The Rundown | Chicago News

The head of Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability is re-upping her push to strip the police powers of four officers involved in the recent fatal shooting of Dexter Reed. The north suburban man accused of gunning down seven people at the Highland Park 4th of July parade nearly two years ago made a brief appearance in court.

With climate change accelerating and overconsumption booming, it can feel like we have no agency over our impact on the planet. But artists who work with upcycled and reclaimed materials want to challenge that narrative.
 
 “We’re the band playing as the Titanic goes down,” said Nowhere Collective founder Katy Osborn. Through the Nowhere Collective, she runs a series of Trashy Markets, which are exactly what they sound like: markets for makers who work primarily with trash.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Osborn about upcycling, connecting consumers with sustainable goods and ways she finds hope.

Illinois lawmakers passed a state budget early this morning. They also voted to eliminate the statewide grocery tax… while opening the door to new local taxes. Some magnet and selective enrollment Chicago Public Schools are losing positions in next year's budget, but they are not the only ones.

Illinois lawmakers approved a resolution calling on President Joe Biden to allow longtime undocumented immigrants in Illinois to work and live in the U.S legally. Chicago officials are releasing new renderings of a satellite concourse under construction at O’Hare Airport. The Chicago Sky try to bounce back tonight from a disappointing loss in Saturday’s home opener.

“The Ball Game” was an ancient, Mesoamerican sport and spiritual ritual that has fascinated archeologists for centuries. The National Museum of Mexican Art currently has on display a stone-carved statue of a female ballplayer – complete with knee pads, a headdress, and holding a severed head – as part of an exhibit that is reimagining the role women played in the ancient Huasteca civilization. WBEZ art and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers recently covered the exhibit for WBEZ and spoke to The Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about how expectations are shifting and where this female ballplayer statue fits in. The exhibit, titled “Ancient Huasteca Women: Goddesses, Warriors and Governors,” is on display through July 21 at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.

The Illinois House returns to Springfield to finish up their work for the spring legislative session. Cook County is offering nearly $4 million dollars in grants to cannabis businesses. Mexico is holding a historic presidential election next Sunday and many Mexicans living in Chicago are getting ready to cast their vote.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and more than two dozen Chicago Police officers crossed into Indiana to support the son of a fallen officer. Cicadas have been emerging throughout the suburbs, but their characteristic buzzing is notably absent in Chicago. There are now three Great Lakes Piping Plovers staking a claim on Chicago’s Montrose Beach.

Lauren Viera’s city guide to Chicago doesn’t read like a typical guidebook – no 72-hour itineraries or explanatory advice on how to ride the CTA. “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Chicago,” which was published last fall, is mostly just lists of unique places. Five dance clubs, five farmers markets, five nature outings, five small museums, five high-end cocktail bars, five city myths – totalling up to 500. “I'm not a fiction writer,” Viera said. “I'm very bad at making stuff up. So this is really just in my mind reporting times 500.” In this episode, Viera explains her favorite “hidden secrets,” how she chose the places she chose to include and how writing this book changed the way she thinks about Chicago.This episode was originally published on Nov. 22, 2023.

Northwestern faculty react to a congressional committee's depiction of pro-Palestinian student protestors as an "antisemitic mob." Chicago Public Schools wants input on school safety plans that don’t include police officers. The Illinois Senate passes a pair of healthcare reform measures pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools will hold open bargaining sessions this summer. Alderpeople have approved an ordinance that would ban any new late-night bars from opening in parts of Chicago's Logan Square, Wicker Park, and West Town neighborhoods. Reports of rare, blue-eyed cicadas are popping up in the Chicago area.

Every so often on The Rundown podcast we bring you episodes of Chi Sounds Like, a series that gives you an intimate, firsthand look into the lives of artists, activists and other off-the-beaten-path Chicagoans.Today, we hear from photographer Ken Cook Jr., who left Chicago’s West Side, realized how leaving contributed to larger cycles of community neglect, and has since returned. “When people get a little success or make a little money, they move from the West Side,” Cook said, “leaving future generations to not have someone that looks like them that’s successful … living here and making a life here.”We also hear from Chi Sounds Like producer Ari Mejia, who explains how she finds artists and activists like Cook, and how she creates such vulnerable conversations. She also tells us why people feel so moved when she asks them to introduce themselves before saying “...and this is what Chicago sounds like.”

Northwestern’s president will appear before Congress this morning to defend the agreement he made with pro-Palestinian student organizers. The Chicago city council issues a rebuke to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s power over the gunshot detection technology known as Shotspotter. After-school programs at more than 100 Chicago public schools are at risk.

Officials are expanding a federal consent decree that requires the Chicago Police Department to change the way officers are trained, supervised, and disciplined. Two Chicago City Council members have delayed an ordinance to create a noise sensitive zone around a downtown abortion clinic. Another Great Lakes Piping Plover has landed at Montrose beach.

Latham Zearfoss is a Chicago artist and a cultural liaison at the Chicago Park District, where he helps build out cultural programming across the city. Today, he explains his dynamic journey to this work as a part of Vocalo’s Chi Sounds Like series. 

A WBEZ analysis finds Mayor Brandon Johnson’s cabinet doesn’t look that much different from his predecessor’s. We’ll hear more about FEMA’s second annual extreme heat summit hosted downtown this week. Illinois lawmakers approve changes to the state’s child labor laws.

Some employees at the Illinois capitol are turning up the heat as they try to unionize. Columbia College Chicago said it will announce staff layoffs by June 1st. It’s been 100 years since the murder of Bobby Franks by two University of Chicago students, a crime that inspired the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Rope.”

Instead of junk food and pop, a Good Things Vending machine offers local art, throwback trading cards, games and dozens of other items you won’t find in a typical vending machine. There are a handful of them around Chicago, and the creator of the business says the goal is to spark joy and promote the city’s arts community. Steph Krim talks with Erin Allen about how she came up with the idea, her favorite items and where you can find a machine near you. This episode was originally published on Oct. 17, 2023.

The Illinois House approved a measure to let people have a driver’s license or state ID on their phone. Thirteen officers from across Illinois received the state’s Law Enforcement Medal of Honor yesterday. The University of Chicago Crime Lab is welcoming anti-violence leaders from across the country to help them be more effective in their roles.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is reopening its Peoria Health Center Monday after a January 2023 firebombing forced the facility to close. The Chicago office in charge of independently analyzing the mayor’s budget proposal each year is understaffed, according to its new leader. Weather forecasts for both Monday and Tuesday call for a chance of severe weather.

Dont Fret is a Chicago-born cartoonist, muralist and self-published author who loves his city. He’s anonymous in part because he spent his childhood tagging walls across Chicago, “You’re a Chicagoan,” he writes in his book, “This Is No Quiet City.” “Your eyes and heart are wide open, and that is pure, raw, messy, true, and terrifying.” In this episode, Dont Fret explains how he got into graffiti growing up in Wicker Park, why he self-published his book, and why Chicago is a city that punches back. “We are a tough, tough people,” he said to host Erin Allen, “and I think that comes from the stockyards. It comes from inclusion and immigration, diversity and eclect-icity.” Dont Fret has a book-signing event at the MCA on June 11. You can find more of his work on his Instagram. This episode was originally published on Aug. 9, 2023.

A corridor of Clark Street in River North will no longer be closed for pedestrians this summer. A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum offers a glimpse into the Kindertransport program that saved the lives of thousands of children in the 1930s. Loyola Medicine has launched a program this spring for treating women athletes in the Chicago area.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. is calling on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 presidential election results following a New York Times report that an upside-down American flag was seen at the conservative justice’s house in January 2021. A coalition of interfaith leaders will gather at the Chicago Temple downtown Sunday to honor a Palestinian-American boy who was fatally stabbed in suburban Plainfield last year. Credit monitoring agencies wouldn’t have access to some medical debt information under a bill Illinois lawmakers just approved.

What’s going on at the CTA? Sluggish ridership is a main reason that Chicago area transit agencies including the CTA are facing a $730 million budget shortfall, according to a recent WBEZ analysis of transit data.So why aren’t riders riding? And what do they think of the CTA these days?We hear from a few riders mid-commute at a pair of downtown CTA train stations, some of whom complained about reliability, safety, and cleanliness, as well as others who think things are fine. Then we hear from Sarah Freishtat, a business reporter covering transportation for the Chicago Tribune, who explains what CTA leadership has done so far and what else they have planned to counteract their troubles.

The Palestinian solidarity encampment at DePaul University was cleared by police yesterday, but faculty and student organizers say it’s not the end of their activism. Seven journalists with the Chicago Tribune have filed a class-action lawsuit against the newspaper and its owner. Illinois’ rules against hazing could get a little stronger.

The Chicago Transit Authority said more people are taking train and bus rides after nearly 20 Chicago city council members have signed onto an ordinance calling for CTA President Dorval Carter to resign. A rare statue on view at the National Museum of Mexican Art is generating a lot of buzz among archeologists. The Chicago Bears 2024 schedule has dropped.

For many, getting around Chicago is pretty easy. It’s one of the few American cities that’s invested in public transit, cycling and walkability infrastructure. But, for people with a disability that inhibits their mobility, it’s just not as easy to get around. Accessibility researcher Yochai Eisenberg co-authored a study in 2022 with the Great Lakes ADA Center and UIC’s Institute on Disability and Human Development that found that communities had higher accessibility scores if they also had an ADA-transition plan, also known as a “barrier removal plan.” We talk with him about how accessible Chicago-area communities are, the various barriers to accessibility many encounter, and what citizens can do to improve conditions in their area.  This episode was originally published on Nov. 28, 2022.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez is trying to convince lawmakers in Springfield that his school district desperately needs more money. Cook County wants to help some suburban residents who are struggling to pay their water bills. The Chicago Sky lost its season opener to the Dallas Wings.

Activists and elected officials are criticizing the Chicago Police Department for declining to punish cops with ties to anti-government extremism. High school juniors in Illinois public schools will take the ACT college admissions exam starting next spring instead of the SAT. Wednesday marks Brandon Johnson's one-year anniversary as Chicago mayor.

We can’t let National Transportation Week pass without revisiting our conversation with Lee Crooks. He’s basically a local celebrity, with a highly-recognizable voice. He’s been announcing stops on the CTA for 25 years.“It does become something of a legacy,” Crooks said.In this episode, he talks to host Erin Allen about trains, legacy and Midwest accents. And yes, we have him do the voice.This episode was originally published on Oct. 18, 2023.

Planned Parenthood wants to stop requiring patients to see a doctor for abortion access. The Chicago ethics board wants strict penalties for lobbyists who improperly donate to a mayoral campaign. Illinois families living under the federal poverty line can get extra help feeding their kids during summer vacation.

More changes are coming to this year’s Pride Parade. Illinois Republicans are glad the state is getting sued over a new law that changes how candidates are selected for elections. Chicagoans are torn over the issue of school choice.

Daniel Knowles lives in Chicago, where he rides his bike almost everywhere and the transit system almost everywhere else. Originally from the United Kingdom, Knowles has traveled the world as a reporter, so he’s seen how people across the globe get around town. His main takeaway: We need to lower our reliance on cars.“Thanks to the car, our cities are uglier and more dangerous,” Knowles writes in his book, “Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse, and What to Do About It.” “Car manufacturers want us to believe driving is freedom, but in fact we are trapping ourselves in an enormous prison made up of moving metal cells.”From automobiles’ well-publicized drawbacks — car-related deaths and climate impact — to housing insecurity and racial inequities, Knowles says driving may be taking more from us than it gives. In this episode, we sit down with Knowles to discuss the history of the car, the large and small ways they impact us, and the options we have for a reprieve.This episode was originally published on June 12, 2023.

A new poll shows that most Chicagoans think students in the city’s public schools are not learning enough. Governor J-B Pritzker’s office is celebrating – millions of Illinoisans are still enrolled in Medicaid. A proposed bill would transfer a state park to Illinois’s only federally recognized tribal nation.

Nearly 20 Chicago city council members have signed onto an ordinance calling for CTA President Dorval Carter to resign. Governor J.B. Pritzker continues to distance himself from budget strategies of the past that he says made Illinois a “credit-unworthy state.” Three beloved great horned owls living in Lincoln Park have died in the span of a month.

May 12 through May 18 is National Transportation Week, so we’re revisiting our favorite transit and infrastructure conversations—and sparking some new ones. When WBEZ’s Roy Howard fellow Jessica Alvarado Gamez moved to Chicago last year, she drove around to get her bearings. She couldn’t help noticing how close she came to cyclists. “I can easily go into the painted bike lanes,” she said. Some Chicago cyclists have observed the same problem, resulting in the refrain, “paint is not protection.” Thankfully for us, Alvarado Gamez dug into city data to understand why cycling in Chicago is so dangerous and what cyclists want done.In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Alvarado Gamez about the path toward safer biking infrastructure.This episode was originally published on Nov. 17, 2023.

A complaint tracking system could help the Chicago Police Department prevent officer misconduct, researchers say. Illinois lawmakers are running out of time to consider a measure to let people end their own lives with medication. A group of activists host a Mother’s Day celebration for incarcerated caregivers outside of Cook County Jail.

A Lake County judge is ordering the owner of Republican-favoring websites to remove sensitive information about Illinois voters from its platforms. A WBEZ analysis found that CTA service levels have actually declined since 2021 whereas other transit agencies in large cities increased their service during that period. It’s possible the Northern Lights will be visible in the Chicago area Friday night.

Marques “Merk” Elliston and Cher’Don Reynolds have been friends for decades. They met as kids living in the Cabrini-Green Homes, a former public housing project Near North Side.
 
 But as adults, they can’t return to their childhood landmarks: Cabrini-Green was demolished over the course of the early-2000s, displacing several thousand residents. This reality hit Reynolds recently when she and Elliston went for a drive.
 
 “I was passing the building that I was raised in, the building that he was raised in,” she said. “Everything was gone.”
 
 Now, Elliston and Reynolds want to restore a church in the area and establish a creative hub.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Elliston and Reynolds about Cabrini-Green’s legacy and their dreams for Cabrini Art House.

Ridership recovery at the CTA lags behind other major cities. Student organizers are speaking out about their frustration with the University of Chicago’s decision to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment. The University of Chicago Divinity School and Baptist Theological Union are hosting a panel on the Black Church in Chicago tonight.

Illinois families are once again in Springfield pushing the state legislature to pass a permanent child tax credit this spring. Hospital system Ascension has detected a cybersecurity incident, and Crain's is reporting the issue is disrupting Ascension’s clinical operations. A 21-year-old from south suburban Mokena is one of fewer than 50 competitors at the Professional Bull Riders world finals in Texas this weekend.

Chicago artist Robert Earl Paige has 60 years worth of his art on display right now at the Hyde Park Art Center. He sat down with Rundown podcast host Erin Allen to talk about his childhood on the South Side in the 1930s and 40s, his early design work in both Chicago and Milan, Italy, why he’s dabbled in creating art on top of everything from T-shirts to rocks, and his key piece of advice for the next generation of artists.“The marketplace is very fickle,” Paige said on the Rundown podcast. “The stuff that you love, they hate. The stuff they hate, you love. It's a mad thing. So my idea and what I tell most artists: Just do the damn thing. Get it out there.”“The United Colors of Robert Earl Paige” is on display at the Hyde Park Art Center through October 27, 2024. 

Chicago residents and City Council members grilled Chicago Housing Authority leadership over a long list of issues. Mayor Brandon Johnson stands behind his pick for the Regional Transportation Authority’s board after a contentious committee hearing. Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul is suing an online publisher for posting sensitive personal information about Illinois voters.

The Illinois agency that oversees licensing is still struggling to fix technology problems. In light of a recent lawsuit, a state lawmaker is calling for comprehensive changes to the state department of juvenile justice.

Journalists often avoid including themselves in the stories they tell. But when Arionne Nettles sat down to write a book about Black Chicago, she knew she had to include some of her story.
 
 “I am a byproduct of the culture that I’m talking about,” Nettles said. 
 
 Her book is called “We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything.” And when she says “everything,” she means it: The book chronicles Black Chicagoans’ impact on dance, music, fashion, hair and even journalism itself.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Nettles about the book, her own story and why Black Chicagoans are limitless.

Purdue University is being sued in federal court for something passed by Indiana lawmakers. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched the “Get Real” Campaign this week to urge residents to get their Real I-D card ahead of next year’s deadline. A WBEZ analysis shows that speed camera violations in Chicago skyrocketed after the city lowered the speeding threshold three years ago.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has changed course on his proposal to relocate migrants from a downtown shelter to one on the city’s South Side. Before dawn on Tuesday, campus police at the University of Chicago raided and cleared the Gaza solidarity encampment protesters had been occupying for the past week. A new report rips Chicago and Illinois officials for apparent indifference over the impending shutdown of the West Loop Greyhound bus station.

When she read the script for the play “Jump,” actor Jazzma Pryor said the themes of grief and family drama spoke to her.“[They’re] topics that everybody can relate to, will go through, have seen,” Pryor said.“Us looking at grief in a really open way in a Black family in Chicago, I just feel is a really necessary conversation to have,” said AmBer Montgomery, who directs the production for the Shattered Globe Theatre Company. “I think there's something about grief in Black communities here, and just talking about it and looking at it and seeing the different colors of it and even in the different stages of life. To make people feel a little bit less alone in that experience in the city felt really exciting for me.”In this episode, Rundown podcast host Erin Allen talks with Pryor and Montgomery about how “Jump” brings forth everything that comes with grief: the shock, the family drama, the unexpected moments of laughter, and the continuation of everyday life.Performances of “Jump” are running through June 1 at Theater Wit in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.

Construction has officially begun at downtown Chicago’s James R. Thompson Center, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health gives out 100,000 gun locks, and more suburban homeowners are doing “No Mow May.”

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said he does not support using federal cash for a new Chicago Bears stadium. The Chicago Reader plans to return to a weekly print edition next month. The Field Museum has unveiled its Archaeopteryx, a pigeon-sized fossil that could have lived about 150-million years ago.

In Chicago, it can feel impossible to find housing you can afford and actually want to live in. Some Chicagoans have found an answer in cooperative housing.
 
 “It’s a model that can lend itself sometimes to a lower cost of living and then also a sense of community,” said freelance writer Olivia Dimmer, who has been reporting on co-ops for the Chicago Sun-Times. In co-op living, residents own a share in a house or building, and often share household responsibilities.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Dimmer about the pros of co-op housing and what to consider before you commit.