WBEZ News

For undocumented students with college dreams, Illinois is one of the better states to be.
 
 It’s one of 19 where they can get state funding and pay in-state tuition rates for higher education. 
 
 Just as important are the adults here working overtime to help students navigate a maze of paperwork and find a campus where they can succeed.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip takes us to Mansueto High School in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood to meet some of them.
 HOST: DIXON

Psychedelic soul and R-and-B singer Manasseh is known for his breathtaking vocals and myriad collaborations.
 
 But the Chicagoan has also earned a reputation for his memorable outfits. 
 
 In a new fashion series from WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo, the songwriter and performer dishes on the origins of his distinct style.
 
 Morgan Ciocca filed this audio postcard.
 HOST: DIXON

Democrats hold every statewide constitutional office - from the Governor to the Comptroller.
 
 And the House and Senate at the state capitol are overwhelmingly blue. 
 
 Every seat in the Illinois State House is up for election this year. 
 
 And as November fifth draws near, Democratic leaders are hoping to not only hold on to their supermajority, but also grow it.
 
 WBEZ’s Mawa Iqbal has more. 
 
 HOST: DIXON

Chicago’s Lyric Opera has a new general director. 
 
 John Mangum took the reins earlier this month. He’s only the fifth person to run the internationally renowned company … and hails not from the opera, but the symphony. 
 
 WBEZ arts and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers visited Mangum at Lyric Opera House to talk about his plans.
 HOST: DIXON

The federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan finally got underway this week.
 
 Jurors heard witnesses describe how Madigan would use his enormous power in the House.
 
 WBEZ’s Dave McKinney covered Madigan for decades at the statehouse and has been in the federal court building in Chicago all week. 
 
 Dave joins me now to catch us up to speed on this momentous trial.
 HOST: LABUZ

Big pharma is throwing a lot of campaign money at IL congressional members as we approach the election. 
 
 All 17 Illinois incumbents are up for re-election, and some have received thousands in contributions from pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.
 
 Chicago Sun-Times reporter Robert Herguth has been following the money, he’s here with me now. 
 
 Good Morning, Robert. 
 HOST: DIXON

Illinois lawmakers introduce thousands of bills every year – and sometimes one of them seems really popular.
 
 People flood the capitol in support chanting and carrying signs, lawmakers are hashing it out with each other and meeting with constituents. It’s getting a lot of media coverage.
 
 But even if the momentum seems there, sometimes the bill just dies – for any number of reasons. 
 
 WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman gives us one example of how a bill moves and, sometimes, doesn't… as part of our Democracy Solutions Project. 
 HOST: DIXON

Refracted Theater moved from New York City to Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic….
 
 and has since made its name as a theater that challenges conventional ideas.
 
 The group’s latest play, Coronation, imagines a United States where women create a monarchy.
 
 As WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis found on opening night, the play is equal parts edgy and funny. 
 HOST: DIXON

Death is the great equalizer …. AND it can be a taboo topic. One Chicago artist wants to bring conversations about death and dying out of the shadows. 
 
 WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers has more on how artist Anders Zanichkowsky is putting a twist on an ancient practice of weaving burial blankets. 
 HOST: DIXON

Landlords in the Chicago area are using real estate software made by RealPage, a tech company that may be engaging in an illegal price-fixing scheme to drive up rents, according to an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and a class-action lawsuit filed by 12 former tenants.
 
 The company’s own report in May confirms that their rent-pricing algorithm is used in metro Chicago.
 
 
 
 Good morning, Amy. Good morning, Andjela. 
 HOST: DIXON

Non-standard auto insurers – they’re known for covering drivers with bad records or those struggling financially.
 
 But a Sun-Times analysis finds these insurance companies have far higher rates of complaints than the more well-known, bigger name insurers.
 
 I’m joined now by Sun-Times Consumer Investigations reporter Stephanie Zimmermann to discuss this trend… Stephanie, welcome.
 HOST: LARA

In the fight against climate change, one technology aims to inject carbon emissions deep underground.
 
 And Illinois is on the forefront of what’s become a booming business.
 But in recent months, residents have learned of leaks at the country’s first commercial carbon sequestration facility, in central Illinois. 
 
 Now, they’re demanding more guardrails.
 
 WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco recently traveled to Decatur, Illinois and has the story. 
 HOST: DIXON

With Vice President Kamala Harris expected to win Illinois, hundreds of Democratic volunteers from the Chicago area are spending their weekends carpooling to swing states. 
 
 They’re knocking on doors of potential voters in Wisconsin and Michigan, where the race for president is tight.
 
 Many volunteers have issues they want to talk to voters about, like abortion rights. 
 
 WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch tagged along one day. 
 HOST: DIXON

One of Chicago’s most buzzed about new cultural venues isn’t a fancy theater or mega arena. 
 
 It’s a tiny hidden performance room in the Loop. 
 
 WBEZ reporter Mike Davis went on the hunt to find Guarneri Hall.
 HOST: DIXON

This fall, the racial demographics of first year students at selective colleges are under the microscope.
 
 Last year, the Supreme Court all but banned universities from considering the race of applicants in order to diversify their campuses. 
 
 Now - enrollment numbers are coming in for the first freshman class admitted under the new legal precedent - and people are poring over the data to gauge its impact.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip talked with the policy director of the nonprofit Education Reform Now, James Murphy, about what he sees in the numbers … and the pitfalls of reading too much into them. 
 
 HOST: DIXON

Former President Donald Trump has historically had a rocky relationship with Chicago. 
 
 But he got a warmer reception today - when Trump spoke downtown at the Economic Club of Chicago.
 
 WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos covered the speech and joins me now.
 
 HOST: LARA

Chicago’s largest tent encampment is in Humboldt Park.
 
 Until recently, that Northwest Side greenspace had about a hundred inhabitants. 
 
 The number is headed down as the city provides rent-free apartments to some of them.
 
 But there aren’t enough units for all the park’s unhoused people.
 
 And city officials say, apartment or not, everyone will have to leave the park.
 
 A former leader of a street gang tells WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell he won’t settle for a shelter bed.
 HOST: DIXON

Between 10 and 20% of pregnancies in the U.S. end in miscarriage. 
 
 In the two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, women across the country have been feeling the impact of restrictions to reproductive healthcare. 
 
 In their new book, I'm Sorry for My Loss, two journalists and life-long friends from Chicago examine the grief of pregnancy loss and how we as a culture address it. 
 
 Rebecca Little and Colleen Long sat down with WBEZ host, Lisa Labuz.
 HOST: DIXON

Girls flag football is on the rise in Illinois. 
 
 This fall, over a hundred and fifty teams are competing for the sport’s first ever state championship. 
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko brings you this story from the Taft High School stadium on the Northwest Side.

The Nobel prize in economics has been awarded to James Robinson of the University of Chicago and two economists from MIT – Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson. 
 
 They’re honored for “demonstrating the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity.”
 
 They found that societies with poor rule of law and exploitative institutions do NOT generate sustainable growth.
 
 Professor Robinson spoke with WBEZ’s Morning Edition host, Mary Dixon.

Ahead of next month’s election – Illinois election officials say misinformation poses the biggest threat to undermining the integrity of the vote.
 
 The last two presidential elections were marked by Russian interference and false claims of voter fraud.
 
 As part of the Democracy Solutions Project - WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg has more on how election officials are trying to restore voters’ trust.
 HOST: DIXON

Over the past year, local college students and professors have risked their degrees and even livelihoods to protest Israel’s onslaught of Gaza.
 
 Now universities are rolling out new protest policies that civil liberties advocates say further threaten pro-Palestinian speech.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip reports.
 HOST: LARA

A new housing policy aimed at slowing gentrification and displacement in some of Chicago’s hottest real estate markets went into effect this week. 
 
 So what does the Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance mean – for residents, property owners and developers? And will the ordinance accomplish what it aims to do? 
 
 WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang sat down with University of Chicago Assistant Professor Robin Bartram to discuss the new policy. 
 HOST: LARA

Earlier this year, Broadway in Chicago sent its production of Death Becomes Her to Broadway.
 
 Now the downtown theater producer is staging Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a show that is kicking off a national tour. 
 
 That’s not all. Next spring will bring the group’s 25th anniversary and a world premiere musical about the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
 
 WBEZ’s Mike Davis sat down with Broadway in Chicago CEO Lou Raizin to talk about the theater’s COVID comeback.
 HOST: DIXON

CPS Chief Pedro Martinez is publicly speaking publicly about the dispute that led Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to ask him to step down, and to the resignation of all the members of the Board of Education. He’s also explaining how he wants to solve the school district’s budget deficit — which is at the heart of that dispute. 
 HOST: DIXON Reporter: Sarah Karp

In a room of the Chicago jailhouse - walls were covered in flags representing other nations – like Mexico, Switzerland and Brazil.
 
 The tournament is only for people behind bars.
 
 WBEZ’s Michael Puente tells us more. 
 HOST: LARA

The federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain gets underway today.
 
 It’s been years in the making.
 
 Riding on the outcome is the legacy of a seemingly invincible Illinois politician known as “The Velvet Hammer.”
 
 WBEZ’s Dave McKinney has more.
 HOST: DIXON

On Friday, the mayor’s office said all seven of his handpicked board members were resigning amid acrimony over the direction of the school district. 
 
 Today, Johnson announced new members who might be more willing to pursue his wishes.
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel joins us now from City Hall for more. 
 HOST: LANE

As the war in Ukraine continues – Lurie Children's pediatric psychologist Doctor Lauren Pothoff advises Ukrainian charity workers and therapists about how to support kids who are struggling there.
 
 On the heels of a 7-day trip volunteering with Voices of Children – a Ukraine based fund that provides mental health services to children caught up in armed conflict… Pothoff told WBEZ’s Clare Lane what she saw.
 
 HOST: LARA

To help close the gap in the city, a pilot program called “Healing Arts Chicago” is getting creative by training local artists to serve as community health workers.
 
 One of the artists now serving as a mental health worker is Nile Lansana.
 
 WBEZ host Erin Allen stopped by the Greater Grand Mental Health Center in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood to take a class, and talk to Lansana about the work he’s doing.
 HOST: DIXON

36-year-old Sonya Massey was seeking mental health treatment up until the day she died. 
 
 Her death at the hands of former Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson has wracked the Springfield community.
 
 It’s led to calls for changing how law enforcement responds to people struggling with mental health needs. 
 
 WBEZ’s Mawa Iqbal has more on what Massey’s death can tell us about the alternative responder model. 
 HOST: DIXON

Today marks one year since Oct. 7.
 
 We've been hearing from our community throughout the year as they grapple with the war. 
 
 As the one year mark approached, we asked our listeners to share their reflections. 
 
 We wanted to hear from everyday people who feel strongly about the conflict from a multitude of raw, authentic perspectives. 
 
 Here's some of what you shared with us.
 HOST: DIXON Reporter: AN

I’ll be running in the marathon for the third time.
 
 For my colleague Adriana Cardona-Maguidad, it will be her first marathon.
 
 So I thought it would be fun to talk about why we’re both running it – what we hope next week looks like – and how we’ve been preparing.
 HOST: MIKE PUENTE

You might have noticed groups of day laborers, many of them newly arrived migrants, available for hire outside your local Home Depot. 
 
 In some places, their increasing numbers have become a problem. 
 
 But in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood on the South Side, longtime residents from Venezuela and elsewhere are working to change that.
 
 WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad recently spent some time with them and has this report. HOST: DIXON

Cook County prosecutors have dropped their case against a man convicted in the 20-11 murder of Chicago Police Officer Clifton Lewis.
 
 A judge then threw out that conviction and a sentence of life in prison for Alexander Villa [VIH-lah, not VEE-yah].
 
 That means the three men charged with Lewis’ killing have all had their cases dismissed — and no one is being held responsible for a cop’s murder.
 
 At yesterday’s (wed) hearing, attorneys for Lewis’s relatives argued there was enough evidence to put Villa on trial again.
 
 But the judge said charging decisions are up to prosecutors.
 
 Villa’s [VIH-lah] defense attorney, Jennifer Blagg, worked nearly five years to get the conviction reversed.
 
 She spoke with WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell outside the courthouse.
 HOST: DIXON

College is often a time and place where young people are figuring out who they are and who they want to be. 
 
 For many Jewish students, that experience has been especially fraught amid escalating conflict in and around Israel and Gaza this past year.
 
 The deaths of more than 12-hundred Israelis last October and more than 40-thousand Palestinians since then has amplified divisions in the Jewish community — and within Jewish students themselves.
 
 On the eve of Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – That’s made fellowship with Jewish classmates both more important — and all the more difficult.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip has this report from Northwestern’s campus.
 HOST: DIXON

In Chicago, if you were to be shot today - you’d be more likely to die from your injuries than you would have been 13 years ago.
 
 That’s the finding of a new report from nonprofit news outlet The Trace.
 
 It’s a stunning reversal of long-term trends, in which faster response times and better medical care had for years improved the chances of surviving a gunshot.
 
 Reporter Rita Oceguera from The Trace joins me now to talk about why that is – and the impact it’s having on the city. Producer: Noah Jennings
 HOST: LARA

Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet is having an unprecedented fall. An exhibit in New York is raising the dance company’s profile in that city.
 
 And at home, the Joffrey is preparing to stage the US premiere of a brand-new ballet.
 
 WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers took a trip to the company’s State Street studios to learn more.
 HOST: DIXON

Chicago's major league baseball teams wrapped up disappointing seasons yesterday (Sun). 
 
 The Cubs lost to the Reds 3-nothing. 
 
 They finished the season with an 83-and-79 record and didn't make the playoffs. 
 
 The White Sox ended on a win, beating the Tigers 9-5. 
 
 But they broke the modern record for losses over the weekend to finish with 41 wins and 121 losses. 
 
 Here to break down what went wrong this season is WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout.
 HOST: DIXON

White Sox fans turned out yesterday (Thur) even though their team came close to having the worst MLB season in history. 
 
 That record will have to wait for now, the White Sox swept the Los Angeles Angels with a 7 to 0 win yesterday (Thur). 
 
 WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana went out to Guaranteed Rate Field to see how the fans were feeling.
 HOST: LARA

Beach season is…. over ….. Or ... is it? Lake Michigan had one of its hottest summers on record. And as Climate Change drives warmer temperatures throughout the region, Chicagoans took full advantage of it. 
 
 WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco headed out to the lake on a recent Saturday and came back with this story. HOST: DIXON

Art has a way of broadening understanding despite differences in language and culture. 
 
 A new play about a Venezuelan migrant and his journey to Chicago offers an intimate account of the risks that many asylum seekers face in their quest for better opportunities.
 
 WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad has more. HOST: DIXON

The head of Chicago Public Schools is acknowledging that Mayor Brandon Johnson has asked him to resign. 
 
 But in an unprecedented move, he is refusing. 
 
 Now the spotlight is turning to the Board of Education. That’s who the CPS CEO works for.
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp has been looking at the CEO’s contract and his relationship with the board. 
 
 She’s here to tell us what she found. 
 HOST: LARA

The Pulse Theater company was cofounded in 2014 by Chicago native Aaron Reese Boseman. 
 
 Like many storefront theater companies in the city, Pulse has faced several challenges, like financial setbacks and the ongoing pandemic. 
 
 WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis was recently in the audience for the theater's current production, Beneath the Willow Tree. 
 
 He spoke with Boseman about the founding of the Black non-Equity theater company and its unlikely benefactor. 
 
 Mike Davis joined me now to share what he had learned. HOST: DIXON

Chicago is the home of house, with the genre’s creation starting in the Southside 40 years ago. While the genre has spread across the world, its roots remain strong in Chicago. In the early hours of the morning on Chicago's northside, a sunrise set is being played. At the edge of Montrose Pier, afro-groove house music is played to over a crowd of 100 people, looking to start their day with house beats, instead of ending it. WBEZ’s Hailey Bosek has more. 
 
 HOST: DIXON

Chicago’s first school board elections are November 5th.
 
 Voters will choose 10 board members from districts covering every Chicago neighborhood. 
 
 It’s an historic election and WBEZ, the Sun-Times and our partner Chalkbeat Chicago are out today with a comprehensive voter guide.
 
 It includes detailed biographies of the candidates, their answers to lots of school-related questions and more.
 
 WBEZ Engagement Editor Alex Keefe shared the details with Midday host Lisa Labuz 
 HOST: DIXON

A new exhibit at the former Stony Island Trust and Savings Bank pays tribute to the Johnson Publishing Company – the now-defunct Chicago-based media group behind Ebony and Jet magazines.
 
 It’s been put together by Chicago artist Theaster Gates, who has been preserving the archives that make up the exhibit.
 
 He sat down with WBEZ Rundown podcast host Erin Allen to discuss how he came into possession of these archives, and his motivations for the exhibit.
 HOST: DIXON

The United States has seen a large increase in voter participation in the last three presidential elections. 
 
 Indicators point to a high number of voters turning out again in November. 
 
 While the U-S is riding a surge of voter participation, we still lag behind other nations with mandatory voting like Turkey, Uruguay and Australia. 
 
 What is the political landscape like in a country where everyone votes, and how could requiring citizens to vote change the dynamics of civic engagement here in the U-S? 
 
 Dan Tucker is the executive producer of WBEZ’s Reset. He recently traveled to Australia, one of around two dozen countries with mandatory voting.
 
 He’s recently returned and joins me now…
 
 HOST: DIXON

Voting is mandatory in Australia, and nationwide, 90 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in federal elections. 
 
 But in many remote Aboriginal communities in the country’s vast Northern Territory, turnout is much, much lower. 
 
 As part of our Democracy Solutions Project, WBEZ’s Dan Tucker visited the community of Yuendumu deep in the Australian bush to understand why voting falls so far below the national standard there. 
 
 And what it says about Australia’s attempt to compel all its citizens to vote. 
 HOST: LARA

The Chicago Sky’s season ended last night with an 87-54 loss to the Connecticut Sun. 
 
 After nabbing superstar rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in the draft, the Sky closed out the season with a disappointing 13 and 27 record. 
 
 WBEZ sports Contributor Cheryl Raye Stout joins me now to discuss what next for the team. HOST: DIXON