The Rundown | Chicago News

There’s a lot of pride that goes into the historic West African dish jollof rice. It dates back thousands of years and has been compared to jambalaya or paella, but with its own twist. WBEZ audio producer and former chef Cianna Greaves gives us a look into how jollof is made, what it means for her Liberian heritage and the fond memories associated with the spice-filled dish.

Chicago’s mayoral candidates were questioned in a debate last night about legalizing video gaming and their past rhetoric on public safety issues. The CTA tells state lawmakers it’s looking to hire several hundred bus drivers to address the “ghost bus” problem. Illinois small business owners are reacting to the new mandatory paid time off law.

Gov. JB Pritzker signs mandatory paid leave for all employees into law. New research shows one in two community college students who transfer to selective universities come from America’s wealthiest families. An Illinois law eliminating cash bail will be the focus of oral arguments in the Illinois Supreme Court today.

When Illinois passed a law legalizing recreational cannabis in 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker promised a robust social equity program alongside it. More than three years later, the criminal records of hundreds of thousands of low-level drug offenders have been expunged, but the opportunities for them to profit from the new multi-billion dollar industry remain limited. Only a handful of dispensaries are owned and operated by equity applicants. The licensing process is slow, beset by delays that are costing potential dispensary owners lots of money. WBEZ Statehouse Reporter Alex Degman explains why.

Chicago kicked off St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with a green river and South Side parade — also marking three years since health officials declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Police won a lawsuit against the city of Chicago – and they say they’re now owed a lot of overtime pay. Illinois’ new secretary of state says digital IDs could be on the horizon.

A few years back, Dan Ho and his team at Stanford University’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab started thinking of ways to improve the IRS’s auditing process.  They eventually discovered that Black taxpayers were being audited at surprisingly higher rates than their counterparts of other ethnic backgrounds. With this information, Ho is now helping to modernize the audit selection process. To see the full study, visit Stanford University’s webpage.

President Biden’s budget includes a $350 million dollar grant for the Red Line extension south. Chicago mayoral candidates squared off in another heated debate last night. Daylight saving time and St. Patrick’s Day are coming up this weekend.

The two mayoral runoff candidates vowed they’d remain independent from their biggest supporters if elected. Abortion rights activists and the state of California are taking shots at Walgreens. Today is the funeral for slain Chicago police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso.

“The Negro Motorist Green Book” helped Black Americans travel safely to and between thousands of businesses during America’s Jim Crow era. The Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie has a new exhibit focused on its history, including an interactive simulation where you pack  your car and hit the road, making stops based on the Green Book’s recommendations. Arielle Weininger is the Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. She talks about how Chicagoans used the book and why its purpose still resonates for Black people, Jewish people, women and others today.

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will face off today in the first debate before runoff elections. A new report highlights the impacts of soot pollution in Cook County. A proposal to relocate the Annual Taste of Chicago to Navy Pier this summer is causing tension among City Council members.

Chicago's theaters continue to struggle post-pandemic. Endorsements are rolling in for Chicago’s runoff elections for mayor. The president of Northeastern Illinois University has alleged gender and race discrimination by board members.

Beatrice Scescke was born and raised in Chicago but always dreamed of those greener pastures – something she had been drawn to since her visits to Kentucky as a child. Years later, she founded the Chicago Rewilding Society, a non-profit urban nature sanctuary that allows city residents to connect with nature, animals and therapeutic healing. The Society is located in Garfield Park and houses rescued horses, goats, chickens and more. To learn about her story, visit Vocalo’s Chi Sounds Like.

Chicago turns 186 years old. Unionized concession workers at the United Center staged a one-day strike during the Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers game. Experts are analyzing why most Chicagoans stayed home on election day.

J. Ivy is a writer, narrator and poet who recently took home the first Grammy ever awarded in the new category of Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.
 
 “When I’m creating an album, I don’t listen to anybody else,” the multi-hyphenate artist said on The Rundown. “If I found myself sounding like anybody else I switch that up real quick.” 
 
 He came by WBEZ and talked with Erin about the differences between rap and spoken word poetry, his influences and inspirations, and about how he produced the tracks on his Grammy-winning new album “The Poet Who Sat By The Door.”

Former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is throwing his endorsement into the Chicago mayor’s race. A ballot measure passes on Chicago’s South Side that calls on the City Council to address affordable housing near the Obama Center. Illinois launched a website for a newly created commission on reparations.

Chicago’s Police Superintendent David Brown will step down. We hear from one of the newly-elected, and first-ever Chicago police district councilors. Illinois lawmakers are raising concerns over how long it takes to fill job vacancies at the state’s child welfare agency.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid Tuesday night. It’s the first time in 40 years a sitting mayor in Chicago won’t see a second term. Instead, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson have advanced to the runoff election in April. We’ll get you context on the mayoral race, along with the competitive aldermanic contests and the results of the first-ever police district council races.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid Tuesday making her the first elected mayor in 40 years to not win a second term. Former Chicago Public School CEO Paul Vallas will face Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson in Chicago’s mayoral runoff. Drivers should anticipate major delays on the Kennedy starting March 20.

It’s election day, and hundreds of teens are serving as election judges. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case that could impact more than one million student people in Illinois with college debt. Local groups are stepping up to provide shelter for asylum seekers arriving in Chicago.

Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper hosted a music festival in Ghana last month – the Black Star Line Festival, featuring sets from Erykah Badu, T-Pain, Dave Chappelle, Jeremih and more – and WBEZ sent Vocalo morning host Stephen Bekoe to take in the scene. Bekoe tells us about the concert, about his first trip to the continent of Africa, and about the people and experiences he’ll never forget.

The Chicago municipal election is tomorrow, so be sure to get that mail-in ballot returned. Russians in Chicago gathered Saturday to protest their country’s year long invasion of Ukraine. Chicago will soon be able to send mental health workers to more 911 calls.

After a serious life-threatening injury, most people’s first reaction is to call 911 and get to an emergency room. But what happens when those resources aren’t available in your neighborhood? Meet Joe(y), who goes by his first name only. He’s a 22-year-old training coordinator for Ujimaa Medics, or UMedics. It’s a grassroots nonprofit collective of Black individuals around Chicago dedicated to spreading life-saving, emergency first response knowledge to its community for when city first-responders aren’t there to help. He tells us his story through the series “Chi Sounds Like” on our sister station Vocalo.

Exactly one year after Russia invaded Ukraine – there are still many Ukrainian refugees living in Chicago. A federal judge rules in R. Kelly’s case. DJ Spinderella from the music group Salt-N-Pepa has a new role with Chicago’s National Public Housing Museum.

More than 90,000 ComEd customers are without power. Chicago police are urging Jewish and other religious communities to be extra vigilant this weekend during a recently declared “Day of Hate.” A federal judge is set to sentence R. Kelly for his Chicago convictions of child pornography and enticement. The new CPS calendar is out.

As a poet, playwright and performer, Kimberly Dixon-Mays is no stranger to the power of words. Her plays and poetry convey stories of the human experience, specifically people of color and psychic survival, which explores the “definition and defense of self-identity when outside forces are against it.” Hear her story thanks to our sister station, Vocalo, and their series “Chi Sounds Like.”

Documents show there were many more emails sent to city employees from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign than previously thought. Cook County is adding another $25 million to community anti-violence efforts. Illinois craft cannabis entrepreneurs now have more time to get up and running with a deadline extension from the state.

Chicago’s Board of Elections has added new polling places where non-English speaking voters can get language help. But a new report shows that two out of every three polling places in Chicago are not fully compliant with ADA standards. Governor JB Pritzker is poised to sign new paid leave legislation.

Filmmakers and artists Kenny Young, Vernon “Xtreme” Brown and Phil James noticed most TV shows don’t accurately depict the Chicago they knew and loved. So they decided to fix it. Their new show on WEtv, “Kold x Windy,” explores the relationship between two drill star best friends on the South Side. According to Young, “even if you’ve never been to Chicago or the South Side in your life, you can still watch the show and take something away from it.”

Morning episodes of “The Rundown” will hit your feeds around 8 a.m. now. 
 
 The application deadline to vote-by-mail in Chicago’s city election is coming up. There’s a new health center on the city’s South Side focused on ending “period poverty.” A federal judge in Chicago has denied a motion seeking to block the assault weapons ban in the state.

Chicago’s South Side neighborhood is saturated with both Black history and Chicago history. From the city’s first world fair held in Jackson Park to the jazz legends founded at the Sunset Cafe, the area is rich in unparalleled culture. Architecture photographer, writer and critic, Lee Bey talks about covering the South Side through the lens of its built environment. His book Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago's South Side  inspired a new film from WTTW called Building/Blocks: The Architecture of Chicago’s South Side, which you can watch here.

College advocates are hopeful a proposed $100 million increase in MAP grants in Illinois will become reality. Leaders from the Legislative Black and Latino caucuses respond to the governor’s spending plan. Changes to Chicago’s hiring and personnel policies are meant to open doors to more people.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker released his proposed spending plan for next year totaling $49.6 billion, and there’s already pushback. Metra has a new strategic plan addressing the transit agency’s finances and future service. The Chicago Bears have closed a deal to buy the former Arlington Heights racetrack.

The Chicago Mayoral Election is right around the corner and we know how stressful voting can be. To help make this experience hassle-free, WBEZ’s Government and Politics Senior Editor Angela Rozas O’Toole breaks down the ins and outs of this election: the important issues, which candidates you’ll see on your ballot and how to make your most informed decisions on Feb. 28. Take the WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times mayoral candidate quiz here.

On the heels of the Michigan State University shooting, Illinois residents remember victims of the shooting at Northern Illinois University on its 15th anniversary. Chicago Transit Authority and Pace are merging their ride passes next week. Governor J.B. Pritzker will give his budget proposal for the new fiscal year during his State of the State address today.

Maybe you knew they were trouble when they walked in, and you’re looking for a place to shake it off… head to the pop-up Taylor Swift breakup bar. Mayoral candidates sparred in last night’s forum. A plan to move migrants into a vacant Kmart on Chicago’s Southwest Side is getting pushback.

The creators of WBEZ’s new podcast, Shoes Off: A Sexy Asians Podcast, want to put to rest long-running slights against members of the Asian community, who are often ignored, fetishized or made the butt of the joke in America. Erin talks with hosts Susie An and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang and producer Stephanie Kim about the show and why they’re trying to redefine “sexy” on their own terms.

The Bears might not have made it to the Super Bowl, but Chicagoans were still enjoying the game yesterday. Early voting sites in the city’s 50 wards open today. There’s a proposal in Springfield for all EMS workers to wear body cameras.

Wing Yun Schreiber was experimenting with their gender presentation through fashion a few years ago when they realized they couldn’t access the clothing they needed. So they created godscloset, a community closet that provides gender-affirming clothing to trans and gender non-conforming people in Chicago – all for free. Wing Yun shares the birth of godscloset, the meaning behind the name, and what you can expect at the upcoming pop-up fundraiser on Feb. 19 in Humboldt Park.

A vigil in northwest suburban Mount Prospect honors the more than 20,000 people who died in an earthquake in Turkey and Syria. At WBEZ’s mayoral forum two candidates disagree on education issues. The city’s investment portfolio is strong and continues to grow, according to the city treasurer.

A new poll shows Chicagoans don’t feel safe here. Five of Chicago’s mayoral candidates put forward their plans during a WBEZ forum to make Chicago less car-centric. An Anti-Valentine’s Day Party is popping up for young adults and teens at The National Museum of Mexican Art.

Fat phobia is pervasive in most spaces, and the workplace is not immune. In part two of this conversation, Sarah Stark, a freelance producer at WBEZ, recaps the “Bias Against Bodies” series on the daily talk show “Reset”, starting with how anti-fat bias affects employment decisions. Plus, she shares how we can change our language and culture when it comes to people who are fat, and how they themselves are modeling steps to do so.

A new poll shows Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s re-election effort faces stiff headwinds as a majority of voters disapprove of her performance. Academics around the country are celebrating the UIC faculty’s newly ratified contract. Kahleah Copper may be the only Chicago Sky starter left after last season, but she’s ready to lead.

A WBEZ analysis suggests most Chicago voters will skip the upcoming municipal election. Meanwhile, Governor JB Pritzker wants people to pay attention to local elections to help root out what he calls “extreme ideology.” A report from the Chicago inspector general criticizes the city police department for failing to provide enough mental health support for officers.

Whether it's through weight loss campaigns or outright discrimination, fat phobia seems to be one of the last acceptable kinds of bias. Sarah Stark is a freelance producer, and she launched the “Bias Against Bodies” series on WBEZ’s daily talk show, “Reset.” In five episodes, guests cover how pervasive anti-fat bias is in America and the negative mental, physical and financial effects fat phobia causes for children and adults alike. In part one of the conversation, Stark recaps the part of the series about fat phobia’s anti-Black origins and how bias against bodies shows up at the gym and the doctor’s office. Editor's note: A previous version of this episode misattributed a quote in the introduction to Brandie Solovay. The correct speaker was Esther Rothblum.

Early voting is underway in Chicago; find out where to drop off your ballot. Tenants of a South Side apartment complex have been without heat and water for weeks. With Medicaid pandemic protections coming to an end March 31st, more than 300 thousand Illinois residents could lose health insurance.

When you hear the word “gang,” different thoughts may come to mind. But overall, why people join gangs and everything that happens after is complicated. And then there are those former gang members who’ve made it their job to stop the violence that comes with gang life. The host of WBEZ’s Motive podcast, Pat Smith, spent a year with these anti-violence workers, and he talks about making season 5 of the podcast with them at the center.

The U.S. Housing Secretary gives Chicago $60 million dollars to address homelessness. The fungus in “The Last of Us” is among us – housed for research purposes at the Chicago Field Museum, and it’s not really that deadly. The new North Austin Community Center opened yesterday to much fanfare.

It’s Black History Month and cultural institutions all over Chicago are celebrating with innovation, including a Shark Tank contest for Black entrepreneurs in the city. The Chicago City Council approved the Norfolk Southern Railway expansion to the 47th Street rail yard. Declining enrollment at Illinois colleges may be a sign of an upcoming demographic cliff.

Libraries are often considered peaceful spaces, but in reality, they’ve long been battlegrounds for freedom of speech. To ban books or not to ban books? It’s an issue fueled by identity politics and critical questions about who has the authority to limit access to information. WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde talks about what censorship looks like for librarians and library visitors in a push and pull about what should stock the shelves.

Billions of dollars later, construction on the International Terminal at O’Hare is finally complete. Amid staffing shortages in Illinois public schools, the state has a new superintendent of education starting this month. Gov. JB Pritzker announced the end of Illinois’s COVID disaster emergencies, effective this spring.