WBEZ News

About 25,000 Chicago Public Schools students were absent for more than a month last year, according to a new analysis by WBEZ and Chalkbeat. Sarah Karp went to one Southwest Side high school where the new principal is trying to tackle this staggering problem. HOST: LARA

For the past nine months, some people who were arrested protesting the war in Gaza during the Democratic National Convention have been battling their cases in court.
 
 MELBA

The man known here as Father Bob Prevost will be formally installed as Pope Leo the 14th on Sunday during an inaugural mass at Saint Peter’s Square. 
 
 Cathleen Falsani is a former Chicagoan and long-time religion journalist who is covering the papal transition. 
 
 She spoke to WBEZ host Mary Dixon this morning from Rome. HOST: LANE

Chicago Public School leaders often boast about the district’s record high graduation rate.
 
 But that single data point obscures a more troubling trend:
 
 An investigation by WBEZ and Chalkbeat finds that one in four high school students missed more than a month of school last year.
 
 HOST: KARP

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments today [Thursday] over President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship.
 
 In Illinois, parents who lack U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency will be watching anxiously.
 
 WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad reports.
 HOST: LANE

The classical music world is gathering in Amsterdam this week for the third edition of the Mahler Festival. 
 
 The celebration of the Bohemian-born, Romantic composer Gustav Mahler has drawn classical music fans from around the world. 
 
 The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is performing tonight, marking the first time a North American Orchestra is participating. 
 
 WBEZ contributor Hannah Edgar is attending the prestigious event, which will be live streamed.
 
 HOST: LABUZ

President Donald Trump’s targeting of Northwestern University has gotten a lot of attention.
 
 And with good reason – federal officials froze nearly 800-million dollars in funding for the Evanston school.
 
 But on the other side of Chicago, in the Far South Side neighborhood of Roseland, Chicago State University is feeling the effects of Trump’s attacks too. 
 
 The public college is the only one in the state with a predominantly-Black student body — and it has far less money to support them.
 
 So far, the school has lost about 5-million dollars in federal grants.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip sat down with Chicago State President “Z” Scott to discuss what that means for her university and its students.
 
 HOST: Philip

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared to tease a national talk show audience that he’s flirting with running for president in 2028. On ABC’s 'The View,' Emanuel said he is “in training” for a White House bid but didn’t know if he’d “make the Olympics.” Emanuel’s remarks come one day after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker hinted that the former mayor may have an eye on the state Executive Mansion if he opts out of a third term. HOST: LANE

Tens of thousands of Chicago-area residents rely on federal rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher program -- also known as Section 8 -- to pay for rent in the private market.
 
 But multiple complaints and lawsuits in recent months charge landlords with discrimination against this program, despite local and state laws to prevent that.
 
 HOST: LANE

Dan Sullivan is a Chicago furniture maker, gallery owner and musician whose creative impulses take him in many directions.
 
 His latest album, with his band NadNavillus, is called “Upper Constant.”
 
 WBEZ contributor Alison Cuddy sat down with Sullivan to walk through the project, starting with the title track.
 HOST: DIXON

Even though Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker is being coy about his political future, there’s a widening view in Springfield that he’ll seek a third term.
 
 But there’s also a question about whether he should seek re-election if he’s also eying a 2028 bid for the White House.
 WBEZ’s Dave McKinney has more.
 HOST: DIXON

Many young people are alarmed about the state of the world, from ongoing wars to climate change. 
 
 But a group of Chicago-area teens say participating in a United Nations simulation is helping them feel hopeful about the future.
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko has more. 
 HOST: LANE

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is approaching his midterm benchmark with more humility than ever about some of his missteps of the past two years. HOST: MELBA

The newly elected Pope Leo XIV is from Dolton, a Chicago Southwest suburb. Local Catholic leaders say the name selected by the new Pope shows that he is committed to serving the poor and being a voice for the voiceless. HOST: SAVCHENKO

Clerical abuse survivors are concerned about the election of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope. 
 
 Shaun Dougherty is the board president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. 
 
 The group is headquartered in Chicago and filed a complaint against Prevost in March. 
 
 Dougherty joined WBEZ Morning Edition host Lisa Labuz from Rome…
 HOST: LABUZ

In Illinois, nearly 400-thousand legal permanent residents or green-card holders are eligible to become U.S. citizens.
 
 Getting U.S. citizenship is difficult and expensive - and many legal permanent residents end up putting it off for years 
 
 But now, because of President Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrants, many people are in a rush to become naturalized.
 
 WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad reports.
 HOST: LABUZ

A new pope has been named – and he hails from Chicago.
 
 Pope Leo the Fourteenth was born in Chicago as Robert Prevost, and he attended the Catholic Theological Union in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood.
 
 Here to share his reaction to the new pope is Steven Millies, an associate professor of public theology and the director of the Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union.
 
 And professor, a pope from Chicago… can you believe it?
 HOST: LARA

HOST: Clare Lane
 
 A new exhibition is on display at Wrightwood 6-5-9 in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood that is attracting a lot of local attention. 
 
 It's called “The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869 to 1939.”
 
 It features more than 300 pieces, all focused on the queer experience. 
 
 WBEZ arts and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers sat down with host Clare Lane to talk about it.

The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security paid Illinois’ capital city a visit today. Secretary Kristi Noem appeared in Springfield, where she took aim at Gov. JB Pritzker’s immigration policies. But before Noem’s press conference, federal agents took reporters in a motorcade to an unmarked facility. WBEZ’s Mawa Iqbal picks up the story from there. HOST: Lisa Labuz; REPORTER: Mawa Iqbal

HOST: Melba Lara
 
 DePaul President Robert Manuel faced more than three hours of questioning today from a congressional committee.
 
 Republican members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce grilled Manuel and the presidents of Haverford College in Pennsylvania and California Polytechnic State University.
 
 The focus of the hearing was claims of antisemitism on campus.
 
 Lisa Kurian Philip covers higher education for WBEZ.

If you think your property taxes are too high, one way to get them lowered is by filing an appeal to challenge your property assessment. 
 
 That figure is a reflection of your property value - and it’s what Cook County uses to determine how much you owe.
 
 However, homeowners and government officials alike say the appeals process can be overly complicated and burdensome.
 
 WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde details why. 
 HOST: LABUZ

Chicago musician Chillona performs electronic pop and alt-reggaeton in both English and Spanish. 
 
 Her live shows borrow elements from drag and burlesque. So does her own personal style, which features many handmade looks.
 
 Chillona recently visited our studios for the latest installment of Vocalo’s Getting Dressed series. 
 HOST: LABUZ

It’s a growing trend across Chicago… dozens of people lining up outside local bakeries before they open.
 
 Several city bakeries are going viral online, but the response from customers at times can be overwhelming for these businesses.
 
 WBEZ contributor Maggie Hennessy braved some of these long lines and is here now to share how it went.
 HOST: LABUZ

We hear from Melissa Bell, CEO of Chicago Public Media, on how the Trump executive order targeting NPR funding will impact WBEZ. HOST: Melba Lara; REPORTER: Noah Jennings

A Glock handgun stolen from a Chicago police gun buyback was used in several violent crimes. HOST: Lisa Labuz; REPORTERS: Tom Schuba and Patrick Smith

Sister Helen Prejean, the famed anti-death penalty activist and author of 'Dead Man Walking,' visits a book club at Cook County Jail. HOST: Melba Lara; REPORTER: Lisa Kurian Philip

The play, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, tells the story of a drag performer in rural Georgia who dies of complications from HIV. HOST: Mary Dixon; REPORTER: Mike Davis

Chicago’s City Council is grappling with how to address large gatherings of teens that can turn violent – also known as teen takeovers. HOST: Mary Dixon; REPORTER: Mariah Woelfel

Chicago musician Dreamer Isioma conjures a unique sonic universe on the new album Star Crossed Lover. 
 
 Before setting off on a North American tour, the artist stopped by Vocalo’s studios to talk about the years-long project and their influences. 
 HOST: LARA

On his first day in office one-hundred days ago, President Donald Trump revoked the decades-old executive order that required federal agencies to incorporate environmental justice into their missions.
 
 It was the first step in Trump's mission to dismantle environmental justice programs across the country.
 
 Here to break down the local significance of some of Trump's environmental decisions in his first one-hundred days is WBEZ climate reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco.
 HOST: LARA

It's National Poetry Month and we are highlighting some Chicago-area winners of the Pulitzer Center’s Fighting Words Poetry Contest. 
 
 
 It’s open to students in Kindergarten through 12th grade from around the world. It invites young people to write original poems, inspired by a news article.
 
 
 Piper Sobel is a freshman at Naperville Central High School. Her poem placed third last year in the Information and Artificial Intelligence category. Sobel was inspired by how AI cannot fully understand human emotions. She talked with WBEZ’s Araceli Gómez-Aldana.
 HOST: DIXON

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is speaking in New Hampshire this weekend.
 
 The dinner put on by New Hampshire Democrats is one in a series of events around the country Pritzker’s attending that are helping fuel speculation – will he run for Governor again? Run for president? Both? Neither?
 
 He’s still not saying – but these events could give us clues.
 
 WBEZ’s Alex Degman tells us more.
 HOST: LARA

These are uncertain times for non-profits. 
 
 Many rely on federal funding that’s being threatened by President Donald Trump.
 
 Kelly Anoe is president of the Legacy Foundation - which supports nonprofits in Northwest Indiana.
 
 She says the cuts are already having a negative impact on the region – but there is some hope.
 
 HOST: PUENTE

The perpetrator of one of the worst mass shootings in Illinois history will spend the rest of his life in prison.
 
 Robert Crimo the third was given seven life sentences for murdering seven people and wounding dozens more during the Highland Park 4th of July parade in 2022.
 
 That sentence was handed down this morning.
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko joins me from the Lake County courthouse in Waukegan.
 HOST: LARA

Illinois universities are quietly withdrawing from a fellowship aimed at diversifying the state’s college teaching force.
 
 Trump officials have threatened to sue campuses that take part. 
 
 Caught in the middle are students who have relied on the program to pursue PhDs and careers in higher education. 
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Philip reports.
 
 HOST: LARA

Expo Chicago is back at Navy Pier for its 12th edition. 
 
 The Midwest’s biggest art festival kicked off last night (THUR) with art from more than 36 countries on display. 
 
 WBEZ arts and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers was at opening night, and she joins me now. 
 HOST: DIXON

The end of a political era is here.
 
 Five-term Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin has decided he will not be seeking re-election next year.
 
 In an Illinois exclusive, Durbin spoke with WBEZ’s own Dave McKinney to break the news that is sure to set off a major contest to succeed him.
 HOST: LARA

Since taking office, Dick Durbin will go down as one of the state’s most influential congressional figures.
 
 But the Illinois Democrat was also a master of the floor-speech zinger.
 
 Now that Durbin has announced his retirement, WBEZ’s Dave McKinney looks back at some of the senator’s more memorable stem-winders.
 HOST: DIXON

The Chicago quartet Third Coast Percussion has worked with everyone from classical music legend Philip Glass to dancemaker Twyla Tharp. 
 
 To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the group made a new album called Standard Stoppages that features several prominent composers.
 
 WBEZ arts reporter Courtney Kueppers recently sat down with Third Coast’s David Skidmore to walk through the project … Starting with a track by the electronic musician, JLin 
 HOST: DIXON

A new book that catalogs soul music in Illinois from 1960 to 1990 has hit the shelves.
 
 Put together by local record label The Numero Group, “Soul Music of Illinois” features over 700 pages of soul artists, albums and labels that came from Illinois.
 
 Here to talk about how this book came to be is WBEZ contributor Tal Rosenberg.
 
 HOST: LARA

Stand-up comedian, director, host, and former Hyde Park resident W. Kamau Bell is back on the road and back in Chicago. 
 
 The Emmy-Award winner is bringing his new stand-up show, Who’s With Me?, to the Den Theater in Wicker Park this Friday and Saturday. 
 
 His show uses comedy to address this moment in history - and like his other work, he’s not shying away from politics.
 HOST: LABUZ

Lawndale Christian Legal Center offers an alternative to prison and helped Shaq Wilson rebuild his life. Now, a new West Side building will support 20 men. HOST: Lisa Labuz; REPORTER: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

It’s National Black Maternal Health Week – a period dedicated to raising awareness about the disparities in Black Maternal Health. 
 
 Black women are TWO times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death in Illinois compared to white women.
 
 The infant mortality rate among infants born to Black women is nearly three times that of infants born to white, Hispanic and Asian women. 
 
 WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana brings us the story of one Black soon-to-be mother who is navigating the gaps in care in Chicago.
 HOST: LARA

Pope Francis has died at age 88.
 
 In the coming days he will be laid to rest, but after that the College of Cardinals will gather to determine who will be the next pope, in a process called the “conclave.”
 
 Here to explain the next steps, and share some of the Chicago connections, is Sun-Times reporter Lauren FitzPatrick.
 
 HOST: LARA

Chicago drummer Gustavo Cortiñas has always tackled big topics in his music. 
 
 Just in time for Earth Day, he has a new album. It’s called “The Crisis Knows No Borders.” On it, he confronts the issue of climate change. 
 
 WBEZ contributor Hannah Edgar reports.
 
 HOST: DIXON

The state of Illinois says close to 40 percent of people released from prison in Illinois return within three years.
 
 But one Chicago man went through a program 14 years ago that he says kept him out of prison.
 
 Shaq Wilson’s success is part of the reason the program is now expanding. 
 
 WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang has his story from Chicago’s West Side.

The reason we have not been able to solve the gun violence crisis in Chicago and across the country is because we have been fundamentally misunderstanding the problem.
 
 That’s according to a new book by University of Chicago economist Jens Ludwig (yens LUD-wig).
 
 He talked with the Sun-Times’ Andy Grimm about what really drives most shootings and what we could do to prevent them.
 HOST: DIXON

The Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls both saw their seasons come to an end this week, with both teams missing the playoffs yet again.
 
 WBEZ producer Noah Jennings sat down with sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout to break down how their seasons went, and look at what the future holds.
 That was WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout speaking with afternoon producer Noah Jennings.
 HOST: PUENTE

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has taken campaign money from individuals and interest groups that could benefit from his decision-making in Springfield — including contributions from lobbyists, businesses and unions.
 
 The Hillside Democrat also has a charity that’s gotten backing from some of the same interests, though with less transparency regarding who his charity has gotten its money from, records show.
 
 Welch helped launch Black Excellence in Bleu last year as a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization. HOST: PUENTE

A Chicago woman from Venezuela says her partner was deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. 
 
 She recognized him in a video shared on social media that showed the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, on a tour of the prison. 
 
 Last month the Trump administration flew more than 230 migrants to El Salvador. The government claims the men are gang members and a threat to national security.
 
 WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad joins me now to tell us more about this case.
 HOST: DIXON/LABUZ