Chicagoans gathered to celebrate Memorial Day this weekend, but the holiday weekend also brought a tragic level of violence. Illinois lawmakers passed a state budget in the wee hours of Saturday morning. And Chicago-area food pantries are seeing a rise in demand after reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Tyomi Morgan is an intimacy coordinator, the person on a film or TV set who makes sure the taping of a sex scene is both safe and authentic. She’s also the creator of The Cowgirl Workout , a body-weight strength training exercise that leans into sexuality. Tyomi was born and raised in Chicago, and for the “Chi Sounds Like” series on WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo, she explains why she was inspired to learn more about sexual health and enter this line of work, given the lack of Black woman represen...
The Illinois Senate has passed a roughly $50 billion state budget. Lawmakers also passed a bill requiring schools to inform parents of bullying within 24 hours of an incident. Cook County government is considering a big expansion of paid parental leave for its 19,000 employees.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson showed off his sense of humor as he led his first regular city council meeting on Wednesday. The Illinois Senate failed to pass the state budget yesterday. The state is funding peacekeepers for the City of Chicago to patrol city neighborhoods and help dispel any large street gatherings and reduce violence.
Legislators missed their self-imposed deadline to end the spring legislative session on May 19. Now, they’re back to hash out the state budget. Lawmakers have until June 30 to pass a spending plan, but many hope to settle the issue within the week. At issue is a program that provides healthcare access to undocumented immigrants, which WBEZ Statehouse reporter Alex Degman says “is just costing way more money than anybody thought it would.” In this episode, Alex helps us break down the current leg...
The state attorney general found the Catholic Church in Illinois didn’t report hundreds of priests and other clergy members accused of sexual abuse. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will gavel in a City Council meeting for the first time today. As Chicago prepares to host the Democratic Convention next summer, some financial experts question if the benefits will outweigh the costs.
Chicago Public Schools is enrolling migrant children in the city. Illinois lawmakers are hoping to protect license plate data of people who are crossing state lines seeking abortion care. The Great Lakes are now the only freshwater system to earn a nod for their role in ocean health.
“As trans people, we can never be safe,” says Stephanie Skora, the Chief Development Officer at Brave Space Alliance. “That's why we’re named Brave Space Alliance, not safe space alliance.” On this episode of The Rundown, producer and guest host Sarah Stark talks with Skora and Brave Space Alliance CEO Channyn Lynne Parker about the pressing issues facing transgender folks in the Midwest and nationwide, how the conversation has shifted in the past few years, and how to make some space for joy, t...
A recent bill passed by Illinois state lawmakers would allow transit agencies to suspend unruly riders. Another would allow residents without U.S. citizenship status to work in law enforcement. Nearly 2 million Illinois residents living near freight warehouses are at risk of health complications. Britney Griner played the Chicago Sky during her first home game with the Phoenix Mercury since returning from being detained in Russia.
The artists of Honey Pot Performance collective didn’t want the passage of time to erase Black Chicagoans’ cultural history. So they created The Chicago Black Social Culture map . It’s a virtual map, dotted with social spaces, past and present, as markers. And they’re brought to life by photos, videos, writing and in-person programming that showcase the lived experiences of Black Chicagoans. Meida McNeal, the project’s director, talks about centering House music in the map and how it gives a chr...
Illinois lawmakers will miss their self-imposed adjournment deadline today as budget negotiations continue behind closed doors. A WBEZ and Sun-Times investigation finds that the 50 Chicago public schools that were closed ten years ago are still sitting vacant. Five major US cities – including Chicago – and the state of California will receive federal help to get unsheltered residents into permanent housing.
Illinois’ ban on high-powered firearms and large-capacity magazines will remain in place for now after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to consider a case against the law. A long-dormant idea of building a third Chicago-area airport in the south suburbs is being revived by Illinois lawmakers. A new study highlights the discrimination Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. have faced since the start of the pandemic.
It’s been a little more than a month since Brandon Johnson declared victory in the mayoral runoff election, and he’s now taken his place on the fourth floor of City Hall. In his inauguration speech Monday, Chicago’s new mayor set some priorities. Among them were safety, transit, reopening shuttered mental health clinics, and finding resources for the some 8,000 migrants who have made their way to Chicago since August. In this episode, we get the download on Mayor Johnson’s first couple days in o...
New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson isn’t saying for sure if he will call in the National Guard to assist with the increase in asylum seekers. Environmental advocates celebrate the city’s commitment to overhaul policies that lead to pollution in more Black and brown communities, compared to white neighborhoods. State lawmakers are urging passage of a measure to address public transit needs across Illinois.
Brandon Johnson is now Chicago’s mayor and used his inauguration speech to talk about his priorities in the office. He even signed a few executive orders. State lawmakers will discuss a proposal meant to help the Bears move to Arlington Heights. The giant snapping turtle named Chonkosaurus is winning the hearts of many.
Sam Irby is a comedian, TV writer, essayist and best-selling author. She’s back with a new book of short stories, “ Quietly Hostile ,” which hits shelves Tuesday. “This time it felt less like, you know, ‘I have to get these urgent thoughts out of my brain,’ and more like, ‘this is what’s going on, let’s laugh at it,’” Irby said. She talks about the book, transitioning into TV writing , and why she always goes there – to deep and uncomfortable places – to offer her readers a sense of belonging....
Brandon Johnson officially becomes Chicago’s next mayor today. A new respite center opened in Little Village to house migrants and some churches are taking a larger role in helping manage the crisis. Principals at Chicago Public Schools filed a petition to unionize.
In traditional Chicago fashion, spring has sprung just in time for summer. While places like the Garfield Park Conservatory offer flower sightings year-round, this is the moment to get outside and see—or grow—spring blooms. In the final installment of our series on WBEZ’s culture guide, we get tips on where to wander through flowers around the city.
Pandemic emergency declarations are officially over on the state and federal levels. With those orders lifting this week – workplaces in Chicago could soon be seeing more employees return to the office. A coalition of Illinois Democratic lawmakers passed four reproductive rights measures.
Four teenagers are charged in the killing of off-duty police officer Aréanah Preston. People on the Southwest Side had an opportunity last night to talk about what they want in a new police superintendent. Cook County is erasing nearly $80 million dollars in medical debt for residents, and there’s more to come.
You may already know the benefits: Composting food waste keeps a whole lot of organic matter from ending up in landfills, where it creates methane gas and contributes to climate change. But most people don’t do it, often because the process can be complicated and messy. WBEZ reporter and digital producer Courtney Kueppers just started composting, and she decided to follow her bin of compost from food scraps to bag-of-dirt. She tells us that – if you use one of Chicago’s several compost collectio...
The COVID-19 public health emergency in Illinois is set to lift tomorrow, in line with the federal expiration date. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is declaring a state of emergency as the city is seeing a rise in asylum seekers. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans were in Springfield calling for more access to language interpreters at state agencies.
Outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot bids farewell as she enters her final week in office. A police patrol district on the South Side is hosting a prayer vigil for Areanah Preston tonight. The influx of asylum seekers in Chicago is adding pressure to the few immigration attorneys in the city.
Chicago has a thriving salsa and bachata dancing scene, with classes and dance socials offered all across the city. On today’s episode, guest host Brenda Ruiz talks to Gregory Almonord and Taylor Diem, organizers of spontaneous pop-up salsa and bachata events around Chicago . They explain the joy behind salsa and bachata dancing, offer tips for beginners who might want to give it a try and tell us their favorite spots to dance, from El Caobo Internacional at 31st Street Beach to the Cubby Bear i...
May is National Maternal Mental Health Month. It may soon be legal in Illinois to hang air fresheners or other objects from your rearview mirror. Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community is being urged to get the vaccine to prevent monkeypox.
Chicago is a hotbed for innovation in music and has long drawn crowds for concerts and festivals. This year is no exception. From the Sueños Festival in Grant Park during Memorial Day weekend to Babyface Ray and Rico Nasty concerts, the concert season is already up and running. In this episode, we talk to freelance music writer Alejandro Hernandez about his guide to the best spring concerts around the city.
A proposal to use the former South Shore High School to house migrants is getting major pushback from residents. Illinois’ attorney general is taking a close look at pension payments for one of the convicted “ComEd Four.” Revenue forecasters for the state are worried about a looming recession.
Fred Waller will serve as Chicago’s interim police superintendent while the city searches for a permanent hire. Chicago and Cook County leaders continue looking for ways to manage the number of migrants in the city. Illinois lawmakers are combatting book bans.
Chicago has had a heavy metal problem for decades. The city is home to more lead service lines – those are the pipes that carry your tap water the final few meters into your home – than any other major metropolitan area in the country. That means that dangerous lead seeps into the water for hundreds of thousands of residents, often unknowingly . The issue has gone unresolved over multiple mayoral administrations, so what’s Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson planning to do differently? Axios Chicago rep...
Four former executives and lobbyists at ComEd were found guilty on every count they faced related to a wide-ranging government bribery scheme. Members of the newly-elected Police District Councils were sworn in yesterday. Two dozen employees in the Illinois House Speaker’s office want to unionize.
