April is National Poetry Month, so we wanted to revisit one of our favorite conversations. If you watch any shows set in Chicago, you’ve probably seen LaRoyce Hawkins. He plays Kevin Atwater in “Chicago P.D.” and its many crossover shows. You might also know him as Michael “Shaw” Owens in the Max Original “South Side.” But he’s also a lifelong poet and comedian. During the Hollywood strikes last fall, we took the opportunity to talk to Hawkins about his creative pursuits outside of TV. In this e...
Apr 23, 2024•15 min
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth supports more aid for Israel alongside billions for humanitarian aid. Research shows Chicago has more mass shootings than any other U.S. city. A compromise plan to expand O’Hare Airport has a new proponent – Illinois U-S Senator Dick Durbin.
Apr 23, 2024•5 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is sending his condolences to the family of a Chicago police officer who was killed over the weekend while off-duty. Toni Preckwinkle was unanimously re-elected to another two-year term as head of the Cook County Democratic Party. The Palestinian Film Fest kicked off this weekend at the Gene Siskel Film Center in the Chicago loop.
Apr 22, 2024•3 min
WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis spoke with a dozen Chicago theater actors about how they’re getting by , and the bottom line, Davis said, is that the vast majority are struggling on the financial front. He said that holds true whether they are unionized, Equity actors getting work at Chicago’s big name theaters, or if they’re non-Equity actors working in smaller storefront theaters. “This is just not an easy industry to make a living in in general right now for Equity or non-Equity [actors],” D...
Apr 22, 2024•17 min
A Chicago Police officer was shot and killed over the weekend while heading home after his shift. Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing back at suggestions the CTA needs new leadership. Shoppers should expect demonstrations outside Walgreens stores in the south suburbs.
Apr 22, 2024•4 min
Illinois could soon be home to its first-ever federally recognized tribal reservation. Front-of-house staff at The Goodman Theater in Chicago voted in favor of joining a union. Chicago’s Kenwood Academy High School took home the Urban Debate National Championship trophy in Evanston.
Apr 19, 2024•4 min
Imagine dancing your heart out with your bestie like you used to, but still getting home by 10 p.m. That’s the idea behind Earlybirds Club , according to creators (and high school friends) Susie Lee and Laura Baginski. “It’s a dance party for women that starts early and ends early because we all value our sleep,” Baginski said. They’ve only hosted one event so far, in February. They say it sold out almost immediately. Baginski says their next event, scheduled for May 4, has a waiting list in the...
Apr 19, 2024•17 min
The Chicago City Council could vote today on spending an extra $70 million for migrant care. Suburban mayors are pushing back against a potential grocery tax cut at the state level. There’s an effort underway to rename Northwestern’s John Evans Alumni Center.
Apr 19, 2024•5 min
The Cook County Board unanimously approved giving up to $70 million dollars to Chicago to cover food expenses for migrants. A state law that currently prohibits public school closings in Chicago could be extended until 2027. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois is concerned about how law enforcement will handle protesters during the Democratic National Convention.
Apr 18, 2024•5 min
Helene Achanzar’s job is to introduce students to poetry. She’s the director of programs at the Chicago Poetry Center. That means she manages education programs in Chicago Public Schools, organizing poetry residencies and performances for students of all ages. “Getting to meet an artist, as a student or as a young person, I think, can really change the trajectory of someone’s life,” Achanzar said. In today’s episode, Achanzar explains her path to poetry and her life in and out of Chicago. Becaus...
Apr 18, 2024•11 min
Four Chicago lobbyists are escaping serious punishment for improper donations to Mayor Johnson’s campaign. Some Cook County commissioners are concerned about blowback from voters and their communities as they vote to give Chicago money to help migrants. Former Arizona Congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabby Giffords addresses Chicagoans at the City Club.
Apr 18, 2024•4 min
Four lobbyists avoided serious punishment this week for improperly donating to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign. Chicagoans will soon be allowed to ride electric scooters overnight. The Chicago Bulls could soon be in playoff contention.
Apr 17, 2024•3 min
Artist Faith Ringgold, who passed away on Saturday at 93, was known for her work in a variety of artforms and for her sometimes jarring political pieces. One of her boldest works depicts the stars of the American flag reading the word “DIE” and the stripes reading the n-word. Titled “Flag For The Moon,” the piece briefly got the artist arrested for flag desecration when she displayed it in 1970. “She felt the American government – what they were communicating to Black people – [was] that they co...
Apr 17, 2024•17 min
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal paid Chicago a visit yesterday to fundraise. The Chicago Teachers Union is calling for every school to have a person on hand to help students work through conflicts. University of Illinois students, alumni, and staff traveled to Springfield yesterday to make the case to lawmakers for more money for the school system.
Apr 17, 2024•4 min
The Illinois House is advancing a measure to prohibit closing selective enrollment Chicago public schools until 2027. For the first time in its 90-year history, the Brookfield Zoo will house koalas. Severe weather could hit parts of the Chicago area tonight.
Apr 16, 2024•4 min
Arts journalist Makeda Easter had issues with a lot of art-related journalism, so she created her own publication: The Art Rebellion , where she focuses coverage on artists without public relations teams, those working outside of New York and Los Angeles, and those creating activist art. Easter is also vocal about one of her goals: making people understand how essential artists are in our society. “Artists need to be paid more. We need to respect them as workers, not just as people who make pret...
Apr 16, 2024•17 min
Chicago alderpersons gave initial approval to spending $70 million from city reserves to support migrants. A renowned nun from Texas visited Chicago this week to speak about her work with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wants to make a state compensation program for victims of violent crime more accessible.
Apr 16, 2024•5 min
The Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases. Activists want the Environmental Protection Agency to require Illinois to address unsafe drinking water conditions in state prisons. Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans.
Apr 15, 2024•4 min
Later this year, Chicago will choose its first-ever elected Chicago Public School board members. “Finally the people of Chicago will be able to get somebody on the board who will represent their interests,” said WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. In November, the city will elect 10 board members, with 11 more appointed by the mayor. The board currently has seven seats, so it will also triple in size after the coming election. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Karp about the fight for an...
Apr 15, 2024•17 min
A mass shooting Saturday night in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood killed a 9-year-old girl and left three boys injured – two critically. United States Supreme Court arguments today over a Northwest Indiana mayor’s bribery conviction could have a big legal impact on Chicago. Some Chicago advocates say they are skeptical about the way city officials are spending funds for migrant relief efforts.
Apr 15, 2024•5 min
Illinois lawmakers are moving to update the state’s biometric privacy law. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke in southwest Chicago today about Black Maternal Health Week. The Chicago Bulls are a step closer to the postseason.
Apr 12, 2024•4 min
Fatphobia is everywhere, including the office. Anti-fat bias shows up in hiring, salary negotiations, conversations between coworkers and even the chairs we sit in. “I cannot think of any example in the workplace where it would be appropriate to comment on the size of someone’s body,” said Rundown producer Sarah Stark. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Stark about workplace bias and the importance of fat community. To hear more conversations like this, check out the " Bias Against Bodies...
Apr 12, 2024•9 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking City Council to approve $70 million more for migrant spending. A Chicago City Council committee approved penalties for violating a security perimeter for the upcoming DNC. The Chicago Sky are scouting long term talent ahead of next week’s WNBA draft.
Apr 12, 2024•4 min
A state lawmaker from Chicago wants police to rethink how they conduct traffic stops in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods. An Illinois Senate proposal to ban single-use toiletry containers from state hotels is now moving to the Illinois House.
Apr 11, 2024•3 min
“People hate to admit they’re sexist or ageist or racist,” said retired women’s studies professor Esther Rothblum. “But if you ask people about fat oppression, they will tell you they hate fat people.” Rothblum spent much of her career studying anti-fatness, and her research illustrates just how pervasive fatphobia is. Rothblum spoke with WBEZ’s daily talk show Reset as part of a series about anti-fat bias called “Bias Against Bodies,” which was produced by Rundown producer Sarah Stark. In this ...
Apr 11, 2024•18 min
It is unclear from just watching that video whether that officer, officer St. Louis, was shot by fellow police or whether he was shot by Mr. Reed. The Indiana Attorney General is fighting for safer drinking water for hoosiers. The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications is preparing residents to handle extreme weather this summer.
Apr 11, 2024•5 min
The Gazan Health Ministry reports hundreds of aid workers have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, but many health care workers in Chicago are traveling to the war zone to care for the wounded. Illinois lawmakers are proposing legislation that would build an online hub for caregivers. Chicagoans may soon get to ride electric scooters 24/7.
Apr 10, 2024•3 min
The last time Patrice Yursik chemically relaxed her hair was 22 years ago. She says she did it for her wedding, but really, it was for her mom. “That was it,” said Yursik, who says her mother started straightening her hair when she was six years old. “I was like, I'm never doing this again.” Research studies released in the last decade have noted links between chemical hair relaxers and various types of cancer. And now thousands of Black women are suing the makers of hair relaxers in federal cou...
Apr 10, 2024•23 min
The attorney representing the family of Dexter Reed Jr., a Chicago man fatally shot by police on the city’s West Side, says police used excessive force during a traffic stop. A new report describes the maximum security prison in Pontiac, Illinois as a disgusting and neglected environment for mentally ill inmates. EXPO Chicago, the Midwest’s largest art fair, opens to the general public on Friday morning.
Apr 10, 2024•5 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to video footage released Tuesday of police officers fatally shooting Dexter Reed Jr. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says her office will determine if the use of force in the shooting was beyond what’s allowable under the law. Illinois is doling out millions of dollars in grants to help full service grocery stores open in food deserts.
Apr 09, 2024•3 min
