WBEZ News

Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability released a video earlier this week of the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed Junior. 
 
 The bodycam footage from last month shows five officers swarming Reed’s SUV in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. 
 
 Officials with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability say Reed fired at the officers first. But the bodycam video doesn’t clearly show that. 
 
 Four officers fired 96 shots in 41 seconds. 
 
 And just to caution listeners, we’re going to hear some of that video now and it does include gunshots.
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Alden Loury, Cianna Greaves

Oak Park is home to a state go-kart racing champion… And he’s ten years old.
 
 Fourth grader Pierce Joy rose to the top of the Illinois junior league run by K-1 Speed this year.
 
 Now Pierce and two other kid drivers from Illinois… are headed to the national championship.
 
 To learn more, WBEZ’s Lauren Frost made a pit stop at the K-1 Speed tracks in west suburban Addison. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

50 years ago a groundbreaking sitcom debuted on television.
 
 “Good Times” featured a Black family keeping their heads above water in Chicago.
 
 They lived in the Cabrini-Green public housing development.
 
 WBEZ’s Michael Puente has a story that reflects on the show’s legacy. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

The Midwest’s largest art event of the year opens today at Navy Pier. 
 
 Hundreds of gallerists from around the world will be at EXPO Chicago. So will a prominent list of artists, collectors and even… museum curators. 
 
 EXPO Chicago runs through Sunday. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers is here to tell us more about what to expect. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago was at the center of the Black hair care industry for decades, with several key brands built here. 
 
 Now, Black women are flocking to Chicago to sue those companies, saying the chemicals in the products used to straighten their hair left them sick.
 
 Recent studies have found frequent users of relaxers have a higher risk of getting certain kinds of cancers. 
 
 Sun-Times reporter Andy Grimm and WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore have been reporting about the lawsuits and the women impacted. 
 
 Joining us to share what they’ve learned is Andy Grimm.
 Host: Mary Dixon

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has tapped Finnish conductor Klaus Makela to be its next music director. 
 
 Makela, who is just 28, will officially take up the baton in September 20-27. 
 
 But he’s here this weekend for a series of concerts… and WBEZ’s art and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers caught up with the young maestro before the shows.
 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Black women in America have turned to hair relaxers to chemically straighten their hair since the early 1900s.
 
 Those chemicals are under scrutiny after decades of concern.
 
 Several scientific studies in recent years have found frequent users of those products have a higher risk of getting certain kinds of cancers. 
 
 Now some of those companies are being sued in state court and federal court right here in Chicago. 
 
 WBEZ’s Natalie Moore explains the significance of these lawsuits – and how Black women are responding.
 Host: Mary Dixon

The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and the Center for Neighborhood Technology counted trucks for freight electrification. Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco; Host: Melba Lara

Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.” Reporter: Jon Seidel

Housing advocates in Chicago’s Logan Square are fighting to keep the rapidly developing neighborhood affordable, familiar and resilient to climate change. 
 
 To do it, longtime residents are calling for affordable housing near transit stops. 
 
 WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco has the story
 Host: Mary Dixon

Baseball is BACK.
 
 The Chicago Cubs and White Sox both start regular season play today.
 Each team ended last year on a disappointing note.
 Host: Mary Dixon

More Chicagoans reported not having adequate heat this January than any other month in the last five years. 
 
 Almost half of the complaints were made during January’s cold snap when temperatures were below 3 degrees for 3 consecutive days. 
 
 Chicago Sun-Times Reporter Violet Miller and WBEZ’s Jessica Alvarado Gamez have documented this increase and join us today to discuss who was affected.

This kicks off the first election season for school board candidates in Chicago.
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp looks at the challenges ahead as the city gets ready for this monumental change. Host: Mary Dixon

The city of Chicago has learned lessons and brought on new caterers to feed South American migrants in temporary shelters. Reporter: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad; Host: Mary Dixon

Like a lot of students, Isabelle Dizon was looking for mental health support. Her college promised to help but never came through. Reporter: Lisa Kurian Philip; Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago voter turnout was at or near historic lows, likely a signal of either displeasure with the candidates or recognition that the party nominees were pre-determined. Reporter: Dave McKinney; Host: Mary Dixon

Eileen O’Neill Burke, who stepped down from a seat on the appellate court to run for state’s attorney, took an early lead against her opponent Clayton Harris III. Reporter: Chip Mitchell; Host: Clare Lane

Dozens of adults were expected to be evicted Sunday, amid an outbreak of measles, but just three were. They will be able to reapply for shelter at the city’s designated ‘landing zone.’ Reporter: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad; Host: Mary Dixon

In more than a dozen interviews about Preckwinkle, allies and rivals describe a “masterful” politician and how she’s held onto power. Reporter: Kristen Schorsch; Host: Mary Dixon

The ex-judge’s top 25 individual donors include no African Americans and no women, a WBEZ analysis of her Illinois campaign filings finds. Reporter: Chip Mitchell; Host: Melba Lara

Whether from Europe, the South or Mexico, Chicago has seen upticks in new arrivals before — not always with open arms. Reporters: Amy Qin and Tessa Weinberg; Host: Clare Lane

Jeremy Allen White on restaurant row. Ayo Edebiri in the burbs. Here’s where the cast and crew have been spotted so far by fans. 
 Host: Mary Dixon, Reporter: Courtney Kueppers

One suburban library wants to help patrons navigate disinformation this upcoming election cycle. Reporter: Adora Namigadde; Host: Melba Lara

There has been a rapid increase of people getting pulled over for traffic violations and being arrested by Chicago Police. 
 
 What’s more: these motorists are being arrested for unlawful use of a weapon charges – even though they’re not using a gun at all.
 
 A WBEZ analysis shows the number has grown by more than 700 percent since 2014.
 
 Critics say they’re people who simply don’t have the proper paperwork when they’re pulled over and the resulting gun charges have a dramatic impact on their lives.
 
 WBEZ’s Jessica Alvarado Gamez has documented this increase and joins us to discuss what’s being done to address it. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Dozens of religious, academic and civil rights groups are opposing the proposed law that passed the state's house and senate. Reporter: Michael Puente; Host: Melba Lara

It’s the holiest month on the Islamic calendar and this year’s observation comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. 
 
 The holy month includes dawn to dusk fasting and calls for Muslims to build stronger relationships with Allah.
 WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde spoke with a few Muslim men at a mosque in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood about their preparations for the month.

The new Wind Creek Chicago Southland is opening just miles from a casino in Gary, Ind., and casino revenue is down in Illinois. Reporter: Michael Puente; Host: Melba Lara

The epic movie Oppenheimer is up for thirteen Oscars on Sunday. 
 Hollywood’s take on the nuclear arms race has some key connections to the University of Chicago. 
 WBEZ contributor Robert Loerzel takes us on a walk through the Hyde Park campus to find out more. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Snow. Tornadoes. 70-degree days. Chicagoland has seen it all this winter. Reporter: Lauren Frost; Host: Melba Lara

The have been 248 grievances lodged by migrants staying in more than two dozen city-run shelters between June 2023 and January. WBEZ obtained the grievances through a public records request with the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Thousands of migrants — most from Venezuela — have been sent here from southern border states, primarily by the Texas governor, creating an ongoing humanitarian and financial crisis in Chicago. The city opened the shelters specifically to house the influx of migrants.

A Cook County judge has ruled that Donald Trump should be kicked off the Illinois ballot for the March 19th primary.
 
 The former president is vowing to appeal that decision.
 
 This all comes as we wait for a ruling from the U-S Supreme Court over Trump’s removal from the Colorado ballot.
 
 WBEZ politics reporter Dave McKinney spoke with Morning Edition host Mary Dixon.

There is a lot of hand wringing in Chicago about declining enrollment at neighborhood high schools.
 
 But in a few communities, demand is off the charts for spots in high performing schools.
 
 To make sure students are entitled to a seat, one South Side school says it visits the home of every incoming neighborhood student to check that they live in the attendance boundary.
 
 WBEZ reporter Courtney Kueppers told Lisa Labuz that some parents say the process is intrusive and isn’t evenly applied to all families. Host: Mary Dixon

The soundtrack of Palestinian solidarity is being created in Chicago. 
 
 
 The album The Art of War is a genre-mixing work featuring the voices of young Palestinian artists from around the globe …
 
 
 Including local artists Norhan, El Theeb, and Amira Jazeera.
 
 
 WBEZ producer Cianna Greaves spoke with music engineer Bodhi Zee about his experience working with the artists.

A Cook County judge ruled the ballot question is invalid. But advocates and opponents say voters should still weigh in on the referendum. Reporter: Tessa Weinberg; Host: Melba Lara

Students, instructors and community members came together at Kennedy-King College in Englewood yesterday to celebrate Chicago’s soul food scene.
 
 The event was part of the school’s celebration of Black History Month.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip stopped by to hear – and taste – the proceedings. Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago residents can support monarch populations by planting milkweed and reducing pesticide use, experts say. Reporter: Lauren Frost; Host: Melba Lara

Chicago Alderperson Raymond Lopez is the rare Democrat from Chicago who often appears on right-wing cable news channels to criticize his own party. But he’s had a hard time seeking higher office. Through the end of last year, Lopez had raised less than 50-thousand dollars for his campaign to unseat progressive Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in next month’s primary election. Host: Clare Lane; Reporter: Tessa Weinberg

Voting ends in the Democratic primary to replace Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx three weeks from tomorrow, 3/19.
 
 The candidates are university lecturer Clayton Harris the 3rd and former state appellate judge Eileen O’Neill Burke.
 
 There’s a good chance you hadn’t heard of either of them before this race started. 
 
 To help voters decide, WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell pressed both candidates for yes-or-no answers on five key policy questions.
 
 He spoke with Morning Edition host Mary Dixon.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi is making an expensive push to unseat one of three people elected to check his work.
 
 Kaegi is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars from his own pocket to help defeat county Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers Junior in next month’s Democratic primary.
 
 WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos reports. Host: Mary Dixon

The Chicago Board of Education has approved a measure calling for police officers to be pulled out of schools next year.
 
 It’s a reversal of a decision the board made four years ago.
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp reports.
 Host: Mary Dixon

The governor wants to put more money toward education and child welfare while continuing to care for the influx of migrants.

During her two terms as Cook County state’s attorney, Kim Foxx attracted controversy and criticism. 
 
 She also won elections in landslides.
 
 Foxx is not seeking re-election.
 
 Now the man the Democratic party has tapped to succeed her has to decide how closely he wants to align himself with Foxx’s legacy.
 
 WBEZ’s Michael Puente reports. Host: Mary Dixon

Persistent gun violence. A fear of carjackings and armed robberies. 
 
 They are several of the MANY problems Cook County’s next top prosecutor will face.
 
 Among those running to succeed outgoing State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is Eileen O’Neill Burke:
 
 A former prosecutor, defense attorney and judge who has spent decades in and around the county court system. 
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko has more. Host: Mary Dixon

Deep below the surface of the earth could be an answer to power homes more efficiently – and fight climate change. Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco; Host: Mary Dixon

A new law allowed gun owners to keep assault weapons if they disclosed them. Illinois county registration rates ranged from 0.5% to 1.8%. Reporters: Amy Qin and Mawa Iqbal; Host: Justin Bull

Gov. JB Pritzker commuted Johnny Pippins’s sentence. Now he’s adjusting to campus life in Iowa — and educating his classmates in the process. Reporter: Charlotte West; Host: Justin Bull

Davis’s Democratic challengers say it’s time for the incumbent congressman to step aside. But Davis says he has valuable seniority. Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

Alvin Green’s wife urged him to combine his love of cookies with his love of his son and his friends in employing young adults with special needs.
 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

The launch of the revamped federal student aid form, known as FAFSA, was supposed to make getting help paying for college easier. 
 
 But for many students from immigrant families, it’s shut them out. 
 
 They’re all U.S. citizens but their parents are not. 
 
 And an error bars parents without social security numbers from completing their part of the form.
 
 The Department of Education says they are working to correct the problem.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip spoke to three Chicago area high school seniors who fear the issue may jeopardize their ability to afford college. Host: Mary Dixon

Ever since Chicago enacted fines for unannounced buses dropping off migrants in the city, some area suburbs have been receiving busloads of migrants. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Host: Claire Lane