The Rundown | Chicago News

“People hate to admit they’re sexist or ageist or racist,” said retired women’s studies professor Esther Rothblum. “But if you ask people about fat oppression, they will tell you they hate fat people.” Rothblum spent much of her career studying anti-fatness, and her research illustrates just how pervasive fatphobia is. Rothblum spoke with WBEZ’s daily talk show Reset as part of a series about anti-fat bias called “Bias Against Bodies,” which was produced by Rundown producer Sarah Stark.In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Stark about the insidious ways anti-fat bias shows up in our daily lives.This episode was originally published on Feb. 6, 2023.

It is unclear from just watching that video whether that officer, officer St. Louis, was shot by fellow police or whether he was shot by Mr. Reed. The Indiana Attorney General is fighting for safer drinking water for hoosiers. The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications is preparing residents to handle extreme weather this summer.

The Gazan Health Ministry reports hundreds of aid workers have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, but many health care workers in Chicago are traveling to the war zone to care for the wounded. Illinois lawmakers are proposing legislation that would build an online hub for caregivers. Chicagoans may soon get to ride electric scooters 24/7.

The last time Patrice Yursik chemically relaxed her hair was 22 years ago. She says she did it for her wedding, but really, it was for her mom.“That was it,” said Yursik, who says her mother started straightening her hair when she was six years old. “I was like, I'm never doing this again.”Research studies released in the last decade have noted links between chemical hair relaxers and various types of cancer. And now thousands of Black women are suing the makers of hair relaxers in federal court in Chicago.WBEZ’s Natalie Moore has been covering these lawsuits. She came on the Rundown podcast with Yursik, who’s the creator of Afrobella.com and a pioneer in writing about the natural hair movement. Yursik, Moore and Rundown host Erin Allen talk about their relationships with hair relaxers, their curious cultural staying power, and what the federal lawsuits may mean for the future of the products.

The attorney representing the family of Dexter Reed Jr., a Chicago man fatally shot by police on the city’s West Side, says police used excessive force during a traffic stop. A new report describes the maximum security prison in Pontiac, Illinois as a disgusting and neglected environment for mentally ill inmates. EXPO Chicago, the Midwest’s largest art fair, opens to the general public on Friday morning.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to video footage released Tuesday of police officers fatally shooting Dexter Reed Jr. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says her office will determine if the use of force in the shooting was beyond what’s allowable under the law. Illinois is doling out millions of dollars in grants to help full service grocery stores open in food deserts.

It’s tax season, and pretty soon, it’ll be audit season. An “audit” is when the IRS investigates whether an individual or corporation accurately reported and paid their taxes. In 2023, a Stanford study found an unsettling discrepancy when it comes to who does – and does not – get an IRS audit.  “Black taxpayers are about three to five times as likely to be audited than everyone else,” said Daniel Ho, one of the study’s authors and the director of Stanford’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab, “which is a pretty disturbing finding.”In this episode, Ho unpacks how his team reached their conclusion and what’s being done to counteract it. This episode was originally published on Mar. 10, 2023.

Chicago Public School principals get their budgets, some Evanston city council members want more information about a potential migrant shelter, and thousands flocked to Adler Planetarium to watch the solar eclipse Monday.

President Joe Biden is expected in Chicago for a reelection fundraiser. Evanston is looking into converting a vacant office building into a shelter for migrants. More than 300 University of Illinois Chicago faculty, students and alumni are sounding the alarm about an effort to rein in campus speech.

“Theater feels spiritual to me,” actor Jon Michael Hill told The Rundown.
 
 You may know him from TV shows including “Detroit 1-8-7” and “Elementary,” but Hill is also a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member. He plays the introverted main character and narrator of “Purpose,” a world premiere from playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins and director Phylicia Rashad—yes, that Phylicia Rashad.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Hill about “Purpose,” developing new characters and bringing the audience into a play.

Hundreds of UIC students and faculty are speaking out, worried about free speech on campus. A website tied to right wing activists publishes data connected to hundreds of voters. Evanston looks to convert an office building into a migrant shelter.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is unveiling new strategies to cut red tape and speed up development in the city, particularly for the construction of affordable housing and development. A state lawmaker from Chicago wants city parks to get more money for programming and upkeep if they host a major music festival. Chicago’s Bureau of Forestry is advising residents that the “mass cicada emergence” will begin later this month and will last until early June.

The WasteShed is an organization that diverts reusable materials – mostly arts and crafts and school supplies – away from landfills and into the hands of schools and anyone else who visits one of their locations in Evanston and Chicago’s Humboldt Park Neighborhood. WasteShed founder Eleanor Ray is something of a trash archeologist. And instead of buying something you need brand new, she encourages patience.“The waste stream provides,” Ray said. “You'll sort of think of something and you'll be like, wow, I could really use this thing and then in, you know, a couple of days or a week or maybe a few weeks, it'll just turn up. And you'll be like, ‘Hey, there's that thing that I wanted.’ And here it is. It's like garbage manifestation. It feels very cosmic when it happens.”Ray and WasteShed director of programs and development Ulisa Blakely visited the Rundown podcast to talk about rethinking waste and their upcoming trash fashion show, Discard Disco, at the Chicago Athletic Association on April 13. 

This week, our parent company, Chicago Public Media, announced significant programming changes and staff layoffs. The Rundown podcast host, Erin Allen, addresses how they will affect the show. You can learn more about the announcement, including its impact on our sister station Vocalo, as well as the Chicago Sun-Times, here. 

It’s still four months away, but law enforcement is already planning for the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. A coalition of Black and Brown leaders joined Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in support of work permits for all immigrants. Two civil rights groups are urging the Chicago Police Department to rethink its use of traffic stops.

Law enforcement agencies gathered at Soldier Field to prepare for any emergency that might arise at this summer’s Democratic National Convention. Roughly one in 10 Cook County Democratic voters appeared to skip voting for a presidential candidate in last month’s Illinois primary. The total solar eclipse is Monday.

If you didn’t get to experience the 2017 solar eclipse, Monday is your chance for a repeat. Between 12:51 p.m. and 3:22 p.m. in Chicago, you’ll be able to watch the moon cross between the sun and the Earth.
 
 You’d have to drive a few hours to witness a total eclipse, but the city will still offer a pretty spectacular view. Geza Gyuk, the Senior Director of Astronomy at the Adler Planetarium, told us Chicago will get 20 times darker than usual at the height of the eclipse at 2:07 p.m.
 
 In this episode, Gyuk talks to host Erin Allen about how to safely experience the wonder of this once-in-a-generation eclipse.

Some members of Illinois’ hospitality industry are rallying against an effort to eliminate the state’s credit for tipped workers. The last of the 200 or so migrants living in Oak Park have been resettled. Yesterday City council members debated a proposed electrification ordinance and misinformation surrounding it.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is moving forward with plans to transform vacant downtown buildings into apartments. More than two dozen Illinois advocacy groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case about homelessness. Chicago Public Media, the not-for-profit parent of WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, announced layoffs today.

Vernard Gilmore remembers the moment he realized he wanted to be a professional dancer. While attending Curie High School in Chicago’s Archer Heights neighborhood, a friend showed him a video of a ballet called “Revelations,” the signature work of visionary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey.“And from that moment I was like: They understand me. That’s where I want to be. That’s where I need to be,” Gilmore said. “So for me, once I saw that I was like, ‘I gotta go to Ailey.’”Gilmore said he has been with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for nearly 30 years, and is the company’s most senior member. Ahead of the company’s return to Chicago on April 17, Gilmore talked with Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about dancing on the South Side throughout his childhood, about Alvin Ailey the man, and about returning to his hometown.The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has six shows at the Auditorium Theater.

As the Democratic National Convention approaches, planners are bringing in local sustainability advisors. Illinois lawmakers are being asked for about $13 million to help start a new early childhood agency. A RUSH doctor shares tips for checking if you’ve received a measles vaccine.

Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä will be the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s next music director. Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough is in the hospital. The Chicago Public Library this month is celebrating poetry during this National Poetry Month.

Stanley Gehrt is a Chicago-based researcher and author who focuses his studies on urban coyotes. His new book “Coyotes Among Us: Secrets of the City's Top Predator” explores over two decades of research on these animals that are living in and around Chicago.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Gehrt about our wild canine neighbors. Plus, we answer the age-old question: Are coyotes actually wily?

A progressive City Council member held onto his leadership post despite backlash for speaking at a protest where an American flag was burned. Some Chicago City Council members are pushing back against Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to pull the plug on ShotSpotter – the gunshot detection system. Eileen O’Neill Burke is doubling-down on the tough-on-crime message that helped her secure the Democratic nomination for Cook County state’s attorney.

The Chicago police and fire committee is advancing legislation that would counteract Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to end the city’s contract for the gunshot detection technology called ShotSpotter. Retired Illinois appellate justice Eileen O’Neill Burke said even though she won the Democratic primary race for Cook County state’s attorney she’s still focused on getting her crime fighting message to areas of Chicago where she didn’t get many votes. Both the White Sox and Cubs are in town today and for the first time, fans can place bets right next door to Wrigley Field at the Draft Kings Sportsbook.

Efren Adkins did not make it to the floor at their middle school dance.“I don’t dance. I don’t dance,” Adkins remembers saying. “I had a real disconnection with my body.”Today, Adkins is both an arts teacher and a part of Chicago’s vibrant and diverse performance art scene. They’ve danced in Mexico, Russia and Japan, and they’re fully planted in the 60608 zip code.In this episode, Adkins explains their evolution in self-expression and their journey to teaching youngsters about art in Chicago schools.This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.  

A City Council Committee will hear arguments today from alderpersons who want ShotSpotter to stay in their wards. A contingent of Chicago City Council members will try to hold a meeting today (mon) to condemn their colleague for speaking at a protest where an American flag was burned. One of the nation's fastest-growing sports is becoming official in Illinois high schools – flag football.

Chicago plans to close five shelters for migrants in the coming weeks. Workers at a Chicago tortilla factory say they’re facing retaliation for trying to organize for better job conditions. Illinois health officials say respiratory viruses are trending down across the state.

We’re approaching wedding season, and getting hitched in Chicago is becoming astronomically expensive. The average Windy City wedding costs about $56,000—the second highest in the country after New York City.
 
 Fortunately for us, freelance writer Olivia Dimmer has looked into why this is happening. 
 
 “Inflation is infecting everyone, and the wedding industry is no different,” Dimmer said. And she thankfully has some suggestions for keeping costs down.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Dimmer about the wedding industry and some creative cost-cutting couples she interviewed.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city wants the public to benefit from any future Bears stadium. Illinois-based Walgreens and CVS are under fire for failing to protect patients’ health data. Today is Good Friday, and Catholics are gathering in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood for a decades-old tradition.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is defending one of his City Council allies. Authorities say a mail carrier was among four people killed when a man went on a stabbing rampage in Rockford. Retired judge Eileen O’Neill Burke regained some ground Wednesday in the still unresolved Democratic primary race for Cook County state’s attorney.

You can find a place to salsa any night of the week in Chicago. Whether you're a beginner or a lifelong dancer, there's something for everyone.But if you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you. Gregory Almonord and Taylor Diem organize spontaneous pop-up salsa and bachata events around Chicago, and they came on the show to talk us through the scene in Chicago.In this episode, guest host Brenda Ruiz talks salsa and bachata with Almonord and Diem.This episode originally aired on May 8, 2023.

Most public universities and community colleges aren’t meeting state goals for contracting with minority-owned and women-owned businesses. A former Illinois governor wants voters to weigh in on public subsidies for the Chicago Bears and White Sox. A look back at four years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.

Two Chicago hospitals are accused of ignoring years of abuse by a Chicago gynecologist. A small faction of City Council is continuing to condemn their colleague for attending a protest where an American flag was burned. A former Illinois governor wants voters to have a say on giving public subsidies to the Chicago Bears and White Sox for new stadiums.

In a world full of dull, muted colors like “Greige,” “Sand,” Khaki” and “Millennial Gray,” The Color Factory offers an alternate experience.“Color is so powerful. I think that that is undeniable,” said The Color Factory CEO Tina Malhotra. “You walk into a restaurant and the color of the restaurant has the ability to shape the way you think about what you're about to eat. It changes your mood. It elicits feelings. And I think that everyone's relationship with color is deeply personal because oftentimes it's connected to their own memories and their own experiences.”The Color Factory is something of a museum, or what Malhotra calls “an immersive art experience.” There are locations in New York and Houston, and the Chicago edition is in the Willis Tower. Rundown podcast host Erin Allen spoke with Malhotra about the multi-sensory experiences you’ll find at The Color Factory, how color and memory are intertwined, and how she and her team tried to make each location reflect the city it’s in, quite the project for a massive cultural center like Chicago. 

Abortion rights groups in Illinois are defending access to an abortion pill. Thousands of Chicago Park District workers are preparing to strike for better wages. Some Cicero residents demanded the town spend more on flooding prevention at a town hall meeting Tuesday.

Chicago Park District workers are ready to strike if the city does not settle their union contract. A pending foreign aid package in the U.S. House has the support of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. Sundance is coming to Chicago.

Camille Bacon and Daria Harper first bonded over their dissatisfaction with the state of art criticism. As writers, they were expected to turn around pieces quickly and for poor pay. They dreamed about a future where they could experiment and create work grounded in Black feminism.
 
 Just over a year later, Bacon and Harper launched the first issue of Jupiter Magazine as co-editors in chief.. For now, it’s a digital publication, but they have dreams of growing it into an institution.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Bacon and Harper about Jupiter and their hopes for the magazine's future.

What it’s like to be pregnant inside some Illinois county jails. A military veteran burned his own American flag outside of Chicago City Hall Friday to protest the killing of at least 32,000 Palestinians. Hundreds of migrants temporarily living in five Chicago Park district facilities will be relocated to other shelters starting this Saturday.

Hundreds of migrants temporarily living in five Chicago Park District facilities will be relocated to other shelters starting this Saturday. A member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board has resigned after she approved the release of a man who allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend and killed her son. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said plans to reduce operations at mail processing centers across Illinois may worsen delivery times.

Eric Williams said the inspiration for Bronzeville Winery hit him during the pandemic. “At Mariano's it became ‘Club Mariano's,’” Williams said. “I mean, it was like music, it was DJs. And so I'm like, if people are getting down in Mariano's in aisle five, this can work permanently.”Now, as they approach the two-year anniversary of their wine bar and restaurant at 44th and Cottage Grove, Williams and co-owner Cecilia Cuff say they hope their success can serve as a beacon for other business owners considering an opening on the South Side.“There are people that generationally want what we offer, but they leave the community to be able to access those things,” Cuff said. “We shouldn't have to go downtown or to the North Side or out of the state to be able to have the same experience.”“What Wicker Park is now, it's not what it was 25 years ago,” Williams said. “For me, what's as important to us as a business is the inspiration that it can have for other people to see that this is possible on Cottage Grove.”Rundown podcast host Erin Allen talked with Cuff and Williams about winning the 2024 Jean Banchet award for best hospitality, the priority they put on serving Black-owned wines, and how they’re investing in the community of Bronzeville.

The FAFSA is still a mess but counselors urge students to try and submit it anyway. Former Chicago Alderman Edward Burke is now a retired lawyer. Two Oak Park teachers won a human and civil rights award for helping an influx of migrant families settle in their school district.

Chicago public health officials say there are now a total of 17 identified measles cases in the city. The Friends of the Parks and the Chicago Bears are discussing the possibility of a new stadium along the lakefront. The Hindu holiday Holi starts Monday, and Chicago-area celebrations for it will start this weekend.

Years ago, Adam L. McMath was nervously debuting a documentary at the Black Alphabet Film Festival, which bills itself as Chicago’s first Black LGBTQ+ film festival. His film was called “Misunderstud,” about 10 masculine lesbians, and he said he and his producers got a standing ovation when the credits rolled. Today, McMath is the executive director at Black Alphabet, and his goal is to uplift the next generation of storytellers.“Now is the time to be a storyteller,” McMath said. “I want to uplift young folks that don’t think they can do it, and let them know that you actually can. It’s hard work, but it’s easier than you think to get into.”In this episode, McMath explains when he first felt the power of film, how Chicago has influenced his work, and why he wants to keep telling the history of Black LGBTQ+ Chicagoans.This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.  

Illinois DCFS is asking for more money to hire more people and better care for vulnerable kids. Chicago Public Schools is changing the way it distributes money to schools to align with Mayor Brandon Johnson's agenda. Some of Chicago’s Brighton Park residents are worried about lingering contamination the city identified last December.

Chicago Public Schools is telling parents to not count on bus service to elementary magnet and selective enrollment schools in the fall. A Cook County judge is letting Chicago police officers who face the most serious misconduct allegations have their cases decided by a third-party arbitrator. Chicago celebrates its first Rick Bayless Day.

Jaz Rodriguez grew up in a family of artists in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. 
 
 “As a Hispanic, stories mean a lot to us,” she said. 
 
 Now, she tells some of those stories through her art.
 
 You may know Rodriguez as JazOnVinyl on Instagram, where she shares colorful drawings inspired by pop culture and Chicago nightlife. When asked to describe her work, she tells people, “I draw what I love, I use all the colors.”
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Rodriguez about community, color and how to find your artistic niche in Chicago.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to continue the fight to prevent homelessness as the Bring Chicago Home referendum appears headed for defeat. The Anti-Defamation League joined other Jewish advocacy organizations in condemning a rise in antisemitism. A new program is paving the way for some Chicago public high schoolers to enter the tech industry.

Yesterday’s primary election in Illinois saw some of the lowest voter turnout in decades. The Chicago City Council approved three police settlements worth more than $50 million. Seventh-grader Nidhi Kulkarni spelled her way to victory in the Chicago Public Schools Spelling Bee Championship on Tuesday.

WBEZ reporter Tessa Weinberg joins us for a Wednesday morning debrief of Tuesday’s Illinois primary election. She explained what we should make of the results in both presidential primaries, races for Congress and the Cook County State’s Attorney, and the Bring Chicago Home referendum, which looks likely headed for a defeat.You can find the latest election results right here.Editor's Note: A previous version of this episode reported the Bring Chicago Home results as 46% no and 54% yes, when the results were 54% no and 46% yes.