The Rundown | Chicago News

WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis spoke with a dozen Chicago theater actors about how they’re getting by, and the bottom line, Davis said, is that the vast majority are struggling on the financial front. He said that holds true whether they are unionized, Equity actors getting work at Chicago’s big name theaters, or if they’re non-Equity actors working in smaller storefront theaters. “This is just not an easy industry to make a living in in general right now for Equity or non-Equity [actors],” Davis said. “They all talked about how hard it was and they acknowledged how hard it was, but they all love it. Like, they’re choosing this.” In this episode of the Rundown podcast, Davis explained the differences between Equity and non-Equity, and shares the voices of Chicago actors, some who say non-Equity is life and others who say non-Equity is exploitation. He also explained the hacks they are using to pay for rent, and how Chicago actors think the scene here compares to cities like New York City and L.A.

A Chicago Police officer was shot and killed over the weekend while heading home after his shift. Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing back at suggestions the CTA needs new leadership. Shoppers should expect demonstrations outside Walgreens stores in the south suburbs.

Illinois could soon be home to its first-ever federally recognized tribal reservation. Front-of-house staff at The Goodman Theater in Chicago voted in favor of joining a union. Chicago’s Kenwood Academy High School took home the Urban Debate National Championship trophy in Evanston.

Imagine dancing your heart out with your bestie like you used to, but still getting home by 10 p.m.That’s the idea behind Earlybirds Club, according to creators (and high school friends) Susie Lee and Laura Baginski. “It’s a dance party for women that starts early and ends early because we all value our sleep,” Baginski said.They’ve only hosted one event so far, in February. They say it sold out almost immediately. Baginski says their next event, scheduled for May 4, has a waiting list in the hundreds.“We were so overwhelmed and surprised at the reaction,” Lee said. “The first one was just like two idiots throwing a party. And then after that, we were like, there clearly is a need for this.”Lee and Baginski came on the Rundown podcast to explain the idea’s origin story, why it struck a chord with so many and what’s coming next.

The Chicago City Council could vote today on spending an extra $70 million for migrant care. Suburban mayors are pushing back against a potential grocery tax cut at the state level. There’s an effort underway to rename Northwestern’s John Evans Alumni Center.

The Cook County Board unanimously approved giving up to $70 million dollars to Chicago to cover food expenses for migrants. A state law that currently prohibits public school closings in Chicago could be extended until 2027. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois is concerned about how law enforcement will handle protesters during the Democratic National Convention.

Helene Achanzar’s job is to introduce students to poetry.She’s the director of programs at the Chicago Poetry Center. That means she manages education programs in Chicago Public Schools, organizing poetry residencies and performances for students of all ages. “Getting to meet an artist, as a student or as a young person, I think, can really change the trajectory of someone’s life,” Achanzar said.In today’s episode, Achanzar explains her path to poetry and her life in and out of Chicago. Because she grew up here, left and returned, Achanzar says the changes in the city are always on her mind, and in her writing. This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.  

Four Chicago lobbyists are escaping serious punishment for improper donations to Mayor Johnson’s campaign. Some Cook County commissioners are concerned about blowback from voters and their communities as they vote to give Chicago money to help migrants. Former Arizona Congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabby Giffords addresses Chicagoans at the City Club.

Four lobbyists avoided serious punishment this week for improperly donating to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign. Chicagoans will soon be allowed to ride electric scooters overnight. The Chicago Bulls could soon be in playoff contention.

Artist Faith Ringgold, who passed away on Saturday at 93, was known for her work in a variety of artforms and for her sometimes jarring political pieces. One of her boldest works depicts the stars of the American flag reading the word “DIE” and the stripes reading the n-word. Titled “Flag For The Moon,” the piece briefly got the artist arrested for flag desecration when she displayed it in 1970.“She felt the American government – what they were communicating to Black people – [was] that they could put a flag on the moon but disregard Black lives back in the United States,” said Jamillah James, who curated a recently-closed exhibit of Ringgold’s artwork at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.In honor of Ringgold’s life and work, listen as host Erin Allen talks with James about the political nature of Ringgold’s art and how it serves as a bridge to the work of young Black artists today. This episode was originally published on Nov. 29, 2023.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal paid Chicago a visit yesterday to fundraise. The Chicago Teachers Union is calling for every school to have a person on hand to help students work through conflicts. University of Illinois students, alumni, and staff traveled to Springfield yesterday to make the case to lawmakers for more money for the school system.

The Illinois House is advancing a measure to prohibit closing selective enrollment Chicago public schools until 2027. For the first time in its 90-year history, the Brookfield Zoo will house koalas. Severe weather could hit parts of the Chicago area tonight.

Arts journalist Makeda Easter had issues with a lot of art-related journalism, so she created her own publication: The Art Rebellion, where she focuses coverage on artists without public relations teams, those working outside of New York and Los Angeles, and those creating activist art.Easter is also vocal about one of her goals: making people understand how essential artists are in our society. “Artists need to be paid more. We need to respect them as workers, not just as people who make pretty things,” Easter said. “They work. Their work is valuable. They should be paid as such.” In this episode, Easter explains how her arts coverage exists in the world of “activist journalism.” She also talks about her ambitious project to document how much money artists are making across the country (spoiler: the struggle is real).

Chicago alderpersons gave initial approval to spending $70 million from city reserves to support migrants. A renowned nun from Texas visited Chicago this week to speak about her work with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wants to make a state compensation program for victims of violent crime more accessible.

The Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases. Activists want the Environmental Protection Agency to require Illinois to address unsafe drinking water conditions in state prisons. Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans.

Later this year, Chicago will choose its first-ever elected Chicago Public School board members.
 
 “Finally the people of Chicago will be able to get somebody on the board who will represent their interests,” said WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. 
 
 In November, the city will elect 10 board members, with 11 more appointed by the mayor. The board currently has seven seats, so it will also triple in size after the coming election.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Karp about the fight for an elected school board, what it takes to get on the ballot and everything else you need to know at this point in the race.

A mass shooting Saturday night in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood killed a 9-year-old girl and left three boys injured – two critically. United States Supreme Court arguments today over a Northwest Indiana mayor’s bribery conviction could have a big legal impact on Chicago. Some Chicago advocates say they are skeptical about the way city officials are spending funds for migrant relief efforts.

Illinois lawmakers are moving to update the state’s biometric privacy law. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke in southwest Chicago today about Black Maternal Health Week. The Chicago Bulls are a step closer to the postseason.

Fatphobia is everywhere, including the office. Anti-fat bias shows up in hiring, salary negotiations, conversations between coworkers and even the chairs we sit in.“I cannot think of any example in the workplace where it would be appropriate to comment on the size of someone’s body,” said Rundown producer Sarah Stark. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Stark about workplace bias and the importance of fat community. To hear more conversations like this, check out the "Bias Against Bodies” series Stark produced for WBEZ’s daily talk show Reset.  This episode was originally published on Feb. 8, 2023.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking City Council to approve $70 million more for migrant spending. A Chicago City Council committee approved penalties for violating a security perimeter for the upcoming DNC. The Chicago Sky are scouting long term talent ahead of next week’s WNBA draft.

A state lawmaker from Chicago wants police to rethink how they conduct traffic stops in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods. An Illinois Senate proposal to ban single-use toiletry containers from state hotels is now moving to the Illinois House.

“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.