Godly the Ruler is a Nigerian-born, Chicago-raised musician with an “emo-alternative sound,” one that’s “reminiscent of the early-to-mid-2000s,” according to Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez, who interviewed the artist ahead of their set at Lollapalooza last weekend. “Charting is in the future for them,” Hernandez said on The Rundown podcast. In this episode, Godly the Ruler, a.k.a. Godwin Oke, talks about playing the festival for the first time and growing up in Chicago. They also offer some advice for...
Aug 09, 2024•13 min
Jewish groups say they’re concerned about protests turning violent during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this month. The Sun-Times reported this week that the CTA hasn’t installed a single elevator in five years. The Illinois State Fair is offering gluten-free and vegan food options this year.
Aug 09, 2024•5 min
A wealthy suburban family backed out on its promise to help hundreds of Chicago students pay for college just weeks before the fall semester, and now some former scholarship program staff are stepping in to help. Illinois residents can now apply for mail ballots for the November presidential election. The Illinois State Fair is underway in Springfield – and some top officials are urging you to try it.
Aug 08, 2024•4 min
Tributes to Chicago police officer Ella French on the third anniversary of her death in the line of duty. Illinois has a new set of laws on the books protecting reproductive rights. Chicago residents who live near the United Center had an opportunity to ask Chicago leaders about the upcoming Democratic National Convention taking place in their neighborhood.
Aug 08, 2024•5 min
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton want the Sangamon County Sheriff to resign. Cook County officials are announcing plans to build a new health center on Chicago’s South Side. The premier of the Chicago Bears’ Hard Knocks documentary proved a treat for fans of football and gymnastics.
Aug 07, 2024•4 min
Rundown host Erin Allen guides us through a first person account of a fateful day in Chicago history: August 8, 2004, when a celebrity tour bus dumped human waste on an unsuspecting architecture tour boat. Hear from two people who were on the scene: Brett McNeil explains what it was like to be on the boat, including the crowd’s transition from “stunned silence” to “pandemonium.” Angela Rozas O'Toole explains the aftermath, and where this story sits in the Chicago pantheon of stories.
Aug 07, 2024•29 min
Delegates for the Democratic Party in Illinois say they are excited by Kamala Harris’ VP pick. Friends and family of Sonya Massey gather outside her home Tuesday night for a vigil. It will now be easier for people to get an Illinois state ID upon leaving jail or prison.
Aug 07, 2024•6 min
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s excited his friend Tim Walz, a fellow midwestern Democratic governor, is the party’s vice presidential nominee. The Illinois State Board of Education is launching an ad campaign to recruit more teachers statewide. The U.S. Women's Soccer Team – which features two players from the Chicago Red Stars – has secured a spot in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics.
Aug 06, 2024•4 min
It’s getting down to the wire for a federal judge to decide exactly where demonstrators can march near the United Center for the Democratic National Convention. Details on how the DNC is promoting Chicago’s neighborhoods to get visitors to explore beyond downtown. Some prominent Illinois Republicans are working to get Kamala Harris elected president.
Aug 06, 2024•5 min
Three activist groups are still negotiating with the City of Chicago on exactly where they can march near the United Center, just two weeks before the start of the Democratic National Convention. Chicago’s Damen Green Line station is up and running at Damen Ave. and Lake St. more than seven years after the project was first announced. After their loss on Sunday the Chicago White Sox have extended their franchise record losing streak to 20 games.
Aug 05, 2024•3 min
What started as Trisha Prabhu’s science fair project at Naperville’s Scullen Middle School eventually turned into a finalist at the Google Science Fair, a small business, a deal winner on Shark Tank, and most recently, a winner of a $100,000 grant via The Lonely Hearts Club Funding Challenge. Her company is called ReThink , a “nonintrusive, patented technology that effectively detects and stops online hate before the damage is done.” “I want to try and think about how we can tackle cyberbullying...
Aug 05, 2024•18 min
Illinois tax revenues off to a good start so far, a new firearm safety storage program at dozens of healthcare facilities
Aug 05, 2024•5 min
The Chicago Office of Police Accountability is investigating a police officer who was caught on video punching and pointing a gun at a man during an arrest. Venezuelans in Chicago are organizing a vigil tonight as tensions escalate back home in the aftermath of President Nicolas Maduro’s self-proclaimed re-election. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says his administration has spent 83% of the city's COVID relief funds.
Aug 02, 2024•3 min
adan diaz is a 20-year-old Mexican-American singer from Northlake, just outside of Chicago, and he made his Lollapalooza debut the first night of the music festival, just a year after attending the event for the first time . Ahead of his performance, he talked with Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about how surreal it was to be on the stage, especially during a prime time slot. “I told the band, just be ready to get there early,” diaz said. “And then I saw the slot, and we literally emailed back like, ‘...
Aug 02, 2024•17 min
The EPA issues a fuel waiver for four states including Illinois, the union suing the Illinois House Speaker responds to his attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, the Racial Healing Collaborative culminates with art installations in Bronzeville and Chinatown
Aug 02, 2024•4 min
Newly released 911 calls show the mother of Sonya Massey called police for help with her daughter less than 24 hours before Sonya was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy. A Chicago man with a long criminal record is being held in jail on charges that he murdered an off-duty sheriff’s deputy during an attempted robbery. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker may still be a contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate: a source tells the Sun-Times that Pritzker met virtually with Harris's vett...
Aug 01, 2024•4 min
Former President Donald Trump’s confrontational interview at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists got mixed reviews. Several Black Chicagoans made their way downtown in hopes of greeting the former president. Plus, local indie artist Adan Diaz is set to perform next to big names in Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival.
Aug 01, 2024•5 min
Former President Donald Trump had a confrontational conversation with Black journalists in Chicago. Advocates say six more years under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s unpopular regime could have a long-term impact on cities like Chicago. Lollapalooza kicks off Thursday – along with the threat of severe weather.
Jul 31, 2024•4 min
Jonathan “Jojo” Alsberry – known by some in the dance community as “the Kevin Bacon of dance” – is taking the reins this year as the lead choreographer of the finale of Dance For Life. The annual Chicago dance showcase features performances from several local companies, including Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Trinity Irish Dance Company and Visceral Dance Chicago. “I want the work to be a celebration of the beaut...
Jul 31, 2024•17 min
Former President Donald Trump will speak at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Many attendees aren’t happy about it. Civil rights leaders, who say the killing of Sonya Massey should prompt sweeping, national police reform. Illinois signs a law strengthening abortion protections the same day Iowa reduces abortion access.
Jul 31, 2024•6 min
Sonya Massey’s family will be on Chicago’s West Side tonight for a rally hosted by Black clergy leaders. The son of imprisoned Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo Guzman pleaded not guilty today in a Chicago courtroom. WBEZ data analysis shows the number of traffic stops made by the Chicago Police Department has gone down this year.
Jul 30, 2024•3 min
A listening session meant to heal relations between law enforcement and Black Springfield residents quickly devolved into a screaming match. Chicago police are pulling over fewer drivers than previous years, a new WBEZ data analysis shows. Illinoisans on Medicaid could soon get coverage for things like rental assistance and nutrition counseling.
Jul 30, 2024•5 min
The U.S. Department of Justice will be in Springfield tonight for a listening session on healing relations between law enforcement and Black communities following the shooting death of Sonya Massey by then-sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. Insurance plans in Illinois will have to cover pregnancy, postpartum and newborn care from doulas and midwives as part of the state’s so-called “Birth Equity Initiative” signed into law today. The new CTA Damen Green Line station will open August 5th just in time...
Jul 29, 2024•4 min
The Sugar Hole is a walk-up, soft-serve ice cream window in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, not exceptionally unique but for one significant factor: the staff are puppets. “That’s gonna be $10,” said Puddles, a blue alien, to his first two customers on a hot Saturday afternoon in July. “And I don’t have arms so can you put it between my eyeballs?” Josh Dihle and Abby Monroe are the husband and wife co-owners of both The Sugar Hole and Color Club, an adjacent arts and events space they opened...
Jul 29, 2024•12 min
The U.S. DOJ is looking into the employment history of the police officer who shot and killed Sonya Massey, the Illinois hemp industry tries to work with Republicans and what to do if you see a black bear in Illinois
Jul 29, 2024•4 min
County officials in Springfield released the autopsy report of Sonya Massey, who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy earlier this month. The autopsy report shows that 36-year-old Massey died from a gunshot wound under her left eye. Student groups in Chicago are reacting to Vice President Kamala Harris' sudden run for the presidential election. Chicago’s largest improv festival, iO Fest, continues this weekend.
Jul 26, 2024•3 min
Lori Branch, Lady D and VITIGRRL are the Good Girls , a Chicago DJ trio that’s “not good for girls, just good.” They talked to Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about their path to becoming DJs, creating the collective and their advice for the next generation. “You do have to find your community,” said Lady D. “You’ve got to find the people who are going to push you, who are going to support you, people who are going to say while you’re practicing, like ‘That didn’t sound good,’ and make you work harder ...
Jul 26, 2024•19 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city is preparing for tens of thousands of migrants to arrive on short notice. Illinois celebrates a new quantum technology research campus on the southeast side of Chicago. Federal and local officials outline their security plan for next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Jul 26, 2024•5 min
Chicago officials vow street closures ahead of the Democratic National Convention will not upend daily life for residents. Chicago Public Schools is offering a glimmer of hope to magnet and selective enrollment students who need transportation to school. A new ad on social media and on TV is trying to inform people about Firearm Restraining Orders to help prevent gun suicides and other shootings.
Jul 25, 2024•4 min
Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor says JB Pritzker should be in the running for Vice President. A new report says crime rates in U.S. cities have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Southside Blooms, a non-profit Englewood flower shop that seeks to employ at-risk youth, has been tasked with making the DNCs floral arrangements.
Jul 25, 2024•5 min
