A Chicago program that sends mental health professionals instead of police to non-violent 911 calls is now operating citywide. The Adler Planetarium kicks off its summer programming next week. The White Sox are looking to get to a .500 record tonight against the Kansas City Royals. Plus, hot dogs are not just a Chicago thing. They’re very much a Gary, Indiana thing too. The smash-hit TV show “The Bear” is putting a spotlight on one of Gary’s best-kept secrets – a hot dog joint nearly as old as t...
May 13, 2026•8 min
The Chicago City Council could soon vote on a measure that would give restaurants more time to increase their workers’ wages. The Iran war has pushed inflation to its highest level in three years. The rocker, poet and author Patti Smith is the newest winner of an annual literary honor. Plus, a calm has returned to Chicago this spring. Groups of U.S. Border Patrol agents are no longer making surprise visits to Michigan Avenue or marching through neighborhoods like Little Village or Back of the Ya...
May 12, 2026•8 min
A key city panel says Chicago taxpayers should help bankroll the development of a “cultural and entertainment district” around the United Center. Friends of the Chicago River spent their 34th year cleaning up the Chicago River. The Bulls won the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft during Sunday’s lottery, and experts call this year’s draft class one of the best in years. Plus, the Chicago Bears’ search for a new stadium is now approaching five years. It seems like a resolution may be coming soo...
May 11, 2026•8 min
Chicago Democratic billionaire and private equity CEO Michael Sacks is sounding off on Mayor Brandon Johnson after the mayor criticized Sack’s opposition to his progressive budget proposal. Chicago advocates sounded the alarm Thursday after receiving reports that ICE agents were making arrests at Cook County courthouses. Today marks the one year anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s appointment to the papacy. Plus, the popular annual Kilbourn Park plant sale on Chicago’s north west side is celebrating i...
May 08, 2026•6 min
A Cook County elected official is hailing the not guilty verdict in her DUI case. Four Chicago-area protesters are suing the federal government over DNA samples taken after they were arrested outside the Broadview ICE facility. Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant is in Chicago to perform for thousands of Chicago Public School students on Friday. Plus, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney is known for his poignant observations on race. He won an Oscar for co-writing the movie Moonlight, based on one o...
May 07, 2026•7 min
Anjanette Young, a social worker who became a police reform advocate after a 2019 botched raid on her home, is one step closer to having official sway over Chicago police policy. Another Walgreens on the city's South Side is closing, and community leaders say the closing of the pharmacy's Chatham location follows a trend of corporate abandonment in the area. Tickets to visit the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park neighborhood went on sale Wednesday morning. Plus, the principal o...
May 06, 2026•7 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is headed to Springfield today in part to lobby against a proposal that would give tax breaks to the Bears for a suburban stadium. The Chicago Sky are getting ready for a new season, and they have a lot of new faces. A group of Chicago musicians is putting together a benefit concert in support of a local nonprofit that uplifts immigrant communities. Plus, earlier this year, the world’s most famous classical music concert featured Florence Price, a late Chicago compo...
May 05, 2026•9 min
A new report says the Trump administration’s deportation campaign has left Chicago immigrants vulnerable to evictions. More than 100 Brookfield Zoo workers walked out on strike after failing to reach a union contract agreement on Friday. Two historically Black colleges — Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M — played at Wrigley Field this weekend for the first-ever HBCU Baseball Classic. The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for today, and the alert says portions...
May 05, 2026•3 min
A couple thousand people from Chicago and the suburbs gathered in Union Park Friday for a rally and march on May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day. People in Illinois are now being cut from SNAP benefits. A festival celebrating Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian artists in Chicago kicks off Saturday. Plus, during the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in Chicago, immigration agents took away a mother on the Southwest Side. Her three children were all U.S. ...
May 01, 2026•12 min
Thousands of people in Illinois are expected to start losing federal food assistance beginning Friday. The Trump Administration has overhauled the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Federal prosecutors are dropping the main conspiracy charge against the remaining four members of the Broadview Six. Thursday is International Jazz Day, which was co-founded by legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, who hails from Chicago. Plus, the Green Mill has hosted the Uptown Poetry Slam for 40 years, a...
Apr 30, 2026•7 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is declining to say whether the judge behind a decision to let a police shooting suspect out on electronic monitoring should be retained. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on the Trump administration's plan to end temporary protections for Haitians and Syrians. Governor JB Pritzker is taking aim at the Supreme Court following a decision announced today that undermines a provision of the federal Voting Rights Act. Plus, a classic August Wilson play tell...
Apr 29, 2026•9 min
The Illinois Accountability Commission is hearing testimony from Chicago residents on the brutal tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz deportation campaign. Students and workers joined forces this morning to support striking University of Illinois-Chicago graduate employees. New figures show contacts to Illinois’ Domestic Violence Hotline have grown for the fifth consecutive year. Plus, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday it’s...
Apr 28, 2026•8 min
The man accused of killing a Chicago police officer and wounding another appeared in court for the first time today. A Chicago-area grocery store says cuts to SNAP food benefits could trickle down to small retailers. A group of Chicago arts leaders are backing proposed legislation that would ban the deceptive practice known as speculative ticketing. Plus, we hear from some Chicagoans who say they are protesting the federal government’s actions by not paying their federal taxes.
Apr 27, 2026•10 min
Monthly premiums for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act are up about 25% in Illinois. Governor JB Pritzker says lawmakers have to move expeditiously on a tax incentive plan to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois. The Chicago Bears will be back at it Friday night for the second and third rounds of the NFL draft. Plus, Chef Rick Bayless and his restaurant, Frontera Grill, are a cornerstone of Chicago’s dining scene. But these days, Chef Javauneeka Jacobs is shaping the restauran...
Apr 24, 2026•8 min
Chicago Bears will pick 25th tonight in the opening round of the NFL draft. Several parents and community members are unhappy with plans to celebrate May Day at Chicago Public Schools. The city of Chicago continues to explore what reparations could look like for Black Chicagoans, and the task force Repair Chicago hosted a citywide town hall Wednesday to get feedback on their definition of reparations. Plus, Chicago has been getting a lot of rain this spring. Streets have flooded and water has se...
Apr 23, 2026•10 min
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is launching an additional 5% tax credit incentive for film and television productions meeting certain sustainability standards. People in the Chicago area are doing their part to reduce waste, with nearly 500,000 tons of recyclables collected in the region in 2024. The first round of the NFL draft starts Thursday at 7pm. Plus, one year ago, west suburban Broadview had a budget surplus and a cheery outlook. Now, Broadview is preparing for the next fiscal year and it...
Apr 22, 2026•8 min
Chicago Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan is leaving the team. Chicago officials ended a $44 million contract with a private security company in favor of boosting patrols of public law enforcement. A new report shows the Chicago City Council doesn’t have the proper resources to independently analyze the budget it is tasked with approving each year. Plus, the Chicago Latino Film Festival is underway in the Lakeview neighborhood. The two week event spotlights more than 80 titles from around the world...
Apr 21, 2026•8 min
A federal judge has confirmed President Trump’s orders to deploy National Guard troops into Chicago are no longer in effect. A local anti-violence group is upping its presence on the CTA after a couple of recent attacks on women. Ten Chicago-area high schoolers have been honored at the 4th annual Randall Albers Young Writers Awards. Plus, an 18-year-old and his mother were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement a month ago. The teen had just played his first soccer game of the spring se...
Apr 20, 2026•8 min
New body camera footage shows that a Chicago cop hid for more than 90 seconds and failed to provide aid after shooting his partner, Krystal Rivera. Months after “Operation Midway Blitz,” the Village of Broadview says it’s had to deal with the financial fallout of the deportation campaign on its own. A push by Governor JB Pritzker to prohibit the use of cell phones and other smart devices in the classroom is on its way to the state Senate after passing the Illinois House. Plus, in his heyday, the...
Apr 17, 2026•10 min
A new Inspector General report reveals cases of wrongdoing by city employees. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson tells WBEZ that Rahm Emanuel is the only Democratic politician he would automatically oppose if Emanuel makes a run for president in 2028. That’s a wrap for the Chicago Blackhawks, who ended their season by announcing General Manager Kyle Davidson has been signed to a multi-year contract extension. Plus, piles of research have shown that education leads to better outcomes for people gettin...
Apr 16, 2026•11 min
Taxi fares will soon rise in Chicago by roughly 20% after the City Council approved the first fare hike in a decade at its April meeting on Wednesday. A federal appeals court ordered the release of former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist Michael McClain from prison on Tuesday. Chicago White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz made his Major League debut Tuesday night. Plus, Humboldt Park resident Brendan Byrne owed federal taxes after filing his 2023 return, and like many people, he paid the balance...
Apr 15, 2026•9 min
A measure to explicitly ban Chicago police officers from being members of extremist groups like the far-right Proud Boys has gotten the greenlight from a key City Council panel. Twin bills in the state legislature could bring autonomous vehicles to Illinois. Students at a private school in Chicago will be learning by artificial intelligence rather than teachers. Plus, Chicago’s inaugural poet laureate, Avery R. Young, will soon debut his brand new opera. The show is loosely based on his family’s...
Apr 14, 2026•7 min
President Trump got on Truth Social on Sunday night to insult Pope Leo over the pontiff’s disapproval of the war in Iran. More than 100 parents from across the city brought their children for a massive playdate this weekend at Maggie Daley Park in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Bulls now look toward several important weeks for the organization as the team begins its search for a new top decision-maker. Plus, some people locked up in prison in Illinois say personal appearance takes on a whole new ...
Apr 13, 2026•8 min
Chicago’s top watchdog says the city’s police department has no consistent playbook for sidelining officers during misconduct investigations. People who buy 30-day CTA and Pace passes can get Divvy discounts starting later this month. A group of Black art collectors are attending the art fair EXPO Chicago this weekend with a mission to place more works by Black creatives in museums. Plus, we’ll learn how some Illinois arts groups are planning on celebrating America’s 250th birthday later this ye...
Apr 10, 2026•8 min
Registered nurses at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election. Some Democratic lawmakers in Illinois want more oversight over hospitals to be better prepared in case they close. After seemingly turning a corner in their first home series of the season, the White Sox are back to their losing ways. Plus, WBEZ’s Michael Puente sits down with Cardinal Blase Cupich, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, about P...
Apr 09, 2026•10 min
Terms are still unclear for a two-week ceasefire deal between the U.S., Iran, and Israel. Illinois Republicans hope to combat rising gas prices by pausing a state sales tax on fuel. The Chicago Park District is unveiling two temporary art installations Wednesday as part of its Monument Response Project. Plus, it’s been one blow after another for many migrants in Chicago in the last year. The Trump administration ended programs that allowed them to work and live in the United States legally, and ...
Apr 08, 2026•11 min
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has joined a growing list of elected officials calling for President Trump’s removal via the 25th Amendment. Fifteen affordable housing projects around Chicago have been approved to receive millions of dollars in local funding and federal tax credits. The Chicago Bulls are embracing change after years of mediocrity – starting with the firing of executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. Plus, Chicago-based influencer Helena “Yooni...
Apr 07, 2026•9 min
The Chicago Bulls have fired their top decision-makers – executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. The Chicago Sky have traded star Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream. The fervor around the University of Illinois’ first Final Four run in 21 years could create a major economic boost. “Ted Lasso” co-creator and star Brendan Hunt’s new one man show debuts at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre on April 17. Plus, anyone who has spent time around Chicago's DIY music scene...
Apr 06, 2026•7 min
Illinois lawmakers are trying to shut down the sale and manufacture of certain pistols they say can be too easily modified. Chicagoans can circulate their dollars tomorrow at the Spend in the Black marketplace. Several players from Southeast Europe have played a critical role in helping the fighting Illini punch its ticket to the Final Four. Plus, Chicago is known for deep dish pizza, Italian beef, and classic dogs. But where in town can you grab the best burger? WBEZ food contributor Maggie Hen...
Apr 03, 2026•10 min
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is set to speak at a public hearing tonight about his officers’ interactions with ICE agents during federal immigration raids. Chicago Bears owner George McCaskey says his family is waiting for a deal on a new stadium, whether in Illinois or Indiana, to come to them. A new COVID-19 variant has popped up in Illinois. Plus, a Northwestern University psychology professor is recruiting transgender youth and their parents for a study on “how gender dysphor...
Apr 02, 2026•8 min
