The Rundown | Chicago News

Jim Bachor is known for filling Chicago potholes with old world, mosaic tile artwork. But his work doesn’t depict Roman emperors or ancient religious figures. More often it’s a pack of Marlboro cigarettes or a delicious frozen ice cream treat.“I’ve found that my goal in life is to drag the artform of the mosaic kicking and screaming into the 21st century,” Bachor said. Bachor recently opened a new gallery of his work at 1111 W. Lawrence Ave. in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, right across the street from the Aragon Ballroom. He’s offering original mosaics for sale – typically at a cost of hundreds or thousands of dollars – but also cheaper prints, T-shirts, stickers, and – soon – classes.In this episode, Rundown podcast host Erin Allen talks with Bachor about how he got started in this highly tedious artform and why he started putting his work in some of Chicago’s many, many potholes.This episode originally aired on Oct. 25, 2023.

Critics of a mayor-backed plan for a partially elected school board say grassroots candidates will have a hard time running. Proposed legislation in Springfield would ban small, single-use containers for personal care products like soap and shampoo in hotels. A former Democratic Illinois governor is teaming up with a Republican on ethics reform for politicians.

The Illinois Senate has passed a bill to create a partially elected Chicago school board. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago has access once again to patients’ electronic medical records, more than a month into a cybersecurity outage. Early voting is underway for people incarcerated at Cook County Jail.

Soup & Bread is an event at a bar in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood – The Hideout – where anyone who wanders in can get a free meal of soup and bread the first Wednesday of every month during Chicago’s chilly season.Organizer Martha Bayne said it’s not just about showing up and getting some free soup, but to invite people into a “classically third space, where people can come together outside of school or church or work and just share some quality time with each other.”“This is one of the great community events in Chicago,” one attendee told us, “like, period.”The Rundown went to check it out last month – to talk with the organizers, soup chefs and attendees – and to figure out how this event has made such a mark on its community over the last 15 years.Soup & Bread returns to The Hideout on March 6 and April 3 at 6 p.m.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says Democrats will benefit from having Donald Trump on the ballot this year. A former Illinois appellate judge has raised more than twice as much as her Democratic primary opponent in the race to replace Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. A Northwestern University alumna has created a drill to help surgeons operate on skulls.

The Supreme Court is putting an end to an Illinois challenge to knock Donald Trump off the ballot. Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin continues to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The suburbs outpaced Chicago last year in fatal pedestrian and bicycle traffic crashes.

Many of Chicago’s new migrants came to the United States seeking refuge. But once here, they can encounter shelters with dirty living conditions and, at times, staff who make racist comments and sexually harass residents, according to over 200 grievances obtained by WBEZ.“There are still ongoing issues based on the data and my conversations with people,” said WBEZ immigration reporter Adriana Cardona-Maguigad.In this episode, Cardona-Maguigad breaks down her investigation with WBEZ All Things Considered anchor Melba Lara.This episode was produced for broadcast by Lauren Frost.

Reproductive rights advocates are working to make fertility treatment more affordable in Illinois. Expanded early voting is underway today for the March primary election. A state commission released plans for a funding formula for public universities to address years of disinvestment and volatility.

Democratic lawmakers in Illinois are bracing for impact after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered people. Starting Monday, voters in suburban Cook County will have more places to cast votes in the March 19th Illinois Primary. The CDC has new recommendations for those who test positive for COVID-19.

A few months ago, Rundown producer Justin Bull brought you the story of some of Chicago’s feral cats, the people who care for them, and why both are so present among us here in Chicago. In the time since, he heard from a few folks who say it’s not all whiskers and catnip. This month for WBEZ’s Curious City, Justin went a little deeper, talking with more feral cat advocates and detractors, as well as a documentarian who knows how contentious this issue can get.

A Cook County judge is siding with Donald Trump to put her order booting him from the Illinois ballot on hold. Oak Park’s contracts with two migrant shelter locations have ended. Seven more people say they were framed by former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.

The six-figure state pension for the convicted aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is being suspended. A federal judge is postponing the sentencing of four former ComEd lobbyists and executives who were convicted of bribery in a major corruption trial. A Chicago-area economic development organization hosted a town hall to rally support for legislation to advocate for small business owners.

This is the story of Chicago liberation activist Fred Hampton, former chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, who was just 21 years old when he was killed by Chicago police in 1969.
 
 In a special Black History Month collaboration between WBEZ’s Making and Rundown podcasts, hosts Brandon Pope and Erin Allen sit down with original members of the Black Panther Party, attorneys who fought Hampton’s post-assassination lawsuits, and family members who continue to carry on his legacy.

A Cook County judge is ordering Donald Trump off Illinois’ March primary ballot, but with a caveat. Some Indiana parents of transgender children are decrying a ruling by the federal appeals court in Chicago. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker won’t commit to state funding for sports stadiums.

The National Weather Service says it’s likely more than one tornado touched down in the Chicago area last night. The Chicago Bears and White Sox are being told to team up on a proposal for stadium funding. A new album tries to give voice to people living in Palestinian territories.

When we’re coping with multiple global crises at a time, it can feel so easy to lean into hopelessness. 
 
 All too often, hopelessness comes from what author and social psychologist Devon Price calls “systemic shame.” It’s different from the shame you might feel when you do something wrong or hurt someone you love.
 
 “Systemic shame is something that I see as a political force that involves offloading the blame for systemic problems,” Price said. “And telling the individuals most affected by it, ‘This is your fault.’”
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Price about his new book “Unlearning Shame.”

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is demanding a vote on her bill to federally protect access to in vitro fertilization. Court fights are putting the status of a referendum question on Chicago’s March primary ballot in question. The jury trial of the man accused of murdering Chicago police officer Ella French and wounding her partner Carlos Yanez continues today.

The Chicago Board of Elections has decided to appeal a ruling that invalidated the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum question that would ask voters if a tax on the sale of high-end properties should be increased to fund homelessness prevention. Our sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout says the number one question for the Chicago Bears is: what’s next for quarterback Justin Fields? And we hear from a few people in Chicago for their take on this not-so-wintry weather.

Self-taught Chicago artist Teresa Magaña channels her Mexican and Chicana roots to create stunning paintings. Her artwork takes inspiration from Chicago sign painters and the Day of the Dead, and now she says she’s “exploring more of the femme body and imagery.”And as an activist, she hopes to provide space and resources to artists in the Pilsen community and beyond through the Pilsen Arts and Community House, which she co-founded.In this episode, Magaña explains how she came to art late in life, the inspiration she takes from her cultural roots and why she decided to create an art and community center in her lifelong home of Pilsen. This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series. 

Chicago’s elections board will decide whether to appeal a ruling invalidating a referendum question known as Bring Chicago Home. Governor J.B. Pritzker is “reluctant” to use taxpayer money for a new White Sox stadium. Plus, some troubling news about the monarch butterflies that migrate to Chicago each summer.

The man accused of murdering Chicago police officer Ella French goes on trial this week. A Cook County judge is lifting his freeze on Chicago Police Board activity in serious officer-discipline cases. The faculty union at University of Illinois at Chicago has taken a vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Kelley Engelbrecht moved to Chicago in 2020. One day, she and her husband were driving around the city, and an abandoned building caught her eye. Emblazoned on the side of the building were huge block letters spelling out “Mr. Mr. Fungi.”
 
 “We were like ‘What does that even mean?’” she recalled. 
 
 Engelbrecht decided to follow her curiosity about the graffiti tag by reporting on it for Chicago Magazine. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Engelbrecht about graffiti, street artists and legacy.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proposing a new plan to fully fund the state’s pension systems, which have been in significant debt for years. Chicago Public Schools plans to end its contract with the police department this summer, but district officials revealed last week this won’t necessarily save money. Local Ukrainian activists spoke with WBEZ this weekend on the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A Cook County judge ruled that a referendum that would have allowed a tax increase in Chicago to fund homelessness prevention is invalid. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is trying to permanently get rid of the state’s 1% grocery sales tax. Gov. Pritzker also wants to earmark more money for the state’s Department of Children and Family Services: $2.3 billion over the next fiscal year.

Tonika Lewis Johnson calls her latest project – unBlocked Englewood – “a very unusual art project.”It involves beautifying the 6500 block of South Aberdeen Street in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood – though things like murals, gardens, gazebos and landscaping – that’s not the unusual part.“But,” she said, “if we were to just start doing art right away, it would be an insult to people on that block.”Johnson said the homeowners there, like so many other minority Chicagoans on the South Side, are still suffering from racist housing practices of the 20th century that devalued the land in those neighborhoods and prevented many from becoming homeowners in the first place. So Johnson did something a little different, by applying for grants from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events that would combine public art with home repairs. She got them. And the effects have been transformational, according to some of the residents of 65th and Aberdeen. In this episode, Johnson talked with Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about how she’s pulling it off, and why.“We can be as creative as we want when we’re trying to dismantle these systemic injustices,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it.”

Chicago Board of Education votes to tell schools to prepare for no more cops in schools next year. The same board is officially ending private custodial management after years of complaints that schools were filthy. A new initiative in Chicago aims to double youth employment in the city in the next three years.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is asking for a much more modest increase than he did last year to the MAP grant that helps low-income students pay for college. Gov. Pritzker is also under fire from Republicans for his plan that does not raise a popular state tax credit to fully cover the effects of inflation. Metra has unveiled plans to buy zero emission, battery-powered trains.

Last May, the federal government declared the end of the pandemic public health emergency. But COVID-19 is still widely circulating, and Chicago event organizers are taking precautions into their own hands.
 
 Emily Dupree started Clean Air Club after her partner caught COVID while masked at a concert. “If we’re going to meaningfully reduce the disease burden in the country and around the world, we have to target air quality,” she said.
 
 Dupree and some COVID-cautious event organizers see these types of precautions as an issue of accessibility—and we all stand to benefit.
 
 In this episode, Rundown producer Sarah Stark talks to Dupree about COVID-safer events and the case for cleaning the air we breathe.

Governor J.B. Pritzker made education a focal point of the nearly $53 billion state spending plan he laid out yesterday. Dollar Stores in Chicago will be prohibited from opening within a mile of existing locations under an ordinance passed by the City Council. The Chicago Sky are prepping for an active WNBA draft.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled his nearly $53 billion spending plan during his State of the State address in Springfield. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced a major development plan today that relies on borrowing $1.25 billion to pay for affordable housing units and other projects. The Chicago City Council is adding new restrictions to limit the spread of chain dollar stores.

There’s a new sky show at the Adler Planetarium that asks kids and families to explore big questions – like, are there multiple universes? – through the eyes of a little girl from Chicago named Niyah.“This film, in particular, follows her journey as she explores every piece of her being and what it means to be a young girl trying to find her way in the universe,” said Taylor Witten, who co-wrote “Niyah and the Multiverse” with Chicago author and filmmaker Ytasha Womack.Womack said another big theme is Niyah’s journey through her own Black cultural heritage. “We wanted to establish that Niyah, being a young girl, has a cultural relationship, as we all do, to space and time, and to explore that through this lens of afrofuturism,” Womack said.In this episode, Womack and Witten talk with The Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about tackling these ideas.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is delivering his budget address later today, and there’s one line item that Democrats and Republicans are strictly divided on. He also wants to spend more than $20 million dollars next fiscal year to help prevent more pregnant Black women from dying. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is expected to introduce a major development plan today that relies on borrowing more than $1 billion.

Governor JB Pritzker will deliver his budget address tomorrow. The Chicago Board of Education is working on a plan to remove all police assigned to schools by this fall. The Illinois Department of Public Health warns people could still contract respiratory viruses in the coming months.

“My toxic trait is that I’m a ‘what-if’ person,” said Hannah Sellers, one of three co-owners of Lot’sa.
 
 Lot’sa is a new community art space in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, and it has multiple identities: store, gallery, gathering place. Sellers opened Lot’sa with sisters Cheryl and Sarah Hinman. But the three were friends long before they opened a business together.
 
 In this episode, Rundown producer Sarah Stark talks to Sellers about working with friends and fostering an artistic community.

A new Illinois law allows gun owners to keep assault-style weapons if they disclosed them by January 1, but state registration rates are low. Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield today with some potential fireworks over spending on the horizon. The strange, otherworldly sounds of microtonal music will be heard in Chicago at the annual Frequency Festival.

Early voting is expected to resume Wednesday morning in Chicago and Cook County following a brief shut down. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf wants $1 billion of public money to help build a new South Loop stadium for the team. The Chicago area will see highs in the 50s as this year’s average February temperature continues to rise.

Joseph Perez is known to many as Sentrock – the muralist and street artist whose work can be experienced on walls, in illustrations, and as action figures across Chicago and the U.S. You’d probably recognize his signature character, a boy with a red bird mask named the Bird City Saint. In this episode, the artist talks with The Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about his childhood and storytelling that inspire his work – and how it manifested into a three-room exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum. This episode originally aired on Jan. 20, 2023.

The annual U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute conference brought together thousands of high schoolers from around the country. A new research center at the University of Chicago aims to reduce disparities in cancer prevention and treatment. A proposed bill in Springfield could make it easier for people who own products from microwaves to video cameras to get those items fixed.

A Chicago woman who was the victim of a wrongful police raid five years ago is demanding the city enact reforms to prevent others from experiencing what she did. Labor unions are targeting two far-right state lawmakers in southern Illinois by funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars toward their primary opponents. A project to help restore the environment for aquatic plants in part of the Illinois River kicked off this week.

Emily and Tyler Nevius celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in January, but they were too tired to throw a big party. In the past few months, years of hard work have culminated in the opening-slash-reopening of the Ramova Theatre.
 
 The historic movie theater in Bridgeport is now a concert venue, backed by the Neviuses, Chance the Rapper, Jennifer Hudson, Quincy Jones and dozens of other investors.
 
 Rundown podcast producer Justin Bull talks to the Neviuses about the years, tears and beers that went into restoring the Ramova to its former glory.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson isn’t saying whether the city will chip in more money along with the state of Illinois and Cook county to care for migrants. The Illinois comptroller wants the governor to prioritize putting any new, available money towards the state’s rainy-day fund. Incumbent Iris Martinez is facing a tough re-election battle to keep running Cook County’s Circuit Court system.

The Chicago City Council has rejected letting the union for rank-and-file cops bypass the Police Board and contest the most serious discipline in private arbitration. The state of Illinois and Cook County are partnering to spend another $250 million to care for migrants being sent to Chicago. The head of Columbia College Chicago is stepping down July 1.

WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos broke the story in 2021 about a major internal investigation within the Chicago Park District – one where several current and former supervisors in the aquatics department were accused of regularly committing “sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, workplace violence and other criminal acts.”The fallout from the scandal included resignations, apologies, promises, lawsuits and – effective Jan. 1, 2024 – a new state law that makes it easier for survivors of workplace gender violence to sue their employers successfully, according to the law’s sponsors.In this episode, Mihalopoulos talked with The Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about the origins of the initial story and how the new law aims to financially assist survivors and dissuade future offenders.

The Chicago City Council today is scheduled to take its final vote on who should make decisions in serious police discipline cases. A proposal in Springfield would require any law enforcement agencies encrypting their police scanner transmissions to still make their live activity available to the media. Details on where Chicago residents can cast their ballots early for the March 19th primary starting today.

Some of Lurie Children’s Hospital’s communications are back up, two weeks into a cybersecurity issue. Employees at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago are the latest to work toward unionizing. The National Weather Service has called for a hazardous weather outlook overnight across north central and northeastern Illinois.

Sulyiman Stokes grew up in Auburn Gresham on Chicago’s South Side, and he fell in love with music at a young age. His winding artistic journey has taken him to Los Angeles and back to Chicago, and he has stepped in and out of the music industry. Now, he’s carving out a path as a multidisciplinary musician and photographer.In this episode, Stokes talks about using his art to tell Black narratives.This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.

Some Chicago anti-violence activists are worried about a city decision to disconnect a gunshot-detection system. A new proposal before Illinois lawmakers would allow terminally ill people to end their own lives with lethal medication. Both Democratic candidates running for Cook County State’s Attorney are pledging to reduce crime if elected.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he will disconnect the controversial gunshot-detection system called ShotSpotter until later in the year. Flight attendants picketed at O’Hare Airport Tuesday and thousands of ride-share and delivery drivers plan to strike at O’Hare and nine other airports on Wednesday. Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard will return to action next week following a jaw injury.

Tricia Hersey organizes communal naps through the Nap Ministry. Her New York Times bestselling book “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” came out in 2022, and we’re still thinking about it.In this episode, host Erin Allen continues the conversation with Hersey. They talk about rest within the framework of Black liberation—and how resting affects the world around us.This episode originally aired on April 12, 2023.

The longtime chief of staff to ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been sentenced to multiple years in prison. Chicago Public Schools might finally be getting rid of the custodial management company that has long been accused of leaving some schools filthy. After the head of Chicago’s Howard Brown Health centers has stepped down, workers say they hope the new leader will prioritize their union contract.