The Rundown | Chicago News

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is among several key Democrats to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Voters in Northwest Indiana had mixed reactions to the news that Harris is President Joe Biden’s pick. President Biden’s decision to end his campaign could significantly alter next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

House music was born in Chicago 40 years ago. To celebrate the genre’s birthday, the city is celebrating with events all year long. Darlene Jackson – also known as DJ Lady D, who the Chicago Reader named “Best House Music DJ in Chicago” – is on the House Music 40 planning committee and is scheduled to spin some music at Wicker Park Fest July 28. “The roots of House come from disco,” she said on the Rundown podcast. “Frankie Knuckles actually popularized that statement, that House music is disco’s revenge.”Jackson talked to host Erin Allen about the attempted “demolition” of disco in Chicago and the rise of House music, the legend of late House DJ and record producer Frankie Knuckles, and why the genre is having a resurgence.

The majority of Illinois’ Democratic congressional delegation are backing Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee this fall. Springfield community members are calling for change at a funeral for an unarmed woman shot by police earlier this month. The private foundation The Commonwealth Fund released a healthcare scorecard showing where Illinois excels and has room for improvement.

Cook County prosecutors are dropping the charges against four Northwestern educators who were charged with obstructing police during the pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus in April. Democratic Congressmen Sean Casten and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia are the newest members of Illinois’ congressional delegation to call on President Biden to end his reelection bid. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has come out against federal plans to expand a lakefront disposal site on the Southeast Side.

Oak Park-born musician Kara Jackson is taking the stage at Pitchfork Music Festival for the first time.Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez spoke with her ahead of her performance, and asked her how she would describe her sound.“While the foundation feels like folk – and I really just write songs mostly with me and my guitar – I think there’s so many other influences that show themselves,” Jackson said. “I’ve loved jazz and R&B and all types of music, so I think those influences definitely bleed out in the music too.” Pitchfork named Jackson’s most recent album one of the 50 best of 2023. She takes the stage at the annual music festival on July 20. On today’s episode, we hear about her early life in Oak Park and her blooming career. 

Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood says the head of the Secret Service needs to resign immediately. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is in hot water with progressive organizers urging him to drop charges against them for a civil disobedience protest for Gaza in April. The state of Illinois is hoping to reduce climate change through capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Illinois Republican Congressman Mike Bost is joining the growing chorus of calls for the head of the Secret Service to either resign or be fired after the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Northwestern University police arrested and charged four educators earlier this month for allegedly obstructing law enforcement during the pro-Palestinian campus encampment. Chicago-born actor and comedian Bob Newhart has died at age 94.

The Illinois GOP’s incoming chairwoman says it’s time to put aside differences and get to work. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is denying residents experiencing homelessness are being moved because of the DNC. Southeast Side environmentalists have a new report out about cumulative health impacts.

Residents of a shelter on the Magnificent Mile have been evicted to make room for occupants of a tent encampment being cleared ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Illinois’ House Republican leader is confident they’ll win back some seats in Springfield this year. The Chicago-set Hulu TV series “The Bear” received a record-breaking number of Emmy nominations this morning.

Major Taylor was both a world champion American cyclist who once held seven world sprint records and an activist who demanded equal treatment in the face of racist competitors and race organizers. Brenda Dixon, the president of the board for the Major Taylor Trail Keepers, puts Major Taylor on par with Jesse Owens, Arthur Ashe and other trailblazing American sports heroes who “stand on his shoulders without even realizing it.”“He was an activist before his time,” Dixon said of Taylor, who competed around the turn of the 20th century. “Everyone should know who he is.” A cycling and walking trail through Chicago’s South Side bears Major Taylor’s name, and this year’s annual celebration ride in his honor is scheduled for Sept. 7. In this episode, Dixon is joined by Keith Holt, a founding member of the Major Taylor Cycling Club Chicago and a pivotal part of the establishment of the Major Taylor Trail, to tell us Major Taylor’s story and the story of the community through which his trail passes. This episode was originally published on Aug. 16, 2023.

A former congressman from New York shares some tips on how to reach voters in larger cities. Mayor Brandon Johnson is expected to fill a long vacant leadership post in the City Council. Severe storms Monday night left behind severe damage as several tornadoes touch ground throughout the Chicagoland area.

An update on the latest WBEZ reporting from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Chicago’s Police Superintendent is talking up the city’s preparedness for next month’s Democratic National Convention in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump from a rooftop. Thousands of ComEd customers are still without power and a Northwest Indiana woman was killed during last night's severe weather.

As many as 10 tornadoes were reported in the Chicago area Monday night. Illinois Republicans are reacting to Former President Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate. Chicago alderpersons approved more than $11 million to settle allegations of gender and disability discrimination within the Chicago Fire Department.

Following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Illinois Republicans showed a united front as they arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention this week. Demonstrators who plan to march at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month are prepared for tighter security following the attack on the former president. Some Chicago area schools are considering taking stricter measures to limit cell phone use in schools.

Artist David Lee Csicsko uses bright colors, a dash of cubism and a touch of folk art in his portraits of LGBTQ+ icons like Alvin Ailey, Freddie Mercury, Keith Haring, Josephine Baker, and more."[I'm] trying to sort of make that person as lively as I can make them so that you want to read about them," Csicsko said. "Because the further we get from those people, they can fade away, and I'm trying to keep them alive."An exhibit of Csicsko's work is open through July 27 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave. It's called “Mr. Fancy Pants: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Icons.” It features several decades-worth of art made by Csicsko, whose work you may have seen before, at the Belmont CTA station or even on your reusable Mariano's grocery bag. On today's episode, Csicsko tells Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about his young life in Hammond, Indiana, getting inspired as a kid at Chicago's free museums and how his work has evolved over time. "Getting my work out there, and the fact that almost anybody can enjoy it, that to me that's incredibly satisfying and a job I take very seriously," he said. 

Illinois Republicans are rallying around Donald Trump even more after Saturday’s assassination attempt as the RNC gets underway. Chicago hospitals are asking patients to be flexible during the Democratic National Convention next month. Illinois transit leaders are asking state lawmakers for more money.

Bally’s has announced it has secured the financing needed to complete the construction of its permanent Chicago casino and entertainment complex. The State of Illinois’ African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission will hold its first public hearing Saturday. Rural homelessness is a growing issue nationwide.

Jeremiah Paprocki got his current gig as the voice of Wrigley Field when he was 21 years-old—but you probably wouldn’t guess it from his voice. Now, at 24, Paprocki is breaking into TV with his own late-night show, “Late Nights in Chicago.”
 
 “We really want this show to be as Chicago as possible,” Paprocki said. “We’re looking forward to highlighting the city.”
 
 He talked with Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about sports announcing and what inspired him to venture into late night.

The head of the DNC insists Biden is the nominee despite growing calls for him to step aside, Illinois Republicans are on the verge of choosing a new state party chair, and an iconic Chicago-based grocery chain celebrates 50 years

A north suburban congressman is the second congressional Democrat from Illinois to call for President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid. Chicago Public Schools says it has figured out how to close a $500 million budget deficit. Chicago and Illinois leaders are speaking out against the violence over the Fourth of July weekend.

Hollywood icon George Clooney has Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on a shortlist of potential Democratic replacements for President Joe Biden. Chicago leaders are speaking out against the wave of violence this past Fourth of July weekend. The Ashland bus route could be extended a mile north later this summer.

Kroger and Albertsons have a list of nearly three dozen grocery stores in Illinois they plan to sell ahead of their planned merger. Chicago’s most marginalized students have almost no shot of getting into CPS’ top test-in high schools according to a WBEZ analysis of district data. Health insurance companies in Illinois have to start phasing out the practice of “step therapy,” where an insurer does not cover a treatment prescribed by a doctor until the patient first tries a less expensive option.

Anthony Spaulding was incarcerated at 16 years-old and spent 27 years in prison. When he got out in 2022, the world around him barely resembled the one he remembered. He, too, was a wholly different person than he’d been nearly three decades earlier. 
 
 “I don’t wanna say it was a blessing that I got locked up,” said Spaulding. “But it definitely gave me the time to sit down and reevaluate my life.” 
 
 He spent that time taking classes and developing as an artist under the mentorship of legendary artist Margaret Burroughs. Now, he’s working as a barber and performing his one-man show.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Spaulding about his experience of incarceration and his one-man show “To Cut a Barber’s Hands.”

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is renewing support for President Joe Biden’s re-election bid while also not ruling out his own potential White House run. The City of Chicago’s inspector general says the police department has every right to fire officers who have associated once with a far-right extremist group. Leaders of Pace, the CTA and Metra throw cold water on the idea of a merger.

The remnants of Hurricane Beryl are barreling into the Chicago area. Students at Larry’s Barber College on Chicago’s South Side spent time today learning how to identify and respond to opioid overdoses. White Sox ace pitcher Garrett Crochet will represent the South Siders at next week’s All-Star Game.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants more federal help to address gun violence. The city is taking an inventory of this weekend’s NASCAR race, and wondering whether the 4th of July weekend is the best time for it. Chicago tenants are helping each other stay cool with a free AC lending program, at least while supplies last.

A pair of for-profit colleges in the Chicago area have abruptly shut down. The nonprofit HEAL Palestine is working to bring Gazan children to Chicago and other U.S. cities for serious medical care. Invasive jumping worms are likely to begin turning up in your garden beds and making a mess.

Think your lemon meringue pie could win an amateur baking contest? Well, you can put your baking chops to the test at the annual Chicago’s Best Baker Competition on July 20 in Uptown. “Chicago has a lot of baking competitions for people who are professionals,” said Genesis Winter, who started this contest back in 2018. “And so I wanted to do something that was just, you know, [similar to] a county fair. Your mom who's in the kitchen and she makes an amazing cookie and she wants to go show off and get the blue ribbon. That's what we're going for.”Much like a county fair, winners go home with a ribbon and bragging rights. Non-baking attendees can taste what’s on offer in exchange for a donation to Cornerstone Community Outreach, a Chicago homeless shelter run by Winter’s husband, Andrew.In this episode, Rundown podcast host Erin Allen sat down with Winter and last year’s overall winner, Alia Zander (a.k.a. Chicago’s reigning amateur “best baker”) to talk about the origins of the contest and what it looks and feels like to enter (and win).

Some NASCAR fans say they saw a more diverse audience this past weekend in Chicago. The Chicago Teachers Union is calling out the head of the school district over the state of contract negotiations. Cook County is investing $100 million dollars into Provident Hospital on the South Side.

An 8-year-old boy has died from his injuries after being shot in a mass shooting in the early hours of the Fourth of July. Chicago officials are encouraging residents to attend a series of budget roundtables. The popular online homestay rental platform Airbnb is going to extra lengths to crack down on disruptive parties this holiday weekend.

Sorry Papi is a popular all-female traveling DJ party co-founded by Miriam Paz.“We were just thinking one day before COVID: ‘What if we throw an all-girls reggaeton party?” Paz said.Paz, whose stage name is DJ Miriam, talked with Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about the genesis of the traveling party, the general prowess of female DJs, and why women feel safer partying with other women.Sorry Papi’s next party is July 6 at the Ramova Theatre in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.

Highland Park families explain why they wanted to come to the community's first parade following the mass shooting two years ago. A new report shows how federal housing voucher renters can become voucher homeowners. Some Chicagoans are confused about how much to budget for their monthly student loan payments in the face of dueling court decisions.

The Jelly Belly Candy company will cease operations in North Chicago and lay off dozens of workers. Illinois ended its fiscal year with more money than expected. More than 1.7 million people are expected to travel through O’Hare and Midway airports this holiday weekend.

When the pandemic hit, Zeshan B was living in the Bronx. His wife works in health care, so her job was considered essential. Meanwhile, he lost all his work as a performer, and he channeled his lockdown angst into new music.
 
 
 “My industry was considered nonessential,” he said. “While I was on the back burner, the only thing I could do was write.”
 
 Now, Zeshan B and his family live in Chicago, and he’s preparing to release his new album, “O Say, Can You See,” later this month.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Zeshan B about dreaming, his new album and surviving the concrete jungle.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is stopping short of calling for Democratic President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. Most of the Chicago school board candidates are being challenged. That could mean the wide open field of 47 candidates might be whittled down. Adult educators at City Colleges of Chicago were on the streets yesterday calling for a fair contract.

The Supreme Court declined to review Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic weapons, meaning that judgment will stand for now. Lurie Children’s Hospital says nearly 800,000 people may have been exposed in a cybersecurity attack this year. A new report from the Illinois Department of Transportation shows an increase in traffic stops last year – and that Black drivers were nearly twice as likely to be stopped by police than white drivers.

Illinois Republicans celebrate while Illinois Democrats lament Monday’s SCOTUS decision on presidential immunity. A Cook County employee says he was fired for talking about wrongdoing at a county agency. Officials agreed on a plan to protect the Great Lakes from the invasive carp.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker still believes the door to prosecute former President Donald Trump is still open even after the Supreme Court ruled a president holds "absolute immunity" for official acts. A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows one in three students in Illinois are chronically absent – meaning they miss at least 10 percent of their school year. Loyola Medicine is working with a charity to erase about $112 million of medical debt this year for low-income patients.

Linney was the name of a loud and melodramatic house cat who stars in a new graphic novel titled “WOE: A Housecat’s Story of Despair.”Linney’s owner, Evanston-based graphic novelist Lucy Knisley, said she originally based Linney’s comic-strip voice off the character Sister Monica Jones, a British nun from the long-running BBC series “Call the Midwife.”“She was complaining about stuff that was just so silly to complain about, but she was so eloquent about it, so I wanted to give her this eloquent, stately manner,” Knisley said. In this episode of The Rundown podcast, Knisley tells host Erin Allen about her journey into comics – from her early love of “Calvin & Hobbes” to her education at both the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Knisley also talks about the poignant comic strip she created following Linney’s death, one she says readers will still reach out to her about several years later.  

A former Chicago Police Officer is remembered for his years of service to his community and his country. Chicago’s minimum wage is increasing today – and tipped workers specifically will also be seeing a boost. Field Museum scientists have documented the oldest grape seed fossils ever found in the western hemisphere.

Freelance workers in Illinois will enjoy new protections starting on Monday. Federal officials estimate a million fewer students will receive the Pell Grant this year. The Chicago Teachers Union announced yesterday the candidates it will support for the first school board election.

Do you remember the track ‘Mariposa’? It did significant rounds on TikTok during the pandemic lockdown. The group behind the song, Peach Tree Rascals, is about to wrap up a 19 show, 27-day tour. Ahead of their Chicago show last week, they spoke with Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about their deep friendship, what it’s like to create a viral music hit and how they’re making their immigrant parents proud.

Two new state-run migrant shelters are opening in Chicago but some state lawmakers say they have serious concerns. Undocumented residents in Illinois can get standard driver’s licenses starting Monday. Laid off Chicago Public School staff members spoke out yesterday about how their absence will hurt students.

New U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released today reveal significant demographic shifts in the greater Chicago area. Researchers say a bill introduced in Springfield this year could allow more working adults in Illinois to get college degrees. Chicago Public Media has a new CEO.

The state’s attorney in north suburban Lake County says he’s ready for trial against the accused gunman in the Highland Park 4th of July massacre as a plea deal falls through. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowing federal bribery law could have a major impact on some high-profile Chicago corruption cases. Illinois officials are launching an updated plan to curb the transmission of H-I-V/AIDS.

A coalition of feminist and LGBTQ+ activist groups have struck a deal with the city of Chicago to march on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. The man accused of gunning down seven people at the Highland Park 4th of July parade two years ago rejected a plea deal during a court hearing today. Defense attorneys for four former ComEd lobbyists and executives say a Supreme Court decision could win their clients a new trial.

Angie Leventis Lourgos began reporting on abortion access in Illinois in 2015. In the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she has watched the Midwest become even further divided over the issue of abortion rights. 
 
 “It seems like the chasm between Missouri and Illinois or Illinois and Indiana has only widened,” she said. “I didn’t think that was possible because they seemed so disparate when I started doing this reporting.” 
 
 Earlier this year, Leventis Lourgos published her first book, “Life-Altering: Abortion Stories from the Midwest.” She spoke with a number of abortion patients around the region about their experiences. The stories in the book span six decades: from illegal abortions pre-Roe, to post-Roe attacks on abortion clinics.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Leventis Lourgos about her reporting and the state of the post-Roe Midwest this election year.

A new study sheds light on the impact of removing police from Chicago high schools. Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch’s lawyers work to get a lawsuit against him dismissed. Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker signs into law the creation of a new state agency.

A Chicago City Council committee approved plans for a new Wrigleyville development Tuesday over the objections of preservation groups. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Junior has filed the necessary paperwork to get on Illinois' ballot in November. Two people locked up at Robinson prison in downstate Illinois recently went on hunger strikes because they believe that if their sentence credits were corrected, they’d be out of prison already.

The longest serving alderman in Chicago history gets sentenced to federal prison. Millions of federal dollars will be going toward new storm water projects across Cook County. Walmart donates a training facility on the South Side to the Chicago Urban League.