U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has returned to the Chicago area. Illinois might not be able to generate all the power it needs to meet future demand because coal-fired plants are shutting down and newer, cleaner sources aren’t coming online fast enough. The Chicago Blackhawks are playing in Toronto without star center Conor Bedard due to an upper-body injury. Plus, a Chicago theater company created its own holiday-inspired version of the “Real Housewives” reality television series: ...
Dec 16, 2025•6 min
Jewish leaders in Chicago are mourning the lives lost in Australia this weekend, but say they won’t live in fear as Hanukkah celebrations continue this week. Actor and film director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were killed in their Los Angeles home yesterday. Some anti-violence advocates want the Chicago Transit Authority to allow violence interruptors to patrol the transit system. Plus, the move-out deadline has passed for the last residents of a Chicago apartment building raided in...
Dec 15, 2025•10 min
Patients in Illinois who are terminally ill will be able to request life-ending medication with a doctor’s prescription starting later next year. A proposed city-wide ban on the sale of hemp products now includes an exception for THC-infused beverages. The National Weather Service says snow is likely Saturday afternoon with evening wind chills near 20 below zero. Plus, We recently asked people in Illinois prisons this question: “If you could spend one afternoon on the outside with a family membe...
Dec 12, 2025•10 min
The city of Chicago says warming centers will be available this weekend as bitterly cold temperatures move in. A commission formed in honor of an unarmed Black woman murdered in her Springfield-area home last year has unveiled their 26 “calls to action.” Red Kettle donations for the Salvation Army are down in the Chicago area. Plus, the new company that provides health care to nearly 30,000 people in Illinois state prisons has a disturbing track record. Centurion Health took over health care for...
Dec 11, 2025•8 min
WBEZ lost power at our studios at Navy Pier today and will return to its usual programming schedule as soon as we can. A group of alderpersons who oppose Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget have introduced their own revenue package. Chicagoans can expect more snow going into the weekend. Plus, the widest “death gap” across neighborhoods of any big city in America is between the Loop and West Garfield Park on Chicago’s West Side. Between these seven stops on the Green Line, how long someone is...
Dec 10, 2025•10 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is revising his proposed and controversial corporate head tax in hopes of shaking a budget stalemate loose. Illinois Gov.JB Pritzker signed into law protections from what he called “unjust actions” taken by federal immigration agents. Top executives at the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois got hefty raises and multimillion bonuses last year despite a 54 percent drop in net income, according to Crain’s. Plus, the Chicago-rooted duo The Cool Kid...
Dec 09, 2025•7 min
The prospect of a government shutdown over the city’s budget is growing bigger in the city of Chicago. Chicago voters will elect all 21 members of the school board next November but a new poll finds few realize this is happening. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich celebrated Mass on Sunday in the chapel of Cook County Jail’s maximum-security division. Plus, December is Nutcracker season. Some local groups are presenting the classic holiday ballet with a twist.
Dec 08, 2025•7 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget team said that an alternative budget proposal from 26 alders who oppose the mayor’s spending plan is based on faulty projections and regressive fines. Indiana state House lawmakers have passed a new congressional map that now advances to the state Senate, where it is unclear if enough lawmakers will support its final passage. Granite City Works will make steel again next year. Plus, from the 67-foot-tall Norway spruce in Millennium Park to a dizzying number...
Dec 05, 2025•8 min
The city of Chicago’s running tab for police misconduct settlements tied to disgraced former police commander Jon Burge grew by $15 million today. As Chicago plunges into extreme cold weather territory, medical professionals urge the public to pay attention to the signs of frostbite. Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen is calling on Congress to vote soon to extend Obamacare subsidies to keep health care premiums from skyrocketing. Plus, with federal immigration enforcement bearing down on Chicago...
Dec 04, 2025•7 min
A majority of Chicago alderpersons are backing an alternate budget plan that would double residents’ garbage collection fee to avoid a new corporate head tax. The Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party will hold a candlelight vigil and dedication ceremony Wednesday. The Illinois Secretary of State has issued warnings to national rental car companies about federal immigration agents. Plus, many people feared student attendance at Chicago Public Schools ...
Dec 03, 2025•11 min
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a measure allowing the state to develop its own vaccine guidelines, independent of the federal government. Thousands of Illinoisans could face homelessness once new federal requirements kick in. Capacity has been increased at Christkindlmarket in the Loop. Plus, we’ll hear from a Chicago protester who says their dismissed charges show Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino is dishonest.
Dec 02, 2025•7 min
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory until midnight for the Chicago area and until 3 a.m. for northwest Indiana. Healthcare providers are concerned that federal funding cuts could undo some of the gains made against HIV and AIDS. Actor and director Robert Townsend returns to his native Chicago this weekend with a pop-up film and comedy festival. Plus, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and his wife MK recently paid Pope Leo the 14th a visit in Rome, presenting the Chicago...
Dec 01, 2025•7 min
An early winter storm is moving through the Great Lakes region and bringing a chill to Chicago for Thanksgiving. A federal judge called out an immigration enforcement agent for using artificial intelligence to write the narrative of a use-of-force report. The Village of Oak Lawn has agreed to pay more than $800,000 to a man punched by a village police officer during a 2022 traffic stop. Plus, foot traffic is down in Chicago’s predominantly Latino shopping areas with many would-be customers scare...
Nov 26, 2025•9 min
O’Hare Airport is expected to have its busiest Thanksgiving travel season on record. Several state agencies say President Trump’s tariff policies are costing Illinoisans thousands of dollars more this year. HBO is premiering a new documentary tonight that looks at the making of the Super Bowl Shuffle. Plus, one way the federal government provides affordable housing is by subsidizing rent in buildings owned by private developers. That’s the case at one building complex on Chicago’s South Side, wh...
Nov 25, 2025•8 min
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the shooting death of 14-year-old Armani Floyd Friday night in the loop. The Federal Aviation Administration expects this week’s Thanksgiving holiday travel period to be the busiest in 15 years. This holiday season a consumer watchdog group is warning parents about the rise of children's toys equipped with A-I chatbots. Plus, one year ago Vanessa Lopez found out her father was being sent back to Mexico after living most ...
Nov 24, 2025•7 min
A new report in the Sun-Times determines there's not enough affordable housing in many Chicago suburbs. A stretch of milder weather that starts this weekend will taper off after the Thanksgiving holiday. Chicago’s annual tree lighting ceremony is Friday night in Millennium Park. Plus, The Smashing Pumpkins released “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” 30 years ago. Now, frontman Billy Corgan is celebrating the double album with a symphonic version at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The final sou...
Nov 21, 2025•7 min
The federal appeals court in Chicago is putting a short-term hold on a judge’s order that tried to release as many as 615 people detained by immigration authorities this year. Chicago’s transgender community and their allies are using this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance to say “we’re not going anywhere.” Chicago State University just enrolled its largest freshman class in a decade. Plus, Chicago-area food pantries continue to experience higher need than normal. They’re grappling with issu...
Nov 20, 2025•6 min
Federal terrorism charges have been filed against a suspect who allegedly lit a woman on fire on a Blue Line train Monday night. Some local government leaders say the so-called ICE Free Zones they created during the feds’ immigration enforcement campaign are good tools to have. Governor JB Pritzker paid Pope Leo the 14th a visit in Rome Wednesday. Plus, Thanksgiving is the ultimate food holiday but some people don’t want to cook. Chicago chefs this year are leaning into options for dining in or ...
Nov 19, 2025•6 min
Just four people are currently being held in the controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in west suburban Broadview, down from nearly 150 two weeks ago. The U.S. House has voted to admonish Democratic Illinois U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia for the way he announced his retirement. A new program allowing Illinois residents to store their driver’s license or state ID in their iPhone Wallet begins Wednesday. Plus, 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents who rattled Chicago f...
Nov 18, 2025•8 min
Suburban Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson has declared a civil emergency in the village. Starved Rock State Park will undergo an $18 million improvement project over the next year. The CTA holiday train starts running Black Friday. Plus, a key city council panel rejected Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal today in a rare move, far ahead of the December 31st deadline to pass a plan. Critics say that sends a clear message to the mayor to go back to the drawing board. WBEZ City Hall re...
Nov 17, 2025•8 min
21 protesters have been arrested today outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview. Advocates against domestic violence are applauding a move by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to restore funding for services. Plus, a conversation with Chicago theater director Robert Falls about his staging of “Amadeus” at Steppenwolf Theater.
Nov 14, 2025•9 min
Republicans and Democrats continue to battle over whether to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is not giving up hope on legislation to crack down on homeowners insurance price hikes. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is in the hospital with a rare neurological disorder. Plus, we remember the life of Miguel Perez Jr. – a U.S. Army veteran who drew national headlines after he was deported in 2018.
Nov 13, 2025•8 min
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the release of as many as 615 people who have been held in mandatory detention by federal immigration authorities. A U.S. Representative from Illinois is on the House committee that released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Chicago Transit Authority has closed the door on fare increases in 2026. Plus, while violent crime in Chicago has declined, domestic violence continues to persistently rise. It skyrocketed during pandemic-era...
Nov 12, 2025•9 min
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is urging people to stay vigilant even as Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino could be on his way out of town. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned a long-lost Purple Heart Medal to the family of a World War II veteran. Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is going to continue his bid for Illinois governor. Plus, after police killed George Floyd in 2020, there was talk of a racial reckoning. In the theater community, that reckoning took the form...
Nov 11, 2025•10 min
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is under fire for voting to advance a Republican-led House measure that would help end the government shutdown. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he’s confident police did not violate the welcoming city ordinance when responding to protests this weekend. The National Weather Service said a La Nina pattern will be active through February, which could mean a colder and snowier winter. Plus, five years after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the Sun-Times and WB...
Nov 10, 2025•10 min
WBEZ’s Prisoncast! and the Mud Theatre Project present a new radio drama — written and performed almost exclusively by currently or formerly incarcerated thespians. “The Story of Violence," based on an award-winning script by playwrights at Dixon Correctional Center in Illinois, examines Chicago’s gun violence problem through five characters’ perspectives as their lives intersect at a downtown hotel room.
Nov 08, 2025•57 min
O'Hare International Airport today is second in the nation in flight cancellations. The federal government says it's largely complying with an order to improve conditions at the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants members of the United Nations to come to the city – and see ongoing human rights violations for themselves. Plus, President Donald Trump has been outspoken in blaming crime on ‘sanctuary’ policies in Democr...
Nov 07, 2025•8 min
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction governing the use of force by federal immigration officers in Chicago. In a separate case, a judge ruled yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security has to improve conditions for detainees at the immigration processing center in suburban Broadview. Chicago-area commuters may soon see the impacts of a massive transit-deal that is awaiting Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. Plus, WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell brings us tape of U.S. Border Pat...
Nov 06, 2025•8 min
A high-stakes hearing is underway over the treatment of protesters and journalists covering the Trump Administration’s Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Chicago’s acting cultural commissioner says the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is entering a new era. A D.C.-based conservative activist group is suing Illinois for records on the state’s role in offering refuge to Texas Democrats this summer. Plus, Sun-Times reporter Lauren FitzPatrick teamed up with the paper’s photojournal...
Nov 05, 2025•7 min
Immigrants who have recently been detained at the immigration processing facility in suburban Broadview testified in federal court about the conditions there. The Regional Transportation Authority is walking back its 10 percent fare increases for the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace next year. In a surprising move, Chicago Cubs’ starting pitcher Shota Imanaga is set to become a free agent. Plus, there have been daily demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bu...
Nov 04, 2025•7 min
