When she read the script for the play “Jump,” actor Jazzma Pryor said the themes of grief and family drama spoke to her. “[They’re] topics that everybody can relate to, will go through, have seen,” Pryor said. “Us looking at grief in a really open way in a Black family in Chicago, I just feel is a really necessary conversation to have,” said AmBer Montgomery, who directs the production for the Shattered Globe Theatre Company. “I think there's something about grief in Black communities here, and ...
May 07, 2024•19 min
Construction has officially begun at downtown Chicago’s James R. Thompson Center, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health gives out 100,000 gun locks, and more suburban homeowners are doing “No Mow May.”
May 07, 2024•5 min
Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said he does not support using federal cash for a new Chicago Bears stadium. The Chicago Reader plans to return to a weekly print edition next month. The Field Museum has unveiled its Archaeopteryx, a pigeon-sized fossil that could have lived about 150-million years ago.
May 06, 2024•4 min
In Chicago, it can feel impossible to find housing you can afford and actually want to live in. Some Chicagoans have found an answer in cooperative housing. “It’s a model that can lend itself sometimes to a lower cost of living and then also a sense of community,” said freelance writer Olivia Dimmer, who has been reporting on co-ops for the Chicago Sun-Times. In co-op living, residents own a share in a house or building, and often share household responsibilities. In this episode, host Erin Alle...
May 06, 2024•17 min
A group of counter protesters confronted students at a pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul University yesterday. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is defending the city’s preparations for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Cook County is looking to provide more resources for an often overlooked group of people who are trafficked — boys and men.
May 06, 2024•5 min
A line of police officers, many in riot gear, are watching the pro-Palestinian encampment this afternoon on the University of Chicago campus after the university president said it "cannot continue." The man accused of killing Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca will be held in jail until trial. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling defended an internal investigation into officers whose names appeared on the membership list of an anti-government extremist group.
May 03, 2024•4 min
At many colleges across the country, administrators and police have cracked down on groups of pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up encampments on campus and occupied campus buildings. At college campuses here in Chicago, the scenes so far have been heated, but still noticeably less chaotic than those at other universities. “As long as they're being respectful of the space, as far as I can tell the police are staying hands off,” said WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Kurian Philip, who's ...
May 03, 2024•21 min
Nine Chicago police officers whose names appeared on Oath Keepers membership lists won’t be disciplined. CAIR Chicago speaks out against an expansion of the definition of antisemitism. And fallen Illinois police officers are remembered in Springfield.
May 03, 2024•5 min
Student activists are speaking in defense of the pro-Palestinian encampment movement. Illinois voters could be asked about in vitro fertilization and a millionaire’s tax on the November ballot. The Doc 10 film festival is back in Chicago this weekend for its ninth year.
May 02, 2024•3 min
Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz said he was not interested in magic when he was a kid. He came to it later in life, when he was already practicing medicine. “I discovered that this was a great art form that also could play a role in healing,” Rosenkranz said. “Not from the perspective of a manipulation that actually changes cells or molecules physically in the body in that particular way, but in terms of outlook and perspective and mindset.” Eventually, he said he started using magic to teach at Northwes...
May 02, 2024•19 min
Jewish leaders, students and parents say yesterday's sit-ins at Chicago Public Schools protesting the war in Gaza incite anti-semitism and harm Jewish students. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is hoping parents of young people will help in keeping downtown peaceful this summer. A cabinet secretary for Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker is facing questions over expanded drug coverage for state workers.
May 02, 2024•5 min
Worker rights organizations held a rally in Pilsen on today’s May Day, asking President Joe Biden to issue work permits for all immigrants. Theodore Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana, is on the list of America's eleven most endangered historic places, released by The National Trust for Historic Preservation. A descendant of Chicago brewing legend Conrad Seipp is resurrecting his recipes for modern taste buds.
May 01, 2024•4 min
Bril Barrett started tap dancing at a young age. His whole family pitched in to pay for lessons and drive him to classes. Now, he’s a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow. But Barrett isn’t just a dancer. He’s also an educator, historian and self-proclaimed “tap-tivist.” He uses his work to educate students and audiences on the origins of tap. “I tell people ‘When you don’t know a lot about history, start with your own,’” Barrett said. “That just creates a continuous stream of ow...
May 01, 2024•18 min
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is defending his administration’s call for $210 million to help state workers lose weight. A document that helped kick off the Civil War now lives in Springfield. The first-ever Conservation Day took place at the Illinois statehouse yesterday.
May 01, 2024•5 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to re-launch a guaranteed income program that pays low-income residents $500 dollars a month. Paul Vallas is asking a federal judge to go easy on former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke when he faces sentencing later this year. Two dozen LGBTQ+ advocates are urging Chicago’s mayor to restore capacity for this year’s Pride parade to previous levels.
Apr 30, 2024•4 min
Black homeownership in America lags behind white homeownership by a rate of about 44% to 72%, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. That gap creates issues not just for Black people, but for broader society, said former Chicago Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara. “When you have those kinds of assets in your life, it gives you way more options and way more ability to care intergenerationally for the well being of your family and to invest in your community,” Novara said...
Apr 30, 2024•18 min
Chicago government officials will try to spend down hundreds of millions in federal grant money before it expires at the end of the year. Illinois lawmakers are heading back to Springfield today after their last break of the spring session. The Illinois Department of Corrections is proposing moving the Logan women’s prison onto the same site as the Stateville men’s prison.
Apr 30, 2024•5 min
Some Illinois state lawmakers are pushing a bill that would merge the CTA, Metra and Pace into one transit agency. A tent encampment was erected this morning at the University of Chicago, in solidarity with the people of Gaza. A new kind of music festival is coming to the Chicago area in September.
Apr 29, 2024•4 min
Poet Tarnynon Onumonu grew up in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. She discovered poetry at 10 years old, and as an adult, she uses her writing to find community and healing. “I’ve just always used poetry as a tool to activate my creativity, to return to myself, to feel comfort in difficult times,” Onumonu said. In this episode, Onumonu meditates on how creativity helps her connect with herself and the world around her. This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sist...
Apr 29, 2024•10 min
Funeral services begin at 10 a.m. for a fallen Chicago police officer. Hundreds are expected to attend – many from out of town. The American Lung Association’s State of the Air report lists Chicago among the top 25 most air-polluted cities in the nation. A study surveying 765 Black and white women found that poor heart health leads to cognitive decline among Black women.
Apr 29, 2024•4 min
Former workers at the Foxtrot Commissary on Chicago’s South Side rallied today after abrupt mass layoffs. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the owners of the Chicago Bears should pay for the vast majority of the costs of a new potential stadium – not Illinois taxpayers. Former USC quarterback Caleb Williams is now a Chicago Bear; he was the first overall pick in Thursday’s NFL draft.
Apr 26, 2024•4 min
We often hear the phrase “LGBTQ+ community.” But in a city as big as Chicago, it can be challenging for queer people to actually find their community. That’s where Jake Wittich comes in. “We have one of the more thriving LGBTQ districts in the country,” Wittich said. He is the newsletter editor at the Windy City Times, where he and his colleagues recently launched the queer events newsletter Chicago Social Butterflies. In this episode, Wittich gives host Erin Allen the lowdown on where to find L...
Apr 26, 2024•18 min
Student activists have been camping out on Northwestern University’s campus for over 24 hours now. Governor J.B. Pritzker highlights his plans to fight homelessness in Illinois. Chicago Teachers Union is warning that support staff, including teachers aides and clerks, may be victims in this year's budget.
Apr 26, 2024•4 min
A newly-released autopsy report shows Chicago police shot Dexter Reed at least 13 times. Student activists have set up what they’re calling a “liberation zone” at Northwestern University as part of a national movement demanding school officials cut ties with Israel and protect students’ right to protest. The Chicago Bears are expected to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the opening pick of the NFL draft tonight.
Apr 25, 2024•4 min
Sarah Jones wants places of worship to use their space for more than just worship. “Congregations might use their space on Friday, Saturday, Sunday for worship services, but their space can accommodate more than that, and they want it to do more than that, right?” Jones said on the Rundown podcast. “Helping congregations think about what else could be happening in their space that still aligns with their values is really, really important.” Jones is the Associate Director of Community Engagement...
Apr 25, 2024•17 min
Illinois elected officials remain “highly skeptical” of the Chicago Bears’ new plans for a domed, lakefront stadium. Caleb Williams could be a Chicago Bear by the end of the day: we’ll preview tonight’s N-F-L draft. A proposal in the Illinois House would make it a felony to block traffic on major roadways for more than 5 minutes, which could impact protesters.
Apr 25, 2024•5 min
Mayor Brandon Johnson is throwing strong support behind a plan for a new, publicly-owned Bears stadium south of Soldier Field. The family of a 26-year-old man who was fatally shot by Chicago Police during a traffic stop is suing the city and the officers involved. The suspect in the Highland Park massacre appeared in court today.
Apr 24, 2024•5 min
This year’s Chicago Palestine Film Festival opened nearly 200 days into the war in Gaza—to a sold-out weekend. Festival executive director Nina Shoman-Dajani said she believes it is more important than ever to share Palestinian stories. “We have really doubled down in our conviction to share Palestinian narratives and stories,” she said. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Shoman-Dajani and filmmaker Nick Leffel about this year’s lineup and what it means to program Palestinian films during...
Apr 24, 2024•17 min
Chicago and the state of Illinois will work together to combine the city’s homeless shelter and migrant systems. Chicago Congresswoman Delia Ramirez wants to transition all of the nation’s public housing stock into zero-carbon, electrified homes. Some parents are pushing back against the potential closure of a bilingual school in suburban Skokie.
Apr 24, 2024•4 min
Dom’s Kitchen and Market and Foxtrot Market are closing stores in Chicago less than a year after merging. Illinois state officials are working to reduce disparities that make Black women more likely to die during pregnancy than white women. The Chicago Bears have scheduled a Wednesday news conference to announce plans for “a state-of-the-art, publicly-owned enclosed stadium” on the city’s Museum Campus near Lake Michigan.
Apr 23, 2024•4 min
