The Rundown | Chicago News

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for Chicago. A candidate for Cook County’s top prosecutor says his Democratic primary opponent should have recognized problems with an 11-year-old’s murder confession. Some 77-thousand computers bought by Chicago Public Schools were marked lost or stolen, but the inspector general says the problem is the tracking system.

The Chicago area can expect between 2” and 5” of snow by tomorrow afternoon, beginning around 8 p.m. tonight. Chicagoans can now apply for one of the seven seats on the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. Divvy will increase rental prices for most of its fleet of bikes, e-bikes and scooters next month.

Vici Howard is a South Side filmmaker. Upset by the lack of opportunities to show off her work, Howard started her own rotating showcase to give Black and brown femme filmmakers a platform to show their films.“There’s a whole community of filmmakers out there, Black and brown women of color, who need a venue,” she said. “So I’m creating a community and giving that and offering that to them.”In this episode, Howard tells us about Black & Brown Femme Films and how she embraced her love of film later in life.This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.

There’s hardly any ice on Lake Michigan. Less than a fraction of one percent is currently covering the lake – much less than usual at this time of year. Republican Donald Trump is facing questions about not signing a voluntary pledge in Illinois against advocating a government overthrow. The Chicago Bears ended their season Sunday with a 17 to 9 loss against the Green Bay Packers.

The CTA Yellow Line is running again. The man accused in the 2022 north suburban Highland Park mass shooting will not be representing himself after all. Chicago's COVID-19 risk level has risen to "medium" for the first time since last January.

It’s the agency responsible for protecting one of the most vulnerable populations in Illinois: children. And it’s had more than 30 years of issues, from failing many kids who come in contact with the agency, to a federally-mandated consent decree and a revolving door of directors. 
 
 So what’s happening at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services? In this episode, WBEZ’s Alex Degman looks back at the start of the agency’s issues and examines the conditions that led Marc Smith, the longest-serving director in recent memory, to resign last month.
 
 “Leadership was steady, funding was increasing, but the outcomes weren’t there,” Degman said of Smith’s tenure. “And I think that’s what people are gonna remember.” 
 
 We also take a look at the background of the new director, Heidi Mueller, who’s set to start Feb. 1.

Five Illinoisans objected to Trump’s state nominating petitions yesterday and want him off the 2024 presidential ballot. Researchers at the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign say the use of Tylenol during pregnancy can cause language delays in children. An Israeli student is suing the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for alleged discrimination and anti-Semitism.

Former President Donald Trump’s status as a presidential candidate in Illinois is being challenged. Palestinian American families in Chicago share the heartbreaking stories of loved ones in Gaza. Big changes are coming for Metra riders in the next few weeks.

“I think collecting is just a part of the human condition,” said Hussein Hallak, the co-founder and CEO of digital art platform Momentable.
 
 But for many of us, starting a physical art collection can feel inaccessible. We wanted to get some tips from Hallak and Good Things Vending creator Steph Krim about where to start. Of course, because this is The Rundown, it became a conversation about why we collect and how we make meaning out of the everyday.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Krim and Hallak about budgeting, building relationships with artists and how to surround yourself with things you love.

Illinois’ embattled child welfare agency gets a new director next month. Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan made a surprise appearance in his federal corruption case. Illinois will not reach an interim goal of reducing runoff pollution across the state’s waterways.

Illinois' child welfare agency is getting a new permanent director. A federal judge is delaying the corruption trial of longtime former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. The Chicago Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations held a candlelight vigil for 6-year-old Wadea al-Fayoume.

Most Christians celebrated Christmas last month, but this weekend, some others are just getting started. Orthodox Christmas is on Jan. 7, and Chicago has one of the largest Orthodox Christian populations in the U.S. Celebrations are underway this weekend, with delectable holiday food. So we turned to WBEZ producer (and former chef) Cianna Greaves.
 
 In this episode, Greaves tells host Erin Allen about some of the cultural and culinary traditions surrounding Orthodox Christmas, and where to enjoy them.

Cook County prosecutors recently dropped their case against a man accused of beating up a Cook County jail guard. Lawyers representing indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will make their case today for delaying his spring trial. Illinois residents are now able to file lawsuits against those who spread digitally-altered, sexual images of them online.

A downstate Illinois lawmaker is seeking to bar indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan from getting a special statehouse honor. Trauma, including violence or homelessness, rewires the brain. Now, teachers in Illinois will be getting trained in how to help. The FAFSA is open after a long delay, but its availability to students and parents remains spotty.

A 6-year-old refugee from Afghanistan named Mahbuba arrived on the doorstep of a Chicago school in 2021. She was deaf and had no previous exposure to formal sign language. Over the next year, she would learn to communicate for the first time. “Her story reflects the difference that just a few people can make,” writes freelancer Elly Fishman. “Because of the lengths a few Chicagoans have been willing to go, an Afghan girl is finding her voice and a new start.”In this episode, we hear Mahbuba’s amazing journey to language, as written by Elly Fishman and read by WBEZ’s Melba Lara. 

Dry January proponents say those seeking to support sober curious friends should be more intentional about how they choose to spend time with them. The Illinois State Police department has released its first-ever guidebook for how officers should help people experiencing homelessness. The Chicago Board of Education is considering ending the practice of allowing schools to have police officers stationed inside them.

If you haven’t been to any of Hannibal Buress’s recent shows, you probably know him as a stand-up comedian and actor from shows like “Broad City.” But he also happens to be a musician and a rapper. 
 
 Last winter, he dropped a new single called “Knee Brace” under the moniker Eshu Tune. Since then, he’s been doing hybrid stand-up and musical performances on tour. 
 
 During the last week of 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to our most memorable episodes on the subject. In this conversation, Buress can’t help but make some jokes. But he also talks about growing up making music and coming back to it during a global pandemic.

During the last week of 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to our most memorable episodes on the subject. SoloSam is a Chicago rapper, producer, and chef with a cooking show series, a cookbook and B-EATS. It’s a bi-monthly party series that combines good food, good music and community. “If it wasn’t for food I wouldn’t have grown as a music artist, for sure,” he said. In this episode from August, we play some of his songs, learn about his Ghanian-Korean heritage and talk about the connection he finds between food and music. “At the end of the day, it’s just art.”

To round out 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to some of our favorite interviews about the genre.
 
 Next year, the National Public Housing Museum will open in Chicago, and DJ Spinderella is curating the music room. WBEZ hosted an event with the museum back in August, so we took the opportunity to sit down with DJ Spinderella and Chicago-based singer Isaiah Sharkey.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Sharkey and DJ Spinderella about how growing up in public housing influenced their music.

During the last week of 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to our most memorable episodes on the subject. 
 Ye – the artist formerly known as Kanye West — has been stirring up controversy for decades now, for better or for worse. We come back to our conversation with professor and Chicago native Jeffrey McCune Jr., who has written about, researched, and taught classes on Ye. He’s here to add even more nuance to how we think about the many different versions of Ye and his existence in the culture.

Illinois politicians are weighing in on former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke's corruption conviction. Half of the counties in Illinois are reporting elevated numbers of hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Chicago’s animal shelters are at capacity as adoption rates slow.

Richard Hunt’s sculptures are all over the city of Chicago – at McCormick Place, Midway Airport, and too many more locations to list – and they’re all around the country too. With over 160 installations, Hunt is one of the most prolific creators of public art in America. He passed away on Saturday. He was 88 years old. In this episode, his friend and biographer Jon Ott explains why Hunt – born in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood in 1935 – was “one of the most important figures in art history.” “He was using the industrial materials of the time,” Ott said. “Being one of the first artists in the direct metal welding technique that he used to create assemblage art out of discarded bumpers, steel parts, aluminum, copper.”Ott tells us about Hunt’s upbringing on the South Side, his unexpected scholarship to the School of the Art Institute, and how the death of Emmett Till – who lived just two blocks from Hunt’s childhood home – profoundly changed his art. 

Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke is convicted of federal corruption charges. Criminal charges dropped against more than two dozen U of C students who staged a sit in. CPS won’t provide bus transportation to students in elementary magnet and selective enrollment schools this year.

Former Chicago Alderperson Ed Burke has been found guilty of racketeering by a federal jury. Adjunct faculty at Columbia College Chicago have ratified a new contract that brings an end to a seven weeks-long strike. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on August 31, 2024.

Grief – does it have to be sad? How do children grieve? What if you feel awkward talking about loss with a loved one who’s grieving? 
 
 In this episode, we revisit a conversation between host Erin Allen and Julie Weatherhead, a grief counselor and co-founder of Got Grief House. They speak to these questions and more.

A new report details the impact extreme heat has on neighborhoods across Chicago. For Chicago area students who need help paying for college, this application season has been an especially anxious one because the FAFSA may not fully open until December 31. Today is the winter solstice, and Chicagoans will see only about nine hours and eight minutes of daylight.

The death of a boy living in a Chicago migrant shelter is drawing renewed scrutiny to shelter conditions. Healthcare workers and long COVID patients gathered in front of UIC Hospital today to call for stronger protections in healthcare facilities. Since the 1880s, fewer than half of Chicago Christmases have been white – defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground on December 25th – and the chances of a white Christmas this year are slim.

Morgan Elise Johnson considers “The Triibe” – that’s the digital news publication she co-founded in 2017 – as part of the legacy of Black liberatory press. “And sometimes I know that our approach, I'm just going to say, it ruffles some feathers,” Johnson said. “We're very unapologetically Black about it. You know, and we're very much here for Black liberation.’”The latest issue of “The Triibe Guide” is one of the organization’s more recent contributions. It’s essentially the Black and Indigenous Chicago history book you wish you got in school, except it’s a magazine, and it’s gorgeous.In this episode, Johnson talks with host Erin Allen about the importance of putting Chicago’s Black and Indigenous histories in print, the origins of her news outlet, and the stories they’re planning to stay on top of in the coming year.

Conditions inside a migrant shelter in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood could be getting worse. A Democrat running for Cook County state’s attorney once prosecuted a boy for a murder that took place when he was 10 – his confession was later found to be coerced. Chicago area hospitals are seeing an uptick in the number of people hospitalized for respiratory illnesses.

Two women who worked as lifeguards at public beaches have sued the Chicago Park District. Volunteers say migrants in Chicago are scrambling to find housing ahead of a plan to limit how long they can stay in shelters. Planned Parenthood of Illinois is opening a new health center in Carbondale, which becomes its southernmost clinic in the state.

Since the war started between Israel and Hamas, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students on college campuses across the United States have been embroiled in their own conflict. Shouting matches have erupted, and the University of Pennsylvania president stepped down after criticism of her response to antisemitic comments on campus. But, away from the angry shouting matches, a lot of students are grieving.
 
 In this episode, we hear how two students in the Chicago area — one Jewish, one Palestinian — are coping. 
 
 Clarification: The description of this episode has been updated after the original description erroneously said the president of Pennsylvania State University stepped down after being accused of making antisemitic statements.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says Texas’ governor is in part to blame for a 5-year-old migrant child’s death. After six weeks of trial, a federal jury has been sent to deliberate the corruption case against Ed Burke — one of the most powerful aldermen in Chicago history. A strike that disrupted classes at Columbia College Chicago for six weeks may be coming to an end.

A federal jury is now deliberating the federal corruption case against former Chicago Alderperson Ed Burke. The death of a 5-year-old boy who was staying at a migrant shelter in Pilsen is raising questions about conditions inside these facilities. The Columbia College Faculty Union says a tentative agreement has been made with the administration that ends a 49-day strike with adjuncts.

Five years from now, when you think of Chicago in 2023, what might come to mind? Maybe Brandon Johnson’s victory in the mayoral race, the statewide elimination of cash bail or the escalating migrant crisis. Maybe the Northwestern football hazing scandal or the giant snapping turtle affectionately nicknamed Chonkasaurus.
 
 We couldn’t possibly cover it all, so we’re closing out 2023 by looking back on the most memorable moments of the year. In this episode, host Erin Allen and The Rundown newsletter writer Hunter Clauss reflect on the stories that defined Chicago this year.

Migrants are now subject to a 60-day limit on how long they can live in Chicago city shelters, but a WBEZ analysis finds that a majority of migrant shelter stays have been longer than that. Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke’s fate could be in the hands of a federal jury as soon as today. Fewer people are donating toys to the Salvation Army in the Chicago area this holiday season, yet there is greater need this year.

Attorneys for former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke are asking the jury to find him not guilty and send him home for his birthday later this month. A transgender Chicago man has filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer and union, saying they denied him gender-affirming care. Metra will offer discounted rides to anyone who receives assistance through SNAP – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – starting in February.

Where are recently-arrived migrants to Chicago living? And how do they get there?The answer to the first question is churches, police stations, city-run shelters, hotels, apartments, and – still for many – outdoors. The answer to the second question is just as complicated.“A lot of folks are having some success walking around neighborhoods and just looking for for-rent apartment signs, and then they try and go and talk with the landlord there,” said Chicago Sun-Times Reporter Michael Loria. “Sometimes landlords are ok with it. Sometimes they're not.”Rundown host Erin Allen talks with Loria about his recent reporting on where migrants are living and the myriad ways they’re getting there. We also hear from environment reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco about the botched plan to put up shelters in Brighton Park and that community’s reaction to living near a site that state regulators recently deemed toxic.

Gun advocates remain optimistic despite recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to preserve Illinois’ gun ban. A mental health program for migrants in Chicago shelters could be a model for other cities. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced his strategy to reduce crime by using a community-driven approach.

The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving Illinois' Assault Weapons ban in place. The Chicago City Council blocked a resolution for voters to weigh in on the city’s sanctuary city designation. Starting December 31, anyone who works in Cook County can use paid leave at work for any reason.

In 1982, Carlos Tortolero left his teaching career to start a museum. The National Museum of Mexican Art opened its doors in Pilsen five years later, and it has stayed in the same building ever since. The museum champions Mexican artists from both Mexico and the U.S. 
 
 “We represent a culture without borders,” Tortolero said. 
 
 Now, with the museum on solid financial footing, he plans to retire at the end of 2023. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Tortolero about his work, legacy and hopes for the future of the organization.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says nearly all of the city’s police stations are no longer being used to shelter migrants. A Chicago City Council vote maintains Police Board authority over the most severe officer discipline cases – but the city could end up in a risky court fight about it. Closing arguments continue today in the federal corruption trial of former Chicago alderman Ed Burke.

Attorneys are making their closing arguments to the jury in the federal corruption trial of former Chicago alderman Ed Burke. The Chicago City Council voted to delay a plan to expand paid leave for workers. Google revealed its latest renovation plans for the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago, plans that would keep the building’s signature 17-story open atrium.

When there are so many things going wrong in the world, figuring out where and how to contribute can be overwhelming and paralyzing. Author Omkari Williams suggests thinking small. “I care about a lot of things, but I don’t care about everything,” Williams said on The Rundown. “But that’s perfect, because I don't need everything to be my thing. I need people to care about things that are not important to me so we can fix all the things.”Williams is the author of “Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World without a Bullhorn.” She talked with host Erin Allen about how to find the small, manageable ways you can do the good work, why the notion of “go big or go home” is a great way to maintain the status quo, and why engaging respectfully with people you disagree with is its own form of activism. 

Chicago’s City Council today is taking up whether to allow police officers to challenge their most serious discipline cases behind closed doors. A new headquarters and $10 million for a Chicago innovation center focused on clean energy research. Former Chicago Alderman Danny Solis told a federal jury yesterday he secretly recorded his old colleague for the feds in order to “save” himself.

Former alderperson Danny Solis took the witness stand today in Ed Burke's federal corruption trial. The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on last month's crash of a CTA Yellow Line into a piece of snow removal equipment. A proposal to bring rail service between Chicago and downstate Peoria has taken another step forward.

Berlin nightclub in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood closed permanently in November after four decades in business, amid stalled negotiations between the bar’s owners and its unionizing employees. In asking some of the people who worked there, danced there and made memories there, it’s obvious that Berlin was more than just a bar.  “It felt like a secret almost,” said All The Way Kay, who DJed at Berlin for over 15 years. “It felt like something that you wanted to hold very, very close to you because spaces like that really don't exist.”We talked with Kay, queer historian Owen Keehnen, DJ Greg Haus and several listeners who called to tell us what Berlin meant to them and what they hope for the future. 

Chicago City Council members have advanced an $8.75 million settlement in a police shooting case. People being released from the Cook County jail will be able to get a key resource on their way out the door - a free state ID. Federal prosecutors have all but rested their case against former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke.

The man allegedly responsible for the mass shooting in north suburban Highland Park in 2022 will defend himself in his upcoming trial. Chicago officials say there are no immediate plans to build a migrant encampment on a vacant lot in Morgan Park. Illinois State Police increasingly use “clear and present danger” reports to prevent people who may be a threat from having or getting firearms.

Elly Fishman has reported several stories related to Chicago’s migrant crisis. Recently, she went looking for a project that brought hope and joy into the conversation. She immediately thought of Sullivan High School.
 
 Fishman is a freelance writer and the author of “Refugee High: Coming of Age in America,” which chronicles the 2017-18 school year at Sullivan, a high school in Rogers Park. It’s a unique environment, largely because its student body represents more than 40 countries.
 
 “What brings everybody together is that everybody is a refugee in some way,” says Josh Zepeda, an English Language Learning social worker at Sullivan. “Everybody is fleeing something, whether it's the violence in their countries to violence in their communities.” 
 
 This fall, Zepeda helped three Venezuelan students start a band for the school’s annual Latinx Heritage assembly. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Fishman and Zepeda about how Sullivan is welcoming migrant students.

A Chicago cop with a controversial history in the line of duty is running to become a Cook County judge. Rural schools in Illinois will get a larger voice in state decisions starting next year through the Rural Education Advisory Council. An Illinois Congressman is seeking to revive the legacy of America’s first Black sports hero.