The Rundown | Chicago News

There are over 100 crisis pregnancy centers in Illinois, and they’re usually nonprofit, Christian-based facilities. Some lawmakers say many of the centers use deceptive tactics to steer patients away from abortion care. WBEZ statehouse reporter Mawa Iqbal looked into this. She talks about what crisis pregnancy centers are supposed to do versus what they actually do, plus new legislation that would hold them more accountable.

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson were criss-crossing Chicago on Sunday as part of a final push to get in front of voters ahead of Tuesday’s election. Parts of Illinois are cleaning up after tornadoes and other extreme weather caused damage, deaths and injuries. Members of Chicago’s transgender community were celebrating International Trans Day of Visibility at a time when many are feeling growing hostility.

Ennis Martin is a Chicago-based illustrator and painter known for paintings of big whales with big feet. He’s also an afrofuturism and science fiction fanatic. As part of the “Chi Sounds Like” series from our sister station Vocalo, Martin explains his path from the b-boy and hip-hop community to graffiti and eventually to sci-fi art. He says his sci-fi paintings aim to make sense of being human.

Chicago’s mayoral candidates had some things to say about Donald Trump’s indictment. Chicago Public Schools is hoping its expensive universal curriculum is helping students overcome pandemic learning loss. Climate change is impacting allergy seasons here in Chicago.

Illinois gun owners and advocates rallied in Springfield against recent gun control legislation. A proposal extending child labor law protections to young vloggers on social media unanimously passed the Illinois Senate. Today is the deadline to get your vote-by-mail applications in for the April 4 runoff.

Chicagoans have a choice to make on April 4 about who they want to run the city. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson have been called “polar opposites,” but who are they, really? Erin talks to WBEZ city politics and government reporters Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg about their backstories: what shapes them, trips them up and redeems them.

A former Chicago Public Schools principal reacts to the latest school shooting in Nashville. A CTA worker has been charged with felony aggravated battery after allegedly attacking a 54 year old man on a downtown train platform. A new poll shows Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas are neck in neck going into the runoff election.

Chicago’s two mayoral candidates are trying to set the record straight ahead of the runoff. A measure passed by the Illinois Senate would require state agencies to create plans to limit their use of plastic foodware. Advocates were out in earnest yesterday protesting proposed rate hikes by People’s Gas.

CCH Pounder isn’t just an Emmy nominated actress, known for her roles in Avatar, The X Files, ER, or on The Shield as Detective Claudette Wyms. She’s also a renowned art collector, and some of her pieces were recently installed at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. The installation, “Diaspora Stories,” is focused on artwork from across the African diaspora. She talks to Erin about helping to curate the installation, which is open through July 16, and the lines that permeate her art performance and art collecting.

Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is among those advocating for changes at TikTok. A proposal in Springfield would add gender neutral language to a law requiring insurance companies to offer pap smear and prostate exam coverage. The Illinois Secretary of State awards $21 million to police task forces to investigate carjackings.

Chicago is known for its improv, but it’s not often you see an all-Black ensemble performing. Adonis Holmes and Arlieta Hall are co-writers and ensemble members of the Second City show, “Dance Like There Are Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Review.” They talk to Erin about how their past lives influence the work they do now, dancing on stage and performing while Black.

Chicago just saw its fourth warmest winter in 70 years. A measure that would end the use of food containers made of polystyrene foam is headed to the Illinois Senate. The Illinois House has passed a measure that would require full-day kindergarten in all Illinois schools by 2027.

A Chicago Muslim community group is welcoming people of all faiths to study a text known as “The Treatise on Rights” during Ramadan, which began last night. A new study from the University of Chicago found better sleep can improve the body’s response to a variety of common vaccines. Little Village Discount Mall vendors have filed a lawsuit to prevent imminent eviction.

If you ride the CTA, you probably noticed the system has a crisis on its hands. More and more, the city’s unhoused population is using trains and buses as a last resort to find a place to stay. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko explains the cause: a serious shortage in shelter beds combined with a pandemic-related increase in homelessness. Savchenko tells us about the roots of the crisis, what the city’s doing to intervene, and she talks about the social service agencies working to help the unhoused.

Thousands of abortion rights opponents traveled to Springfield Tuesday to rally against legislation aimed at crisis pregnancy centers suspected of misleading patients from getting an abortion. And in Chicago, a group of seniors rallied downtown to protest banks investing in fossil fuels. On the heels of a WBEZ investigation, Illinois lawmakers are considering looking into a state program for low-income kids in mental health distress known as SASS.

A new report says Illinois needs about 300,000 additional rental homes for people living in poverty. More summer festival line-ups are being announced this week. Legalized recreational cannabis sales in Missouri are surpassing – and maybe cutting into – the Illinois market.

If you voted in the February 28 election, you probably saw an option to elect a police district council member on your ballot. This is a new council that was created to give civilians more say over how policing works in their neighborhoods. It’s the type of history-making community autonomy that activists have been demanding for more than a decade. But the way the council is structured and how they work with other civic entities could use some more explaining. Jim Daley is a digital news editor for The TRiiBE, and he joined The Rundown to explain the history behind the council and how it works.

You can now vote early in the April 4 runoff election for mayor of Chicago. A three-year construction project on the Kennedy Expressway begins later today. It’s the vernal equinox, so keep your eyes peeled for “Chicagohenge.”

The U.S. Senate wants to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but sleep scientists are against it. Dr. James Rowley is a professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Wayne State University. He’s also the president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “We feel strongly that our bodies are best attuned to a clock that is standard time,” Rowley told us. Rowley talks about the history of Daylight Saving Time and shares some tips for acclimating to Sunday’s change.

Paul Vallas rarely attacked his opponent throughout his campaign for Chicago mayor, but that changed at last night’s debate. Northwestern University experts weigh in on the legal landscape for ChatGPT in medicine and future regulation. Parents of young children with special needs on the Far South Side are suing Chicago Public Schools.

Chicago’s city council made decisions on funding to aid migrants, ticketing and surveillance for downtown motorists, and its own independence from the mayor’s office. Two more big endorsements came through in Chicago’s race for mayor. Chicago cops who voted in this month’s Fraternal Order Police election rejected most Black and female candidates — just like in past elections.

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.