WBEZ News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Englewood Jazz Festival kicks off today, and it’s celebrating its 25th anniversary. 
 
 Legendary saxophonist Ernest Dawkins is the festival’s founder and director. 
 
 He sat down with WBEZ Rundown podcast host Erin Allen to discuss what attendees can expect to see – including his jazz-poetry tribute to Paul Robeson that will be performed at the festival. 
 HOST: DIXON

Chicago’s contract for the gunshot detection system known as ShotSpotter is due to expire on Sunday.
 
 That would fulfill a campaign promise by Mayor Brandon Johnson to pull the plug.
 
 Some City Council members today are trying to compel his administration to extend the ShotSpotter contract.
 
 They’ve sided with a former CPD superintendent and the company that provides ShotSpotter.
 
 They all say the technology saves lives by getting cops to shooting scenes faster.
 
 But an economist at the Social Science Research Council has co-authored a study that found unintended consequences.
 
 His name is Michael Topper.
 
 He spoke with WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell.
 HOST: DIXON

A deteriorating, 100-year-old state prison near Joliet is finally closing.
 
 Stateville Correctional Center is in such bad shape that a state-commissioned study declared it nearly inoperable.
 
 But it’s also become a hub for prison programming and education in Illinois.
 
 There are plans to eventually build new facilities at the same site…
 
 But first, WBEZ asked four people who were incarcerated at Stateville over the last half century to share their thoughts on its demolition.
 HOST: LARA

The play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered in London and had a successful run in New York.
 
 Now, the show's national tour is kicking off with over five months of shows in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre.
 
 WBEZ’s Mike Davis takes us behind the scenes. HOST: DIXON

Last year was an exceedingly difficult one for navigating college admissions. 
 
 A monumental breakdown in the financial aid process ground down students, parents – and even the most dedicated high school counselors.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip shadowed one as he faced the year from hell.
 HOST: DIXON

Nearly half of all Chicago public schools have only one opening for an arts teacher and some of those are not filled yet.
 
 Leaders from the school district and Chicago Teachers Union are calling for more robust arts education.
 
 But there’s a debate about what is enough and how much CPS can afford.
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp takes us to a theater class at one northwest side elementary school where students spent the spring sharing their stories on the big stage.
 HOST: DIXON

Immigration is a central issue in this year’s presidential election. 
 
 And anti-immigrant rhetoric and misinformation is exacerbating long-standing tensions over scarce city services and job opportunities.
 
 But some groups are trying to change that through community dialogues, particularly among Black and Latino residents. 
 
 WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad went to a recent event aimed at bridging these divides. HOST: DIXON

For the first time in over a decade Chicagoans can celebrate Mexican Independence Day at a sanctioned downtown event. 
 
 El Grito Chicago is a two-day festival taking place in Grant Park Saturday and Sunday.
 
 WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana spoke to event organizer Korina Sanchez ahead of the celebration. 
 
 HOST: DIXON

Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has seen a staff turnover of about 18% in the six months since Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Clinee Hedspeth as commissioner. 
 
 Some city cultural advisors are concerned about the impact on the department responsible for major events like Taste of Chicago and the Chicago Jazz Festival. 
 
 WBEZ reporter Courtney Kueppers has been following the story. HOST: DIXON

Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre is cherished by film lovers. 
 
 It just reopened after a renovation — with the Noir City: Chicago film festival.
 
 WBEZ contributor Robert Loerzel paid a visit to see the fancy new flourishes.
 HOST: DIXON

Monday’s quadruple homicide on a Chicago Transit Authority train has increased fear and anxiety among riders.
 
 WBEZ reporters dove into data from both that agency and the police department.
 
 And they reached a stark finding:
 
 Violent crimes per CTA rider trip are more than triple this year compared to 2015.
 
 WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell worked on the reporting and joins us now.
 HOST: LARA

An exhibit on the Near South Side focuses on South Asian artists who have come through and thrived in Chicago.
 
 It’s called “What is Seen and Unseen: Mapping South Asian American Art in Chicago.”
 
 WBEZ Rundown podcast host Erin Allen spoke with the curator, Shelly Bahl about her inspirations behind the exhibit.
 
 That was Shelly Bahl speaking with WBEZ Rundown podcast host Erin Allen. HOST: DIXON

With the calendar turning to September comes the end of meteorological summer – and it was certainly one to remember. 
 
 Here to help recap some of what we saw is Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford.
 
 HOST: LARA

The holiday creep comes earlier and earlier each year. Already consumers are seeing fall- and Halloween-themed items on the shelves and menus. Illinois-based Portillo’s is jumping on that trend with its first new cake flavor in two decades. WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang sits down with Garrett Kern, the head of culinary at the popular fast-casual chain known for Chicago-style hot dogs. HOST: LARA

Chicago has a new sculpture … of playwright, journalist, and activist Lorraine Hansberry. After a two-year tour of Los Angeles and New York, the artwork has made it to its permanent home — Navy Pier. The sculpture, designed by artist Alison Saar, is titled, To Sit Awhile. Chicago unveiled it at an event featuring Hansberry’s family, local writers and city officials. Reporter: Mike Davis
 HOST: DIXON

But storms from earlier this week could create dangerous swimming and boating conditions. 
 
 The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project tracks the number of drowning fatalities in the Great Lakes. 
 
 So far their data shows there have been 44 drowning deaths in Lake Michigan in 2024.
 
 Reporter: Araceli Gomez HOST: GOMEZ-ALDANA

Leaders with the Greater Chicago Food Depository say food insecurity is still prevalent in Cook County, after they saw an increase in people relying on food pantries this summer.
 
 WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana checked in with one non-profit trying to provide nutritious food for students year-round. HOST: LARA

Millions of Illinois voters had their home addresses exposed this year by an election conspiracy peddler who operates Right-leaning websites that purport to be impartial local news outlets.
 
 Those websites published allegedly restricted voter roll information and are now subject to a state lawsuit. 
 
 A new WBEZ investigation has found the websites revealed where scores of state and federal judges live – even though judges’ addresses are legally protected.
 
 WBEZ’s Dave McKinney has more.
 This story was co-reported by WBEZ data journalist Matt Kiefer. HOST: DIXON

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is predicting a nearly $1 billion dollar shortfall for next year’s city budget [2025].
 
 But first – the city will also have to close a nearly $223 million dollar deficit before the end of this year [2024].
 
 Budget officials are warning difficult choices will have to be made in the months ahead.
 
 WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg joins me now to break down the annual budget forecast.
 
 HOST: LARA

Lifeline Theatre on Chicago’s North Side has staged award-winning performances for more than four decades. 
 
 But like many arts organizations nationwide, the midsized Rogers Park theater has struggled after the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
 Lifeline has recently launched a funding campaign to help close a large budget gap and keep the house lights on. 
 
 WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis joins me with more. 
 HOST: DIXON

A walk-up soft-serve ice cream window on Chicago’s North Side is attracting long lines of customers. And that’s primarily due to one unique quirk.
 
 WBEZ Rundown podcast host Erin Allen went to the Irving Park neighborhood to check it out.
 HOST: DIXON

If they protest peacefully, the media often ignore them.
 
 There can be a lot of news coverage if they’re militant or violent
 
 But that attention tends to be negative, and may spark a public backlash.
 
 WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell reports how these dynamics played out during last week’s Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. HOST: DIXON