WBEZ News

It’s been a month since the initial attack on Israel by Hamas. 
 
 Spiritual leaders in Chicago are helping their congregations deal with the onslaught of death and trauma. 
 
 They’re coming at it from a multitude of perspectives.
 
 WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde talked to different faith leaders about how they’re grappling with how to lift others up. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Veterans Day is next Saturday… and a group in nearby East Chicago, Indiana wants to rename a community center there in honor of a fallen hero from the Vietnam War. 
 
 Emilio De La Garza Jr. was only 20 years old when he sacrificed his life to two fellow marines in 1970 after an enemy soldier pulled the pin of a grenade. 
 
 De La Garza jumped on the grenade to shield his fellow soldiers from the blast – thereby sacrificing his own life. 
 
 He was awarded the Medal of Honor - the nation’s highest military honor for valor.
 
 But even though the city is majority Latino, there’s some pushback to the effort to rename the building for De La Garza.. 
 
 Robert Garcia is a councilman on the East Chicago City Council. 
 
 He joins us to talk about this effort.
 
 Reporter: Mike Puente

It’s been nearly five years since federal prosecutors slapped former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke with a corruption indictment … accusing him of using his power to steer business to his private law firm.
 
 WBEZ’s city politics reporter Mariah Woelfel and the Chicago Sun-Times’ federal courts reporter Jon Seidel will be in court every day, and bring us updates throughout.
 
 They join us now with a rundown of what to expect. Host: Mary Dixon

One small school in the southwest suburbs has been shaken to its core by the Israel-Hamas war.
 
 It's one of many schools serving Muslim or Jewish students that is struggling. 
 
 The school has had to confront hate, grapple with the pain of seeing their people killed, while at the same time trying to make their students feel secure. 
 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

For thousands of refugees arriving in Chicago, finding work is the first step to establishing a new life here. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Host: Melba Lara

In Chicago, the way buildings are heated, cooled, and made livable are responsible for about 70 percent of the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions every year. 
 
 Chicago is looking to join other cities around the country that have changed emission standards for new buildings. Activists say changes would help health, climate – and the pockets of homeowners.
 
 WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez- Franco has the story. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

With an average of five crashes a day, bicyclists have been involved in more than 16-hundred traffic crashes in Chicago so far this year. 
 
 The crashes leave some cyclists with thousands of dollars in bike repairs and medical bills. Most suffer from injuries, such as lacerations and broken bones.
 
 And some have even been killed.
 
 WBEZ’s Jessica Alvarado Gamez has the story of how cyclists say the city is not moving fast enough to keep them safe. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Six members and associates of a gang faction are on trial in connection with the 20-20 murder of Chicago rapper FBG Duck. Reporter: Tom Schuba; Host: Melba Lara

The sudden cold and snow in Chicago… is presenting new challenges for the thousands of migrants arriving here, on top of the difficulties they’ve had in finding adequate food, clothing and shelter.
 
 But as WBEZ’s Michael Puente reports, many of the newly arriving migrants are trying to make the best of it.

It takes an in-depth look at the different city departments’ efforts to bake in equity across government. 
 
 Candace Moore became the city’s first chief equity officer in 2019. 
 
 She spoke with WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde about how the report will affect Chicagoans … and started off by giving an example from the department of Streets and Sanitation.

Next week’s federal corruption trial of former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke will pull back the curtain on Chicago-style, scratch-my-back politics. 
 
 Burke is accused of using his position as an alderman, and chair of the powerful finance committee, to strongarm developers into hiring his private law firm. 
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel has more on how Burke accumulated immense power, and how it paved the way for his trial.
 Host: Mary Dixon

The Lillstreet Art Center on the Northwest Side has seen a surge in demand for beginner sewing classes. 
 
 In fact … sewing classes there have been FULL for the past TWO years. 
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko dropped in on a session and learned the fun and sometimes serious reasons why folks are picking up the craft. Host: Mary Dixon

Next week, former Chicago alderman Ed Burke will stand trial on federal corruption charges that he used his power in public office to make money at his private law firm.
 
 Though Burke won reelection in 2019 after the initial indictment and raid on his office, the charges helped put an end to his five-decade career in the council earlier this year.
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel brings us this look at Burke’s life, career and the power he amassed as the city’s longest serving council member.
 Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago and the surrounding suburbs have seen extreme rainfall events this year that resulted in significant flooding. 
 
 When those events happen, the floodwater that’s often contaminated with sewage makes its way through the storm drains to one of the water reclamation plants in the region so that it can be cleaned. 
 
 But that bears the question, “how do they actually do that?”
 
 WBEZ’s Noah Jennings went to one of the plants to find out.
 Host: Mary Dixon

Steel continues to be the dominant industry in Northwest Indiana -- as it has been for more than a century. While the mills have provided good-paying jobs for the thousands who have worked there over the decades -- they've also been a major source of air pollution. Reporter and host: Michael Puente

A year ago the Chicago Transit Authority made a pledge to fix delays and address the crime and grime that was keeping riders away from the system.
 
 It was called Meeting the Moment… and the goals were ambitious: make train and bus service more reliable…improve safety and the overall rider experience
 
 The CTA is claiming progress.. 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Claudia Morell

The Chicago Sky introduced their new head coach Teresa Weatherspoon at a press conference yesterday.
 
 Afterwards, the hall of famer sat down with WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout in an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss her plans for her first season with the Sky.
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cheryl Raye Stout

Educators in Illinois have a January deadline to draft a plan for improving how reading is taught. 
 
 The effort by the Illinois State Board of Education is part of a national movement to update reading instruction … so it matches what science says about the way kids learn. 
 
 Here to tell us more is Tinaya York. She helped write the first draft of Illinois’ literacy plan with educators around the state. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Kate Grossman

A dozen police officers from around Illinois appeared on a leaked membership list for the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist group.
 
 They include a state trooper, a state university campus cop and an officer for a village known as “America’s First Black Town.” These officers are in addition to the more than two dozen current and former Chicago police officials found on the leaked list.
 
 Many elected leaders say those officers should have no place in law enforcement and are pushing for new rules to be adopted to bar police participation in hate and extremist groups.
 
 An investigation by WBEZ, Chicago Sun-Times and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project found police departments have been reluctant to push cops with extremist connections out of their ranks. Reporters also spoke with people who said their lives were impacted negatively by officers with ties to the Oath Keepers. Host: Mary Dixon

Twenty-seven current and former Chicago cops appeared on the leaked membership list of the Oath Keepers — the anti-government extremist group that gained notoriety for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Now, a monthslong investigation from WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project has looked into those officers in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois, revealing the troubling records of some of those cops. Reporters Dan Mihalopoulos of WBEZ and the Sun-Times’s Tom Schuba spoke with people who say they had disturbing and racist experiences with officers who joined the Oath Keepers.
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

The people who spoke with WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times say the department should rid itself of cops connected to extremist groups.

The people who spoke with WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times say the department should rid itself of cops connected to extremist groups. Reporters: Dan Mihalopoulos and Tom Schuba

This year Chicagoans elected 65 people to serve on the city’s first police district councils. The job includes providing a forum for city residents to raise concerns about policing in their district and help address them. The councils are all up and running. But there’s no instruction manual for making sure they’re effective. Five months since the district council members took their oath, WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell checked in with one on the West Side to see how her work is going. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Chip Mitchell

This year Chicagoans elected 65 people to serve on the city’s first police district councils. The job includes providing a forum for city residents to raise concerns about policing in their district and help address them. The councils are all up and running. But there’s no instruction manual for making sure they’re effective. Five months since the district council members took their oath, WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell checked in with one on the West Side to see how her work is going. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Chip Mitchell

Abbott claims he is sending migrants to Democratic cities – without any coordination – to protest US immigration policies.
 
 But Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson says Abbott’s actions are a large-scale human smuggling operation. Reporter: Natalie Moore; Host: Melba Lara

Thousands of migrants in Chicago don’t have a permanent place to live or work. 
 
 The humanitarian crisis continues to grow as the city scrambles for solutions. 
 
 But one neighboring Midwestern state wants to help relocate hundreds – if not thousands – of those migrants.
 
 WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang has the story. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

More than 1.6 million people in Illinois have student loan balances. 
 
 And this month they have to make payments for the first time in three years.
 
 Advocates say the pandemic-era pause allowed people to buy homes and start families.
 
 One Brookfield woman says it allowed her to avoid becoming a statistic. 
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Philip reports.
 Host: Mary Dixon

As the seasons change, you might be thinking about updating your wardrobe with the latest fall and winter trends.
 
 But many Chicago teens are rejecting fast fashion.
 
 They’re turning to thrift shops for cheaper and more sustainable options.
 
 WBEZ’s Nereida Moreno stopped by a North Side thrift store to hear why some students are embracing secondhand clothes.
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Nereida Moreno

What does sanctuary status actually mean? Where does it come from? And does it actually affect the flow of asylum-seekers to the city? WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang sat down with Professor Kathleen Arnold – director of the Refugee and Forced Migration program at DePaul University. 
 Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Host: Claire Lane

More than a million Illinois residents are making payments on their federal student loans this month for the first time in three years.
 
 WBEZ is bringing you some of their stories – and what the pandemic-era payment pause has meant to them.
 
 Today we have the story of a borrower who was able to start his family.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Philip brings us into his living room in the southwest suburbs, where his toddler’s toys have taken over. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Lisa Philip

Johnson is pledging he won’t raise property taxes, saying the city’s budget gap will be plugged with rosier revenue projections and other money. Reporter: Tessa Weinberg; Host: Melba Lara

This month more than a million Illinois residents are making payments on their federal student loans for the first time in three years. 
 
 A pandemic era pause on payments ended in September leaving borrowers scrambling to adjust their monthly budgets. 
 
 In the lead up we asked borrowers what questions they have about their student debt.
 
 WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Philip shared their responses and some answers to their questions with our Lisa Labuz. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Lisa Philip

Community organizer Kennedy Bartley has long been familiar with Chicago City Hall.
 
 But never before has she had the type of access she and her group – U-W-F, United Working Families – do under Mayor Brandon Johnson. 
 
 28-year-old Bartley finds herself at the helm of a progressive political powerhouse during an unprecedented time – when Johnson is vowing to quote- “co-govern” with those who helped elect him. 
 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

The Chicago Transit Authority says it has had a surge in hiring and training rail operators in the past year. The conversation starts off with the CTA’s Chief Administrative Officer Tom McKone
 and includes CTA spokesperson Brian Steele. Reporter: Claudia Morell; Host: Susie An

In his latest book, historian and Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep offers a fresh take on President Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 Specifically, how Lincoln was able to navigate the political division of the mid-19th century - and how disagreements with his peers shaped Lincoln’s legacy. 
 
 It’s entitled Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded In a Divided America. 
 
 Steve Inskeep recently sat down with WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Cianna Greaves

Park the lawn mower. Put away the sidewalk edger. Building a climate resilient future may depend on it.
 
 Is the pristine, green lawn incompatible with life in a warming world?
 
 Botanist and Chicago-area native Joey Santore has a show called Kill Your Lawn and was recently in town filming.
 
 As part of our "Climate Solutions Week" coverage from WBEZ and NPR, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco sat down with him. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

The former football coach says he was wrongfully fired after a hazing and abuse scandal. Reporter: Lisa Phillip; Host: Claire Lane

Medical science has firmly established the importance of regular prenatal care for pregnant women. 
 
 But in Chicago, that care is not guaranteed for the city’s newly arriving migrants. 
 
 Of the more than 15-thousand who have arrived in Chicago so far, Cook county officials say they have treated more than 200 expectant mothers. 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cianna Greaves, Elly Fishman

After the hazing scandal in Northwestern’s athletics program broke this summer, president Michael Schill said, “Our student-athletes are students first.”
 
 Former football player Ramon Diaz says that was not his experience. He recently filed a suit against the university for enabling the alleged abuse he endured while on the team in the late 2000s.
 
 Diaz is now a therapist working with young athletes. He says student-athletes, particularly those of color, are brought to universities to win on the field, often with little attention paid to their academics and mental health.
 
 Diaz says that leaves them vulnerable to abuse. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Lisa Phillips

An experiment is underway involving trees. 
 
 Three identical gardens across Illinois, Minnesota and Oklahoma are growing thousands of Bur Oaks. 
 
 Scientists want to know how the oaks will respond to different climates, and how that could affect forests in the future. 
 
 As part of our "Climate Solutions Week" coverage from WBEZ and NPR Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco has the story. 
 Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is overwhelmed as they try to house a recent influx of migrants that have been bussed to the city.
 
 The pace of buses has been ramping up – with 10 buses expected to arrive today [TUES].
 
 So just how is the city responding to the more than 17-thousand migrants that have arrived in the past year and the growing need for housing ahead of winter?
 
 Joining us now to discuss the city’s plans is the mayor’s first deputy chief of staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas. Reporter: Tessa Weinberg

The popular 70s sitcom “Three’s Company” is enjoying a comeback in the U.S.
 
 People all over the country are holding parties in celebration of Helen Roper, the spunky, fashionable landlady.
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko attended a caftan crawl dubbed the Mrs. Roper romp in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood over the weekend and has this story. 
 Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Anna Savchenko

In 1977, Jimmy Carter was president. The original Star Wars was released in theaters. Michael Bilandic was mayor of Chicago. And prep sports were a big deal. And Chicago Vocational High School was the defending Public League champions in football. But that didn’t matter much to the upstart Wolverines of Simeon High School, also known as ... the Blue Machine. Reporter: Michael Puente; Host: Melba Lara

In the Chicago region, segregation is a way of life – as common as hot dogs and deep dish pizza. 
 
 But there are some public places where people of different economic backgrounds come together. 
 
 A pair of researchers recently studied where folks might “rub shoulders.” 
 
 WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang takes us to a couple of those spots. 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Last year, Black drivers were the subjects in 30 percent of traffic stops in Illinois … almost double the percentage it was nearly two decades ago.
 
 That’s according to an investigation by WBEZ and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity.
 
 Many Black drivers are left questioning if a routine run to the store or picking up their child from school could lead to being stopped by police. 
 
 WBEZ’s Michael Liptrot shares some of their stories and how some are fighting racial profiling in Illinois. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Michael Liptrot

State law and oversight board fall short of goals to collect law enforcement data and to reduce racial disparities in police traffic stops. Reporters: Matt Kiefer, Taylor Moore, Jim Ylisela, Michael Liptrot; Host: Melba Lara

The Chicago Park District has been spending BIG money to settle complaints from young women who worked as lifeguards.
 
 WBEZ first reported on rampant sexual misconduct at the park district’s beaches and pools in 2021.
 
 And now our investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos is revealing the costly legal settlements that have followed the lifeguard scandal.
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

Xavier Williams makes sure kids on the West Side get to class each day. “It’s another form of giving back,” he said. “That’s what I love about it.“ Reporter: Nereida Moreno; Host: Melba Lara

More than one million Illinois households are eligible for energy assistance to prevent shutoffs and excessive utility bills. 
 
 That money is being cut by nearly a third to 280 million dollars this year.
 
 That may leave many of the state’s low-income families confronting a harsh winter. Host: Lisa Labuz;
 Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

There is a big need to find permanent housing for the more than 14-thousand asylum-seekers who have arrived in Chicago in the past year. 
 
 That can take months, particularly for people who are newly arrived and lack documents and steady income.
 
 But a scrappy group of volunteers has been able to quickly move some migrants into housing through a unique program and the help of one landlord.
 Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Tessa Weinberg