment I was like: They understand me. That’s where I want to be. That’s where I need to be,” Gilmore said. “So for me, once I saw that I was like, ‘I gotta go to Ailey.’” Gilmore said he h...
Apr 03, 2024•18 min
As the Democratic National Convention approaches, planners are bringing in local sustainability advisors. Illinois lawmakers are being asked for about $13 million to help start a new early childhood agency. A RUSH doctor shares tips for checking if you’ve received a measles vaccine.
Apr 03, 2024•5 min
Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä will be the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s next music director. Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough is in the hospital. The Chicago Public Library this month is celebrating poetry during this National Poetry Month.
Apr 02, 2024•4 min
Stanley Gehrt is a Chicago-based researcher and author who focuses his studies on urban coyotes. His new book “Coyotes Among Us: Secrets of the City's Top Predator” explores over two decades of research on these animals that are living in and around Chicago. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Gehrt about our wild canine neighbors. Plus, we answer the age-old question: Are coyotes actually wily?
Apr 02, 2024•18 min
A progressive City Council member held onto his leadership post despite backlash for speaking at a protest where an American flag was burned. Some Chicago City Council members are pushing back against Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to pull the plug on ShotSpotter – the gunshot detection system. Eileen O’Neill Burke is doubling-down on the tough-on-crime message that helped her secure the Democratic nomination for Cook County state’s attorney.
Apr 02, 2024•5 min
The Chicago police and fire committee is advancing legislation that would counteract Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to end the city’s contract for the gunshot detection technology called ShotSpotter. Retired Illinois appellate justice Eileen O’Neill Burke said even though she won the Democratic primary race for Cook County state’s attorney she’s still focused on getting her crime fighting message to areas of Chicago where she didn’t get many votes. Both the White Sox and Cubs are in town today...
Apr 01, 2024•3 min
Efren Adkins did not make it to the floor at their middle school dance. “I don’t dance. I don’t dance,” Adkins remembers saying. “I had a real disconnection with my body.” Today, Adkins is both an arts teacher and a part of Chicago’s vibrant and diverse performance art scene. They’ve danced in Mexico, Russia and Japan, and they’re fully planted in the 60608 zip code. In this episode, Adkins explains their evolution in self-expression and their journey to teaching youngsters about art in Chicago ...
Apr 01, 2024•11 min
A City Council Committee will hear arguments today from alderpersons who want ShotSpotter to stay in their wards. A contingent of Chicago City Council members will try to hold a meeting today (mon) to condemn their colleague for speaking at a protest where an American flag was burned. One of the nation's fastest-growing sports is becoming official in Illinois high schools – flag football.
Apr 01, 2024•4 min
Chicago plans to close five shelters for migrants in the coming weeks. Workers at a Chicago tortilla factory say they’re facing retaliation for trying to organize for better job conditions. Illinois health officials say respiratory viruses are trending down across the state.
Mar 29, 2024•4 min
We’re approaching wedding season, and getting hitched in Chicago is becoming astronomically expensive. The average Windy City wedding costs about $56,000—the second highest in the country after New York City. Fortunately for us, freelance writer Olivia Dimmer has looked into why this is happening. “Inflation is infecting everyone, and the wedding industry is no different,” Dimmer said. And she thankfully has some suggestions for keeping costs down. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Dimme...
Mar 29, 2024•15 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city wants the public to benefit from any future Bears stadium. Illinois-based Walgreens and CVS are under fire for failing to protect patients’ health data. Today is Good Friday, and Catholics are gathering in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood for a decades-old tradition.
Mar 29, 2024•5 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is defending one of his City Council allies. Authorities say a mail carrier was among four people killed when a man went on a stabbing rampage in Rockford. Retired judge Eileen O’Neill Burke regained some ground Wednesday in the still unresolved Democratic primary race for Cook County state’s attorney.
Mar 28, 2024•3 min
You can find a place to salsa any night of the week in Chicago. Whether you're a beginner or a lifelong dancer, there's something for everyone. But if you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you. Gregory Almonord and Taylor Diem organize spontaneous pop-up salsa and bachata events around Chicago, and they came on the show to talk us through the scene in Chicago. In this episode, guest host Brenda Ruiz talks salsa and bachata with Almonord and Diem. This episode originally aired on May 8, 2023....
Mar 28, 2024•17 min
Most public universities and community colleges aren’t meeting state goals for contracting with minority-owned and women-owned businesses. A former Illinois governor wants voters to weigh in on public subsidies for the Chicago Bears and White Sox. A look back at four years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.
Mar 28, 2024•4 min
Two Chicago hospitals are accused of ignoring years of abuse by a Chicago gynecologist. A small faction of City Council is continuing to condemn their colleague for attending a protest where an American flag was burned. A former Illinois governor wants voters to have a say on giving public subsidies to the Chicago Bears and White Sox for new stadiums.
Mar 27, 2024•3 min
In a world full of dull, muted colors like “Greige,” “Sand,” Khaki” and “Millennial Gray,” The Color Factory offers an alternate experience. “Color is so powerful. I think that that is undeniable,” said The Color Factory CEO Tina Malhotra. “You walk into a restaurant and the color of the restaurant has the ability to shape the way you think about what you're about to eat. It changes your mood. It elicits feelings. And I think that everyone's relationship with color is deeply personal because oft...
Mar 27, 2024•15 min
Abortion rights groups in Illinois are defending access to an abortion pill. Thousands of Chicago Park District workers are preparing to strike for better wages. Some Cicero residents demanded the town spend more on flooding prevention at a town hall meeting Tuesday.
Mar 27, 2024•5 min
