The Rundown | Chicago News

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.

A new report shows Black and Latino borrowers in the Chicago region continue to receive higher-cost, government-backed mortgage loans more often than other groups. Rural schools in Illinois will get a larger voice next year in state decisions. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is expanding next year.

Jahmal Cole asked a question to the crowd of volunteers assembled in a church parking lot in the Chatham neighborhood on a recent Saturday.
 
 “How come there ain't no holiday lights on the South Side of Chicago?” he said into the microphone. “I've seen it in Edgewater. I've seen it in Greek Town. How come there ain't no holiday lights on the South Side of Chicago?” 
 
 Cole is the founder of the community organization My Block My Hood My City. For six years, they’ve decorated homes on Martin Luther King Drive with holiday lights, ornaments, inflatable Santas and other decorations. In this episode, we join the event – which is called “Be A Part Of The Light” – for the day, asking homeowners and volunteers why they decided to participate, and Cole why he thinks the simple act of putting up holiday lights can transform a community. 
 
 “What we're doing today is not just about putting up lights,” Cole said. “It’s about bringing light to an area that really needs it.”

Chicago alderpersons continue pointing fingers and placing blame over the failed construction of a migrant camp in Brighton Park. Some of Alderman Ray Lopez’s constituents used Posada as a backdrop to protest Chicago’s continued sanctuary status. Jurors get a firsthand look at the FBI raid on former Alderman Ed Burke’s office.

The Chicago Bears are reportedly looking into building a new stadium in the South Lot of Soldier Field. Small business owners in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood are pushing back against a chain store that is eyeing a location on Clark Street. Des Plaines is cracking down on travelers who leave their cars on residential streets when flying out of O'Hare.

When West Garfield Park shows up in the news, it’s often accompanied by a crime statistic. Chicago media tends to fixate on violence in the area, but community members offer a bigger story. 
 
 “If we can get rid of the violence, we’ll have the best community in the world,” says LiFE restaurant owner Joe Black. He is just one of many residents who continue to invest in the neighborhood when others might choose to leave.
 
 In this episode, we hear from Black and record shop owner Marie Henderson on why they’re committed to their West Garfield Park communities.

Another encampment for migrants could go up in the Chicago Morgan Park neighborhood with mixed reactions. A city council panel will take up whether police officers can contest discipline cases behind closed doors. A Muslim-American attorney says a Chicago law firm fired her for speaking up for Palestinian rights.

Political fallout continues from the dispute over a scuttled migrant base camp in Brighton Park. A fire raced through a home in North Lawndale on Chicago's West Side this morning, killing one man and critically injuring his mother. Chicago-based McDonald’s expects to open nearly 10,000 restaurants over the next four years, the fastest period of growth in the company’s history.

Chicago comedian Kenya Elan says she regularly makes her audiences scream.“It’s a lot of release,” Elan said. “I feel like my comedy is based in release, because I feel like once you let it out, you can move forward in some sort of way. You can take the next steps.” Elan is a cast member at The Lincoln Lodge in Logan Square (she’s part of a show Friday, Dec. 8 where the audience guesses each comedian’s zodiac sign). In this episode, she explains her Chicago roots in Hyde Park and Humboldt Park, why she started trying stand-up right before the pandemic, and why her brand of comedy involves poking at her everyday exasperations with the world.This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series. 

A controversial plan to house migrants in a winterized tent in Brighton Park in Chicago’s southwest side will not be moving forward – local residents celebrated. A corporate executive with business in Ed Burke’s ward tells a jury he felt “weird” after a conversation with the former alderman. Chicago State University will be joining a new athletic conference and hopes to start a Division 1 college football team.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office says the state will not move forward to house migrants at a Brighton Park site. Burger King executive Zohaib Dhanani testifies in the federal corruption trial of former Alderman Ed Burke. Illinois kids under 5 will soon be able to receive a monthly book from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

As we gear up for the 2024 presidential election, we often hear this refrain: “Just vote.” But voting is just one way to engage in our democracy.
 
 We wanted to get a sense of how to become more civically engaged on the local level, so we turned to Grace Del Vecchio, the editorial program coordinator for Documenters at City Bureau. They help train Chicagoans to document local government meetings, so they have seen firsthand the countless ways people engage in our city’s democratic process.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen has Del Vecchio break down the importance of civic engagement and how to have your voice heard by local elected officials. This conversation is part of our Democracy Solutions Project.

The state has halted work on the migrant tent city in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood to review environmental testing. A new study says most Chicago Public School students who enroll in college take more than four years to complete. Republicans and Democrats running for office in Illinois next year have finished submitting their nominating petitions.

A spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker said construction of a base camp to shelter migrants in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood is temporarily paused. The C.E.O. of Chicago Public Media, the parent organization of WBEZ, is stepping down. A “clipper” weather system is expected to bring another period of snow to the Chicago region starting this evening.

Naomi Davis grew up in St. Albans, Queens. She recalls it as a walkable neighborhood where neighbors invested back into their community.
 
 Now, Davis helms Blacks In Green, a Chicago organization taking an environmental justice approach to Black community development. That includes BIG’s “Sustainable Square Mile” initiative. They want to help Black neighborhoods become self-sustaining in their local economy and energy grid.
 
 
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Davis about what it would take to see more sustainable neighborhoods in Chicago and beyond.

A study commissioned by the city of Chicago found traces of contamination in the soil of the site selected to house a winterized camp for migrants. The Illinois State Police launched an online portal that lets residents submit anonymous tips about local, county or state officials they suspect of wrongdoing. Leaders of the Muslim Civic Coalition are revealing plans to introduce an act that would honor the legacy of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy who was stabbed to death.

Chicago has finished its fifth month in a row with a drop in murders compared to last year. A consultant's report finds Illinois prisons at Pontiac, Logan County, and Stateville at Joliet are nearly inoperable. Beer enthusiasts from around Chicago descended on Bronzeville last night for the opening of the Turner Haus Brewery's flagship taproom, the only Black-owned brewery taproom currently operating in Chicago.

Octavia Butler loved science fiction as a child, but she never saw any versions of herself depicted in the traditionally white, male genre.“So at about 14 she said, ‘Well, I guess I have to write myself in,’” said Candace Hunter, the creator of a new Butler exhibit at the Hyde Park Art Center. “And she did. And she did it to much applause and much fanfare.” Butler became one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of her generation, winning two Hugo awards, two Nebula awards and a MacArthur Fellowship before her death in 2006. Hunter, who developed the exhibit, is a distinguished artist in her own right. She’s a longtime artist-in-residence at HPAC who creates collages, paintings, installations and performance art to tell stories about the nuance of injustice and human experience. In her new exhibit, “Candace Hunter: The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E. Butler,” Hunter invites people into some of the worlds that Butler created. She explores themes like forced displacement – central to Butler’s “Parable” series – and racial integration – a key element of Butler’s “Xenogenesis” series. “She takes so many heady topics and bends them into science fiction,” Hunter said. “She is giving you truth in palatable ways in which you can then start examining yourself.”Hunter explained how sci-fi both shows us to ourselves and offers possibilities of what we can be. She also gave host Erin Allen a tour of the exhibit, which is open through March 3 at the Hyde Park Art Center.

U.S. Steel is laying off workers at its downstate Granite City, Illinois plant, but there are no such downsizing plans for its steel mill in Gary. Home care and child care workers are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker for increased wages and a pathway to retirement. An AI chatbot is helping local renters address housing issues.

A lawsuit seeks to block Northwestern University from hosting concerts at its stadium. New seating protocols for Chicago City Council meetings spark backlash from good government and civil rights advocates. The Illinois Air National Guard will name its first Black general in the organization's history.

Anna DeShawn grew up in a religious household on the South Side, where she says she “had no connection to queerness.” Once she reached adulthood, she saw a need for more coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. And in 2009, she founded E3 Radio to start telling those stories.
 
 She was ready to be a radio personality. “Black women in radio from Chicago, it's a pretty lit lineup,” DeShawn said. “I didn't grow up thinking that this was something I could not do.” And earlier this year, she was inducted into Chicago’s LGBTQ Hall of Fame. 
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to DeShawn about E3 Radio, the Queer News Podcast and why it’s important for LGBTQ+ people to be the ones telling queer stories.

Jurors heard some of the most infamous secret recordings of former Chicago alderman Ed Burke. A new online tool provides a complete look at kids in each community area in Chicago. Meta officially opens its new data center in DeKalb.

United and American Airlines are asking Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to scale back expansion plans at O'Hare Airport. The Chicago City Council is tightening public access amid a slew of chaotic meetings. Faculty at Second City Chicago may soon go on strike.

One of the most jarring political pieces on display at the new exhibit, “Faith Ringgold: American People,” 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, the curator of the exhibit, which is open through Feb. 25 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.Ringgold is known for a variety of artforms, including quilts, paintings, soft sculptures, autobiographical work and children's books. In this episode, 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. “She’s really a living legend,” said James. “And so influential, you can see the scale of her influence in so many younger artists that are exploring crafting, autobiography, narrative, et cetera in their work, and doing so unapologetically.”

Construction of a Brighton Park base camp for migrants is underway despite an environmental study’s findings not made public. Former Chicago Alderman – turned government mole – Danny Solis’ voice played throughout a federal courtroom as Ed Burke’s trial continues. It’s been unseasonably cold outside the past few days, but climate experts say the Chicago area may be in for a milder winter than average.

Construction may begin on a Brighton Park base camp to shelter migrants as soon as tomorrow. The federal corruption trial of former Alderman Ed Burke continues. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation finds used car dealers across the country are selling vehicles that have unaddressed safety recalls.

Director Andrew Davis has made films set in deserts and at sea. But when he directs movies based in cities, he always tries to bring them to Chicago. “I understood the city,” he said. “And I understood the fabric of how to get something to look tough, or look slick, or look classy.”
 
 Davis grew up in Chicago. You may know him for “The Fugitive,” but he started his career with a different Chicago-based movie.
 
 In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Davis about his career and the 45th anniversary of his first film “Stony Island.”

Causes behind the recent surge of train accidents in Chicago. Incumbents in Illinois’ congressional delegation are facing challenges from within their own parties after campaign season opened yesterday. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is commending Chicago for handling what he calls an “unmanageable” influx of asylum seekers.

Chicago’s controversial plan to build a tent city to shelter migrants in the Brighton Park neighborhood is on hold until a final environmental impact report is done. Just one person has filed to run to replace Kim Foxx as Cook County’s top prosecutor. The Bears take on the Vikings tonight on Monday Night Football following last week’s late collapse against the Detroit Lions.

The village of Oak Park has taken in about 160 migrants that were living in Chicago. A nonprofit in St. Louis wants to resettle hundreds if not thousands more.
 
 “There’s a tremendous need for employees,” said Jerry Schlichter, a civic leader and attorney in St. Louis. “If you look around the country at cities that are growing, it’s primarily from immigrants and children of immigrants. That’s what we’re trying to build here — to increase our population, make a more vibrant St. Louis and a more diverse St. Louis, which is a benefit for everyone.”
 
 In this episode, WBEZ reporter Esther Yoon-Ji Kang explains how and why these two communities are moving to take in hundreds of migrants living in Chicago and how local residents are reacting.