In one bite-sized episode every weekday, we'll keep you informed, tickled, geeked, and pondering on Chicago's news, culture and people. Each episode starts with a quick news roundup from the WBEZ newsroom, followed by a deep-dive into one of the biggest or most curious stories from our city. The Rundown podcast is a one-stop-shop for all things Chicago.
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Nearly 60,000 people in suburban Cook County have already voted in Tuesday’s primary election, and another 52,000 have mailed in their ballots. Six Republicans are making their final cases to replace the seat currently held by Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a seat that’s open for the first time in nearly three decades. Offering community college students extra support like tutoring and stipends can help them stay in school, but a new study by the University of Chicago finds that kind of help...
Illinois voters who wish to cast their ballot by mail for the Illinois primary election must have their application submitted by Thursday. The National Weather Service says one supercell on Tuesday night was responsible for at least four tornadoes across Indiana and Illinois. Classic rocker and poet Patti Smith is promoting her latest memoir, which explores Smith’s personal life from a working class childhood to her later years. Plus, for most of the last 80 years, two people have represented a ...
The Justice Department’s settlement of an anti-trust lawsuit against the corporate parent of Ticketmaster is drawing criticism from Illinois and other states. The city of Chicago’s youth jobs program has a new name and motto as officials open this year’s application window. Chicago theater season is gearing up for a new host of shows, including a run of “Hamilton” at the CIBC Theatre through April 26. Plus, four Republican candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to challenge two-term Gover...
Illinois abolished the death penalty 15 years ago today, when former Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law banning the punishment. We’ve got record warmth around Chicago today with highs in the low 70s. The Chicago White Sox have named Shane Smith their starting pitcher for Opening Day. Plus, Illinois residents soon have a big choice to make: who should represent them in the U.S. Senate for the next six years? All eyes are on the Democratic primary in the race to replace longtime retiring U....
Memorial services for Rev. Jesse Jackson conclude today. Jackson died in his Chicago home on February 17 at the age of 84. He was known as being one of the most visible civil rights leaders of the last half century and a protege of Martin Luther King Jr. But Jackson also was a divisive figure, remembered for his larger than life personality and sometimes controversial opinions. In this special episode of The Rundown, WBEZ reporter Somer Van Benton sits down with Lisa Labuz to parse through some ...
Thousands of people gathered today in Chicago to honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Charges were dropped this week against a group of 15 mothers arrested outside of the immigration processing center in Broadview. The New York City Ballet’s principal dancer Tiler Peck is coming to Chicago this weekend. Plus, the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy includes Operation Breadbasket, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and two presidential campaigns in the 198...
Governor JB Pritzker is voicing delight at President Trump's firing of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Developers broke ground this week on the Chicago Fire’s new privately-funded stadium in the South Loop neighborhood. Hundreds of Chicago high schoolers are voting for the first time in this month’s primary election. Plus, thirty year-old conductor Klaus Mäkelä will soon become the Chicago Symphony’s next music director. While working with the orchestra, he’s become a familiar fa...
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is asking the federal government to help get U.S. citizens stranded in the Middle East back home. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before Congress on Tuesday, and she claimed to not know the case in which Chicago resident Marimar Martinez was shot five times in an encounter with Border Patrol. The City Club of Chicago threw a party at the Lookingglass Theater on the Magnificent Mile to celebrate Chicago turning 189 years old. Plus, ins...
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is emphatically denying any ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is condemning the Trump administration for launching strikes in Iran without Congressional approval. A big challenge for whoever wins the Democratic primary for Cook County Board President is how to treat more uninsured patients. Plus, WBEZ and the Sun Times surveyed 20 top arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits last year. We wanted to see what prog...
Early voting and registration for the March 17th primaries began in suburban Cook County and all 50 wards in Chicago. Many of the non-immigration cases brought against people during Operation Midway Blitz are now falling apart in Chicago court. Pulaski Day honors Casimir Pulaski, who was a Polish hero of the Revolutionary War. Plus, Keshia Golden is facing murder charges for fatally stabbing her boyfriend three years ago, and she says she did it to save herself and the couple’s unborn child. Gol...
High temperatures in the Chicago region will hit the lower 60s in some areas this afternoon due to warm winds and plenty of sunshine. Young adults, children and their parents made it a priority to honor the late Reverend Jesse Jackson as he lies in repose in Chicago. When conductor Malcolm Merriweather heard that an influential Chicago composer’s grave was unmarked, he decided to change that. Plus, Monday Night Foodball, a popular weekly chef pop-up, is hosting its 200th event next week. Curated...
A tax incentive plan aimed at keeping the Bears in Illinois advanced in the state House today amid opposition from City Hall and questions about whether Democrats can whip up enough votes to pass it. Illinois lawmakers are hoping to bring suicide prevention resources to public spaces. The Blackhawks return to the ice Thursday against the Nashville Predators after their long break for the Olympics. Plus, Reverend Jesse Jackson Senior will be lying in repose at Rainbow PUSH Headquarters in Kenwood...
The FBI has arrested a man accused of beating Sheila von Wiese-Mack of Oak Park to death nearly a dozen years ago. A survey from the Chicago-based Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows Americans are turning to social media and artificial intelligence for nutrition advice instead of professionals. NFL Draft prospects will hit the field at the scouting combine in Indianapolis starting Thursday. Plus, Black boys and men are the least likely demographic to get their college diploma within six yea...
President Trump is scheduled to give his State of the Union address tonight, and some Democratic lawmakers say they’re boycotting the speech and attending their own counter-rally. The Chicago Park District is asking Springfield for $630 million amid efforts to pass a legislative package to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois. A Cook County judge ruled the City of Chicago is liable for overcharges and interest on more than a million city sticker and parking violations issued between 2012 and 2022....
Illinois’ largest teacher’s union released its annual State of Education report, and it found that nearly 60% of those polled are worried about Immigration and Customs Enforcement making arrests on school property. Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spend $50 million to buy and rehab the Greyhound bus terminal just west of the Loop. The Chicago Blackhawks are gearing up to return to play after their long break for the Olympics. Plus, the Chicago suburbs used to be mostly white, middle-class ...
The Reverend Jesse Jackson will be buried at Oak Woods Cemetery on Chicago’s South Side. Illinois U.S. Congressman Brad Schneider says he's bringing Learning Resources CEO Rick Woldenberg to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday. Governor JB Pritzker wants to cancel tax breaks for data centers, pointing to soaring utility costs for families across Illinois. Plus, we check in with a government reporter from Indiana to get a temperature check on how Hoosiers are feeling ab...
Funeral services for the Reverend Jesse Jackson begin next week. The dance for a new stadium is intensifying between the Chicago Bears, Illinois, and Indiana. The Bulls take on the Toronto Raptors tonight at the United Center. Plus, a theater in Aurora is teaming up with Naperville’s Awesome Life Academy to perform improv for youth with special needs.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s $56 billion dollar state budget proposal mostly holds the line on new taxes. The Reverend Jesse Jackson spent decades fighting for the rights of minorities, including immigrants. The Newberry Library in Chicago has received $4 million from the Mellon Foundation to expand access to its vast Indigenous collections, with a focus on language. Plus, Pritzker used his annual State of the State speech to rail against President Trump and his brutal deportation campaign an...
Remembrances have also been coming in from political leaders across the nation and across the political aisle in response to the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson’s death. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will present his eighth state budget proposal Wednesday. More grocery prices in Chicago have either increased or stayed the same rather than going down in the past year. Plus, Jackson is remembered as one of the country's most influential leaders, founding what became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Bronzev...
Illinois Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García says the White House response to Democratic demands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms has been “unsatisfactory.” Some advocates are warning that the First Amendment’s protection of a free press is under attack. The Chicago White Sox will be back on the field later this week when Spring Training play opens. Plus, a Roosevelt University graduate student is trying to be the first person to run every block in Chicago. 1979 streets later, he’s ne...
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to allow clergy access to the immigration processing center in suburban Broadview on Ash Wednesday next week. Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly is criticizing longtime Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in his bid to win her job. The Chicago Cubs advanced to the postseason for the first time in four years and came within a game of the National League Championship Series. Plus, Chicago Black Restaurant Week features specials ...
The Trump administration announced plans to revoke the landmark 2009 Endangerment Finding, which is the basis for federal regulation of climate pollution. A trove of evidence is out now related to December’s shooting of Marimar Martinez by a Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park on Chicago’s south side. The village of Arlington Heights isn’t giving up hope on its dream of being the new home of the Chicago Bears. Plus, a Chicago mom is furious about the way her son’s class at a northwest side elem...
The lead attorney for the Chicago woman shot by a Border Patrol agent says newly released evidence shows that the feds are lying about the incident. After more than two years of public meetings, the Chicago Park District has unveiled its 2026 Grant Park Framework plan. Chicago White Sox pitchers and catchers have reported for spring training in Arizona. Plus, about 24% of people in Illinois who get SNAP food benefits could lose them this year because of the Trump administration's expanded work r...
2025 was a big year for Chicago’s tourism industry – the city’s official tourism bureau says hotel demand was up by more than 2%. The Art Institute of Chicago has acquired its first Norman Rockwell painting. The lineup for this year's Sueños Music Festival has dropped. Plus, we hear from two teen brothers from suburban West Chicago who have been documenting federal immigration raids in Minnesota.
The Archbishop of Chicago is calling for an apology from the White House after President Trump shared a racist video on Truth Social last week. About 50 homes in south suburban Dixmoor were without water for multiple hours this weekend due to two back-to-back water main breaks in the area. The director of the Grant Park Music Festival, Giancarlo Guerrero, performed with Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday. Plus, many Asians have not come forward with stories of being targeted...
A federal judge is allowing a Chicago woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last fall to release evidence from the case, including text messages sent by the agent who shot Marimar Martinez five times. Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says federal immigration enforcement must change before the Department of Homeland Security can receive extended funding. Volunteers in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood were on a mission to keep people warm this morning by giving away free coats, hats, gl...
Many independent grocery stores could be at risk because of new federal work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is in Chicago this week for his forthcoming immersive project “Theater of the Mind.” A high school choir from Chicago’s south side known for competing in America’s Got Talent performed at Loyola University Chicago on Wednesday for Black History Month. Plus, Chicago public schools plan to celebrate Black History Mont...
A federal judge in Indiana has ordered the Trump administration not to deport the Chicago man acquitted in January of putting a bounty on the head of U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino. Illinois is joining a network run by the World Health Organization, and the move comes after the U.S. officially withdrew in January from the WHO. The Chicago Blackhawks will play their final game Wednesday before a three-week long break for the Winter Olympics, where forward Teuvo Teravainen will be pla...
Illinois has faced a decades-long pension funding crisis, and Governor JB Pritzker yesterday announced a plan to fix it. The Black Excellence Revue from Second City is back for its fourth year with the show “Black and Highly Flavored.” It’s the first-ever Wetlands Week at Shedd Aquarium. Plus, some Northwestern students and faculty are questioning administrators after a symbol known to represent opposition to equal rights for women and minority communities appeared on campus.
Chicago's Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust becomes the first U.S. bank to close in 2026, amid assurances that depositors will not lose money. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has injected $5 million into a Super PAC supporting Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's bid for U.S. Senate, a race also featuring Raja Krishnamorthy and Robin Kelly. The episode also highlights the Chicago premiere of "Drumline Live," a theatrical show inspired by HBCU marching bands, and features Chef Cliff Rome discussing his culinary plans for the upcoming Obama Presidential Center, emphasizing community and nostalgic South Side dining experiences.
