Friday, January 30, 2026

Martin Luther King moved to Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood in January 1966 to fight against racist real estate practices in the city, and others continue his work today. Some small business owners across the Chicago area closed up shop today as part of a general strike to protest immigration enforcement across the country. Forty years ago this week, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just after liftoff. One of the seven crewmembers onboard was Christa McAuliffe, and WBEZ’s Jim Nayder spoke with McAuliffe in 1985, not long before the Challenger disaster. Plus, a new essay collection visits the places that shape Midwestern literature. “Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest” features prose about the neighborhoods and spots that inspired regional writers.