WBEZ News

Black students bypass neighborhood schools for other options more than any other group. Two moms explain their different choices. Reporter: Sarah Karp

The National Weather Service reports 120 tornadoes were confirmed in the state in 2023. Reporter: Lauren Frost; Host: Melba Lara

Black families in Chicago Public Schools are among the most likely to take advantage of school choice, sending their children to charters, magnet and selective enrollment schools.
 
 Yesterday WBEZ brought you the story of one mom worried she’ll lose the selective enrollment school her daughter loves because of the Board of Education’s plan to shift away from these schools. 
 
 Today we hear from a mom who believes neighborhood schools need more support.
 
 Sarah Karp has more. Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago migrants who can’t get work permits are in desperate need for cash and are finding ways to earn money in the underground economy
 Reporter: Adriana Cardona-Maguidad; Host: Mary Dixon

Hear a mom talk about why she sends her child to a selective enrollment elementary and about threats to the school choice system. Reporter: Sarah Karp; Host: Mary Dixon

Sources say the team is considering building a stadium at the Clark Street-Roosevelt Road site. Reporter: Lauren Frost; Host: Melba Lara

It’s the first day of the spring legislative session for Illinois lawmakers – and some will use it to try finalizing the rules that will administer the state’s assault weapons ban. Reporter: Alex Degman; Host: Mary Dixon

When you think of surfing, the icy waters of the Great Lakes in the wintertime probably aren’t the first thing that pops into your head. 
 
 But for a group of surfers in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, the cold swells of Lake Michigan are the ideal conditions for riding the waves.
 
 WBEZ Contributor Zach Nauth wrote about these extreme sports enthusiasts and the community they have cultivated around winter surfing.

A retired chiropractor from north suburban Buffalo Grove has solved an art history mystery almost two decades in the making. Reporter: Lauren Frost; Host: Melba Lara.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has submitted his paperwork to get on Illinois’ ballot this spring.
 
 But his filing with the State Board of Elections was met with drama on multiple fronts. Reporter: Dave McKinney; Host: Melba Lara

The Chicago Bears ended their season yesterday (SUN) with a 17 to 9 loss against the Green Bay Packers.
 
 It was a rough game for Bears Quarterback Justin Fields – who was sacked five times.
 
 He completed 11 of 16 passes for 148 yards but struggled to find the endzone. 
 
 The third year Quarterback says he gave it his all this season.

Closing arguments are set to begin today (FRI) in the trial surrounding the murder of Chicago rapper F-B-G Duck. 
 
 Six members and associates of a South Side gang faction known as O-’Block are on trial in connection with the 20-20 slaying.
 
 Duck was gunned down during the daytime on a Chicago Gold Coast street.
 
 Chicago Sun-Times reporter Tom Schuba has been covering the federal trial.
 Host: Mary Dixon

There is a lot of money in Illinois politics. 
 
 Politicians are weaponizing their war chests in ways that threaten the election process.
 
 In her recent piece for the Democracy Solutions Project, Chicago Sun-Times Chief Political Reporter Tina Sfondeles looked at campaign finance in the state and how big money is causing big problems for Illinois voters. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Tamales are one of the most popular food items among Mexicans – especially during the Christmas season. 
 
 Making them yourself can take a lot of work. 
 
 One Northwest Indiana woman has managed to use the holiday season to recruit her tamale helpers – and there’s something in it for them as well. 
 
 WBEZ’s Michael Puente takes us to her kitchen.

The Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known worldwide as COP, is where the world’s big climate deals happen. 
 
 It was in Dubai earlier this month. Six Chicago area high school students got the chance to take part in the historic conference and watch world leaders tackle climate change. 
 
 WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco sat down with one of them … and has this story.

Over the decades, Ed Burke has been known by numerous titles: the dean of the Chicago city council, the enemy of Chicago’s first Black mayor, the city’s longest serving alderman. 
 
 Now, he will be known, too, as a convicted felon, an extortionist and a bribe taker. 
 
 That’s after a federal jury found Burke guilty on all but one of 14 corruption counts yesterday (thurs).
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel covered the six-week trial and brings us this recap of this historic moment.

Unionized journalists at the Chicago Tribune, who have been without a contract since 2018, plan to rally in front of Tribune Tower downtown on Saturday to call attention to their contract fight and their struggles with the paper’s owner, Alden Global Capital.
 
 Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Some migrants who are living inside a shelter in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood tell WBEZ that conditions are not good. Some 2-thousand people are now living there. A 5-year-old child who was staying at the shelter died on Sunday. Police are investigating and city officials say the death was not related to an infectious disease.

On Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m., WBEZ 91.5FM aired a special broadcast event dedicated to people incarcerated in Illinois and their families on the outside. Over the past months, producers for Prisoncast! made several visits to Danville Correctional Center and the Kane County Jail to record story readings for Sunday’s program. The storybook recording from Cook County Jail was made possible thanks to the group Contextos, which runs a writing program there. The show features sound-designed and scored recordings of incarcerated parents reading storybooks to their children.

The number of Black students in Illinois enrolled in college has dropped by more than a third over the past decade. A big deterrent is cost. 
 
 Need-based scholarships are one way of making sure more Black students can sign up – and finish school. 
 
 But this type of financial aid is becoming less of a priority for many schools.
 
 Instead, they’ve increased spending on scholarships that target students with high GPAs and test scores. 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip has the story. Host: Mary Dixon

Little Village is ranked one of the highest pollution-burdened neighborhoods in Chicago.
 
 Neighbors say public officials aren’t paying enough attention to the environment there. 
 
 So they are taking matters into their own hands by doing their own air quality monitoring.
 
 They are using low-cost sensors to document air pollution.
 
 WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco has the story.
 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Investigative reporter Jamie Kalven is urging the Chicago Police Department to do more to root out racist officers from within its ranks.
 
 A recent WBEZ-Sun-Times investigation found dozens of current and former CPD officers had joined the extremist organization the Oath Keepers.
 
 In his new piece in The Intercept, Kalven argues the problem of extremism goes much deeper than officers belonging to hate groups.
 
 And he says the department’s own complaint files hold the key to identifying officers who - in his words - “practice racism as sport.”
 
 Reporter: Jamie Kalven, Patrick Smith
 Host: Mary Dixon

More than 25,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last year. 
 
 Many carry the trauma of their harrowing journeys, but there’s a shortage of mental health providers to talk to. 
 
 So a parade of helpers is stepping up. 
 
 WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch brings us this story. Host: Mary Dixon

Prosecutors have played roughly 100 secret recordings to help tell the story of how Burke allegedly abused his City Hall power for private gain. 
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel brings us some of the recordings likely to ring through the juror’s minds as they prepare to decide Burke’s fate. Host: Mary Dixon

In recent weeks TikTok and Instagram feeds have been filled with videos of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups shouting each other down on college campuses across America. But off screen, steps away from the clashes and anger are college students on both sides of a seemingly uncrossable divide struggling with grief and fear.

The adjunct faculty strike at Columbia College Chicago is in its seventh week.
 
 To keep classes going, the college has replaced hundreds of teachers who walked off the job after Columbia cut hundreds of classes to fill a significant budget gap. 
 
 Many students support their part-time faculty, who make up the majority of professors at the arts-focused college. But some feel caught in a conflict that is making them question their place at the South Loop school. 
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko brings us three of their voices. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Illinois State Police say they’re using “clear and present danger” reporting differently than they did a year ago. Reporter: Alex Degman; Host: Mary Dixon

“The Latino community is very much a part of the fabric of the western suburbs, and a growing, thicker strand of that fabric,” says one civic leader. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Host: Melba Lara

For years, Cook County judges have been throwing out convictions tied to corrupt former Chicago police Sergeant Ronald Watts.
 
 Watts led a tactical unit that was under investigation for more than a decade for allegedly taxing drug dealers and framing people at a South Side public housing complex.
 
 Now, people who say they were framed by Watts are suing the city of Chicago.
 
 WBEZ criminal justice reporter Chip Mitchel spoke with our Lisa Labuz about what all these lawsuits could mean for taxpayers.
 Host: Mary Dixon

Hanukkah starts at sundown tonight.
 For many Chicago-area Jewish people, the Israel-Hamas war and rising anti-Semitic and anti-Islamaphobic incidents have added a somber note to the holiday.
 
 WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde spoke with a few people about what this year’s celebration means to them. Host: Mary Dixon

Rachel Goldberg’s 23-year-old son is among the 138 remaining hostages in Gaza, including people of different nationalities and faiths. Reporter: Kate Grossman; Host: Melba Lara

The Chicago Fire Department is wrapping up a tragic year.
 
 They lost four firefighters in the line of duty in 2023 – the first time that’s happened in a quarter century. 
 
 It’s forcing the fire department to find ways to support its firefighters as they grieve. 
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko reports. Host: Mary Dixon

Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration announced today it will not move forward with constructing a base camp to house migrants in Brighton Park on Chicago’s southwest side. Reporter: Tessa Weinberg; Host: Melba Lara

Inside schools, special education aides work closely with students who have a range of challenges, from staying focused - to navigating buildings with a physical disability. Chicago Public Schools has been rapidly adding these positions as it tries to improve its long-troubled special education program. But it still struggles to fill aide positions - There are currently more than 500 aide vacancies. As part of a series about the people who make schools run smoothly, WBEZ’s Sarah Karp talked to one aide. Host: Lisa Labuz

Inside schools, special education aides work closely with students who have a range of challenges, from staying focused - to navigating buildings with a physical disability. Chicago Public Schools has been rapidly adding these positions as it tries to improve its long-troubled special education program. But it still struggles to fill aide positions - There are currently more than 500 aide vacancies. As part of a series about the people who make schools run smoothly, WBEZ’s Sarah Karp talked to one aide. Host: Lisa Labuz

In recent weeks TikTok and Instagram feeds have been filled with videos of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups shouting each other down on college campuses across America.
 
 But off screen, steps away from the clashes and anger are college students on both sides of a seemingly uncrossable divide struggling with grief and fear.

There’s a remarkable run of blockbuster public-corruption cases filing through Chicago’s federal courthouse this year.
 
 Chicago Public Media is examining the defining issues facing our democracy and reforms proposed to strengthen it. 
 
 WBEZ’s Dave McKinney examines the effect all of these corruption cases are having on Illinois’ democracy and its voters.
 Host: Lisa Labuz

Marie Henderson runs Out of the Past Records. She’s seen the neighborhood change for the worse, but she said she is proud she’s “still here.”

Earlier this year, a man driving in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood was shot and killed.
 
 His car smashed through the front of LiFE restaurant on Madison Street.
 
 The incident is an all too-common tragedy for a neighborhood that struggles with violent crime. 
 
 It was also a major blow to the mom-and-pop eatery.
 
 Residents worried it would mean the end of one of West Garfield’s few restaurants.
 
 But Joe and Tonya Black - the husband and wife who own and run Life restaurant - repaired the storefront.

With Thanksgiving in our rearview … it’s officially the Holiday season.
 
 From twinkling lights to live music, Chicago has something to get everyone in the festive spirit.
 
 WBEZ Digital Producer and reporter Courtney Kueppers joined morning edition host Mary Dixon with a roundup of Chicago’s top attractions.

Traditional civics education teaches students about the government, quizzing them on things like who makes laws.
 
 But Chicago Public Schools has quietly revolted.
 
 Instead of just facts, students are taught that their voice matters.
 
 These lessons have had powerful ripple effects for schools and the students. 
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp explains.

The Chicago area is home to the country’s largest Palestinian American community.
 
 Generations started coming here in the early 1900s and it’s now considered a destination for some. 
 
 WBEZ’s Amy Qin spoke with Rundown podcast host Erin Allen about why so many people eventually settled here, and started with some history about Palestinian migration.

Drought, dust storms and sediment piles the size of skyscrapers are wreaking havoc on central Illinois farms. Can the next generation innovate fast enough? Reporter: Zachary Nauth; Host: Melba Lara

With the City of Chicago stretched thin helping thousands of Venezuelan migrants secure shelter and jobs, neighboring suburb Oak Park is trying to help. 
 
 But it hasn’t been easy for the western suburb to help about 160 migrants, underscoring that no one municipality can take on the crisis without more resources and collaboration. 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

At Sullivan High School in Rogers Park, almost 70 Venezuelan students are now learning English and catching up on months—sometimes years—of missed school. WBEZ met one Venezuelan senior as she prepared to sing a song from her homeland at the school’s fall concert.
 Host: Mary Dixon

Rising seas, hotter summers, and more rain are all on the way—and in some cases are already here. 
 
 The Biden Administration’s National Climate Assessment is out today and that means hotter and wetter conditions for the Midwest. 
 
 WBEZ and Grist’s regional climate reporter Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco joined host Mary Dixon to explain what it all means.

After 118 days, the Hollywood actors’ strike is over. 
 
 SAG-AFTRA and television-movie studios have reached a tentative deal. Union officials say the contract is valued at over one billion dollars.
 
 There are about 5000 SAG-AFTRA members in Chicago. 
 
 WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang sat down with a SAG-AFTRA actress based in Chicago. Sydney Charles has appeared in such shows as “The Chi,” “Shameless” and “South Side.” She says she is celebrating the news but has to recoup from the loss of the past four months. 
 
 Host: Lara

For decades, south suburban Harvey has weathered severe flooding.
 
 The city’s infrastructure is made up of combined sewers that are prone to overflowing during heavy rains. More than half of Harvey residents have reported structural flooding in their homes.
 
 Past storms have impacted hundreds of buildings – causing long-term damage to structures and roadways. 
 
 Now there’s a plan to temper those effects. But that plan would tear down some residents’ homes in the process.
 
 WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde has the story.
 Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s floor leader is resigning from his leadership posts after a chaotic City Council meeting last week.
 
 
 
 The meeting broke down over a proposed referendum vote on the city’s sanctuary status.
 
 
 
 Underlying the drama was a race for one of just three spots for citywide ballot questions that are allowed during an election.
 
 
 
 WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg explains how that limit leads to perennial gamesmanship over the issues voters get to weigh in on.

The father of the suspect in last year’s mass shooting in Highland Park has pleaded guilty to acting recklessly when he helped his son get a gun permit when he was underage.
 
 Robert Crimo Junior was scheduled to go on trial today (MON).
 
 Instead he struck a plea deal that means he’ll spend two months in jail and two years on probation.
 
 Crimo’s son - Robert Crimo the third - is facing more than a hundred criminal charges for the 4th of July shooting.
 
 David Struett from the Chicago Sun-Times has been covering the criminal case and was at the Lake County courthouse today.