WBEZ News

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

A bill filed last week would allow qualified individuals, not medical professionals, to self-administer a medication to end their lives. Reporter: Alex Degman; Host: Claire Lane

From Coffee Meets Bagel to eHarmony to Tinder… there is a wide selection of dating apps people can use to find love.
 
 But some religious people find the most popular secular apps don’t help them connect with others who share their deepest values. 
 
 Ahead of Valentine’s Day, WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde interviewed several folks about the pros and cons of turning to religious dating apps instead.
 Host: Mary Dixon

Midwest tribal leaders are challenging a pipeline that pumps a million gallons of oil daily beneath a gap between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco; Host: Claire Lane

Today is Fat Tuesday – a day of excess marked by feasting on decadent cakes and pastries. 
 
 Some celebrate with King Cakes and Paczki … but in Sweden, the Semlar bun is the pastry of choice.
 
 WBEZ producer Cianna Greaves visited the Swedish American Museum in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood to see how the sweet treats are made….
 Host: Mary Dixon

Chicagoans have a big choice to make in the upcoming March primary election — 
 
 Whether to support an increase to a one-time tax when properties over $1 million dollars are sold, in order to fund homelessness prevention. 
 
 Progressive organizers with the support of Mayor Brandon Johnson are facing stiff opposition from real estate groups and commercial property owners. 
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel reports. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Mayor Brandon Johnson campaigned on a promise to remake the Chicago Public Schools. 
 
 And nine months into his term as mayor, his appointed school board is moving forward with making those changes a reality.
 
 But he’s facing pushback and financial constraints. 
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp and Nader Issa from the Sun-Time are here with more details.

The family of two Palestinian American brothers in Gaza says the pair were taken by Israeli soldiers in a raid on their shelter. Reporter: Nader Issa; Host: Lisa Labuz

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is starting to roll out an ambitious education plan.
 
 As a former organizer for the ultra progressive teachers union, this is where Johnson
 wants to leave his mark.
 
 He envisions a system where there are no losers. It’s a radical idea in an under-resourced district where some kids are relegated to schools of last resort. 
 
 And he’s putting Springfield on notice — he wants the state of Illinois to pay for it. 
 
 Reporters from WBEZ and the Sun Times sat down with Johnson on the fifth floor of City Hall.
 Reporter: Sarah Karp; Host: Mary Dixon

Federal data shows more than 40-million Americans have started college and then dropped out.
 
 And economists say the number of good-paying jobs that require a degree is only going up.
 
 That makes finishing school an important step towards earning a living wage. 
 
 But there’s one big hurdle many people face when trying to re-enroll.
 
 WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip has more. Host: Mary Dixon

Sheriff Tom Dart cites pay hikes for corrections employees and the expense of managing detainees with addiction or health issues. We analyzed the numbers. Reporter: Chip Mitchell; Host: Melba Lara

With the CTA planning to extend the Red Line out to 130th street, residents of Chicago’s Far South Side have been invited to their share of official planning meetings.
 
 Recently a group of middle schoolers turned the tables, laying out for city planning officials what they want in their community.
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp was there. 
 Host: Melba Lara

In far southern Illinois – a conservative congressman like incumbent Mike Bost would ordinarily be a shoo-in for reelection.
 
 But he faces a serious challenge in the March 19th primary from a fellow Republican who says Bost’s voting record isn’t good enough – even though Bost was in line with former President Donald Trump 94 percent of the time.
 
 WBEZ’s Alex Degman reports. Host: Mary Dixon

Migrants living in Chicago shelters are under pressure to find a permanent place to live.
 
 The city has set another deadline to start evicting people. Now it’s mid-March.
 
 But not having a job or steady income makes it nearly impossible for these newcomers to find an apartment. 
 
 WBEZ’s immigration reporter Adriana Cardona Maguigad explains why. Host: Mary Dixon

A state of Illinois scholarship that sent thousands of students to private schools over the last five years is coming to an end this June.
 
 It’s left the families that relied on it worried about paying higher tuition costs come fall… 
 
 … and people divided over taxpayer support for private schools. 
 
 WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko visited Saint Frances of Rome, a Catholic school in the west suburbs that has been deeply affected by the cuts. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Brookfield Zoo in Chicago’s western suburbs says for a donation, they will name a cockroach after your ex for Valentine’s Day. Reporter: Lauren Frost

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra this week wrapped a three-week international tour.
 
 It was the orchestra’s first major overseas showcase since the pandemic. 
 
 This was also the final tour with retiring maestro Riccardo Muti, who has had a sizable impact on the sound of the CSO. 
 
 Chicago-raised flutist Emma Gerstein was hired by Muti in 2017. 
 
 She filed this audio diary from tour, in Vienna and Budapest. 
 Reporter: Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Elly Fishman

Five doctors with the Chicago-based aid organization MedGlobal recently returned home to the U.S. after volunteering in Gaza for 15 days.
 
 WBEZ reporter Adora Namigadde spoke with MedGlobal President Doctor Zaher Sahloul about his time in Gaza. Host: Mary Dixon

The previous farm bill, which governs a huge range of food and land programs, was extended but expires this fall. Reporter: Lauren Frost; Host: Melba Lara

For months, Chicago’s City Council has been arguing about how to weigh in on an international crisis that it may have little power over, but that many residents are deeply affected by.
 
 And the tense debate over the war between Israel and Hamas is expected to continue in council chambers today (wed), but this time – an actual vote on a cease-fire resolution is expected. 
 
 WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel has more about the mounting pressure on city council to act. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

Election officials say the stakes couldn’t be higher to find poll workers as we head into a presidential election.
 
 But low pay and long hours can make it a challenging position to fill – meaning they need to find new ways to recruit tens of thousands of people to staff the polls ahead of Illinois’ March 19th primary.
 
 As part of the Democracy Solutions Project, WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg reports on the search for poll workers. 
 Host: Mary Dixon

A new sober music series debuted Tuesday at The Empty Bottle in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. 
 
 The first Nothing/Assumed night featured local acts along with non-alcoholic cocktails. 
 
 Barworkers and musicians say it's a welcome lifeline in an industry known for excess. 
 
 Lillie West is an indie rock musician and songwriter. 
 
 We spoke earlier about how recovery has changed the way she approaches her art. 
 Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cianna Greaves

Thousands of migrants living in Chicago are trying to figure out where to get help with their pending immigration cases or work permit applications. 
 
 Some migrants living in city shelters are getting help from government officials and local agencies. 
 
 So far about 1,000 people have received work permits through those efforts. 
 
 But many more living outside shelters are trying to figure out how and where to seek help. 
 
 WBEZ’s immigration reporter Adriana Cardona Maguigad is here to talk about it. Host: Mary Dixon

Charter schools in Chicago face a reckoning.
 
 Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Chicago Board of Education is highly skeptical of these privately run, but publicly funded, schools. These board members get their first chance to put charter schools on a tighter leash. They will consider contract renewals for 49 charters, serving 28,000 students.
 
 WBEZ’s Sarah Karp explains the ongoing debate behind this vote. Host: Mary Dixon

A night out at Silent Book Club, where everyone’s a bibliophile

The Army Corps of Engineers plans to build a billion dollar, high-tech barricade on the Des Plaines River. The goal is to deter invasive carp from traveling farther up Illinois’ waterways and reaching Lake Michigan. 
 
 Scientists worry that there is increasingly an opportunity for the carp to make it through and turn the lake upside down. Reporter: JuanPablo Franco Ramirez; Host: Mary Dixon

South Suburban Ford Heights hasn’t had a library in about 30 years. 
 
 But residents are still taxed for library services.
 
 Where the money goes … is a mystery.
 
 WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde set out to find some answers and discovered the village has collected more than 100-thousand dollars in taxpayer money over the last decade, but no one will answer for it.

At her graduation last month, Jenin Alharithi walked onto stage and unfurled a banner with a message for University of Illinois leaders: Divest from genocide. 
 
 Alharithi s one of thousands of students across the country demanding their universities stop investing in companies doing business with Israel because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
 
 It’s a controversial ask – some supporters of Israel find the whole concept offensive.
 
 But it got W-B-E-Z higher education reporter Lisa Kurian Philip thinking: What do universities invest in, and why? Host: Mary Dixon

Illinois has a program that provides free or affordable childcare to low-income families, including at home-based daycares. 
 
 More than 15 thousand of those providers are currently in contract negotiations with the state. They’re bargaining over pay and retirement, as more and more workers leave the field because of low wages – and lack of benefits.
 
 WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang takes a look at what advocates call “the workforce behind the workforce.” Host: Mary Dixon

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

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

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

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

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