A long election season in Chicago came to a close yesterday with Brandon Johnson narrowly eking out a victory over Paul Vallas in the race to become Chicago’s next mayor. Unofficial results show Johnson won by just around 15,000 votes out of over 550,000 cast. How did he do it, and what does his victory mean for Chicago? We take a look at what happened with Block Club Chicago investigative editor Mick Dumke, who breaks down the race and what we can expect after Johnson’s swearing-in on May 15.
Apr 05, 2023•24 min
Brandon Johnson has been elected as Chicago’s next mayor. The city’s first Asian-majority ward elects its first Asian American alderperson. Democratic Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García announced the death of his daughter.
Apr 05, 2023•7 min
It’s Election Day in Chicago and candidates are making their final pitches to voters. The city released its crime numbers for the year so far. Faculty at Chicago State University are on strike.
Apr 04, 2023•6 min
There are over 100 crisis pregnancy centers in Illinois, and they’re usually nonprofit, Christian-based facilities. Some lawmakers say many of the centers use deceptive tactics to steer patients away from abortion care. WBEZ statehouse reporter Mawa Iqbal looked into this. She talks about what crisis pregnancy centers are supposed to do versus what they actually do, plus new legislation that would hold them more accountable.
Apr 03, 2023•18 min
Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson were criss-crossing Chicago on Sunday as part of a final push to get in front of voters ahead of Tuesday’s election. Parts of Illinois are cleaning up after tornadoes and other extreme weather caused damage, deaths and injuries. Members of Chicago’s transgender community were celebrating International Trans Day of Visibility at a time when many are feeling growing hostility.
Apr 03, 2023•6 min
Ennis Martin is a Chicago-based illustrator and painter known for paintings of big whales with big feet . He’s also an afrofuturism and science fiction fanatic. As part of the “Chi Sounds Like” series from our sister station Vocalo, Martin explains his path from the b-boy and hip-hop community to graffiti and eventually to sci-fi art. He says his sci-fi paintings aim to make sense of being human.
Mar 31, 2023•9 min
Chicago’s mayoral candidates had some things to say about Donald Trump’s indictment. Chicago Public Schools is hoping its expensive universal curriculum is helping students overcome pandemic learning loss. Climate change is impacting allergy seasons here in Chicago.
Mar 31, 2023•5 min
Illinois gun owners and advocates rallied in Springfield against recent gun control legislation. A proposal extending child labor law protections to young vloggers on social media unanimously passed the Illinois Senate. Today is the deadline to get your vote-by-mail applications in for the April 4 runoff.
Mar 30, 2023•6 min
Chicagoans have a choice to make on April 4 about who they want to run the city. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson have been called “polar opposites,” but who are they, really? Erin talks to WBEZ city politics and government reporters Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg about their backstories: what shapes them, trips them up and redeems them.
Mar 29, 2023•28 min
A former Chicago Public Schools principal reacts to the latest school shooting in Nashville. A CTA worker has been charged with felony aggravated battery after allegedly attacking a 54 year old man on a downtown train platform. A new poll shows Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas are neck in neck going into the runoff election.
Mar 29, 2023•7 min
Chicago’s two mayoral candidates are trying to set the record straight ahead of the runoff. A measure passed by the Illinois Senate would require state agencies to create plans to limit their use of plastic foodware. Advocates were out in earnest yesterday protesting proposed rate hikes by People’s Gas.
Mar 28, 2023•5 min
CCH Pounder isn’t just an Emmy nominated actress, known for her roles in Avatar, The X Files, ER, or on The Shield as Detective Claudette Wyms. She’s also a renowned art collector, and some of her pieces were recently installed at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. The installation, “Diaspora Stories,” is focused on artwork from across the African diaspora. She talks to Erin about helping to curate the installation , which is open through July 16, and the lines that permeate ...
Mar 27, 2023•20 min
Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is among those advocating for changes at TikTok. A proposal in Springfield would add gender neutral language to a law requiring insurance companies to offer pap smear and prostate exam coverage. The Illinois Secretary of State awards $21 million to police task forces to investigate carjackings.
Mar 27, 2023•6 min
Chicago is known for its improv, but it’s not often you see an all-Black ensemble performing. Adonis Holmes and Arlieta Hall are co-writers and ensemble members of the Second City show, “Dance Like There Are Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Review.” They talk to Erin about how their past lives influence the work they do now, dancing on stage and performing while Black.
Mar 24, 2023•17 min
Chicago just saw its fourth warmest winter in 70 years. A measure that would end the use of food containers made of polystyrene foam is headed to the Illinois Senate. The Illinois House has passed a measure that would require full-day kindergarten in all Illinois schools by 2027.
Mar 24, 2023•6 min
A Chicago Muslim community group is welcoming people of all faiths to study a text known as “The Treatise on Rights” during Ramadan, which began last night. A new study from the University of Chicago found better sleep can improve the body’s response to a variety of common vaccines. Little Village Discount Mall vendors have filed a lawsuit to prevent imminent eviction.
Mar 23, 2023•6 min
If you ride the CTA, you probably noticed the system has a crisis on its hands. More and more, the city’s unhoused population is using trains and buses as a last resort to find a place to stay. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko explains the cause: a serious shortage in shelter beds combined with a pandemic-related increase in homelessness. Savchenko tells us about the roots of the crisis , what the city’s doing to intervene, and she talks about the social service agencies working to help the unhoused....
Mar 22, 2023•12 min
Thousands of abortion rights opponents traveled to Springfield Tuesday to rally against legislation aimed at crisis pregnancy centers suspected of misleading patients from getting an abortion. And in Chicago, a group of seniors rallied downtown to protest banks investing in fossil fuels. On the heels of a WBEZ investigation, Illinois lawmakers are considering looking into a state program for low-income kids in mental health distress known as SASS.
Mar 22, 2023•6 min
A new report says Illinois needs about 300,000 additional rental homes for people living in poverty. More summer festival line-ups are being announced this week. Legalized recreational cannabis sales in Missouri are surpassing – and maybe cutting into – the Illinois market.
Mar 21, 2023•5 min
If you voted in the February 28 election, you probably saw an option to elect a police district council member on your ballot. This is a new council that was created to give civilians more say over how policing works in their neighborhoods. It’s the type of history-making community autonomy that activists have been demanding for more than a decade. But the way the council is structured and how they work with other civic entities could use some more explaining. Jim Daley is a digital news editor ...
Mar 20, 2023•16 min
You can now vote early in the April 4 runoff election for mayor of Chicago. A three-year construction project on the Kennedy Expressway begins later today. It’s the vernal equinox, so keep your eyes peeled for “Chicagohenge.”
Mar 20, 2023•6 min
The U.S. Senate wants to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but sleep scientists are against it. Dr. James Rowley is a professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Wayne State University. He’s also the president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “We feel strongly that our bodies are best attuned to a clock that is standard time,” Rowley told us. Rowley talks about the history of Daylight Saving Time and shares some tips for acclimating to Sunday’s change.
Mar 17, 2023•12 min
Paul Vallas rarely attacked his opponent throughout his campaign for Chicago mayor, but that changed at last night’s debate. Northwestern University experts weigh in on the legal landscape for ChatGPT in medicine and future regulation. Parents of young children with special needs on the Far South Side are suing Chicago Public Schools.
Mar 17, 2023•6 min
Chicago’s city council made decisions on funding to aid migrants, ticketing and surveillance for downtown motorists, and its own independence from the mayor’s office. Two more big endorsements came through in Chicago’s race for mayor. Chicago cops who voted in this month’s Fraternal Order Police election rejected most Black and female candidates — just like in past elections.
Mar 16, 2023•6 min
There’s a lot of pride that goes into the historic West African dish jollof rice. It dates back thousands of years and has been compared to jambalaya or paella, but with its own twist. WBEZ audio producer and former chef Cianna Greaves gives us a look into how jollof is made, what it means for her Liberian heritage and the fond memories associated with the spice-filled dish.
Mar 15, 2023•12 min
Chicago’s mayoral candidates were questioned in a debate last night about legalizing video gaming and their past rhetoric on public safety issues. The CTA tells state lawmakers it’s looking to hire several hundred bus drivers to address the “ghost bus” problem. Illinois small business owners are reacting to the new mandatory paid time off law.
Mar 15, 2023•6 min
Gov. JB Pritzker signs mandatory paid leave for all employees into law. New research shows one in two community college students who transfer to selective universities come from America’s wealthiest families. An Illinois law eliminating cash bail will be the focus of oral arguments in the Illinois Supreme Court today.
Mar 14, 2023•6 min
When Illinois passed a law legalizing recreational cannabis in 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker promised a robust social equity program alongside it. More than three years later, the criminal records of hundreds of thousands of low-level drug offenders have been expunged, but the opportunities for them to profit from the new multi-billion dollar industry remain limited. Only a handful of dispensaries are owned and operated by equity applicants. The licensing process is slow, beset by delays that are costi...
Mar 13, 2023•10 min
Chicago kicked off St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with a green river and South Side parade — also marking three years since health officials declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Police won a lawsuit against the city of Chicago – and they say they’re now owed a lot of overtime pay. Illinois’ new secretary of state says digital IDs could be on the horizon.
Mar 13, 2023•7 min
A few years back, Dan Ho and his team at Stanford University’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab started thinking of ways to improve the IRS’s auditing process. They eventually discovered that Black taxpayers were being audited at surprisingly higher rates than their counterparts of other ethnic backgrounds. With this information, Ho is now helping to modernize the audit selection process. To see the full study, visit Stanford University’s webpage ....
Mar 10, 2023•16 min
