WBEZ News

New research shines a light on the long covid patients suffering from neurological symptoms more than a year after contracting the disease. Host: Mary Dixon; Guest: Dr. Igor Koralnik

Two incumbent Democratic members of Congress from Chicago’s western suburbs are running against each other in this month’s primary. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Hannah Faris

Gender-based violence has been the shadow pandemic during the COVID-19 lockdown. Immigrant women struggling with domestic violence face additional challenges, including language barriers, immigration status and fear of police. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: María Inés Zamudio

Will Pritzker pay the same political toll as Rauner over deaths at a state veterans' home? Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dave McKinney

The state’s child welfare agency says it has nowhere else to put the children. Opponents call it cruel, and a civil rights violation. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Last week Chicago’s air was unusually dry, with dewpoint temperatures dropping to the 30s and 40s. Dr. Trent Ford joins to discuss climate in Chicago. Host: Melba Lara; Guest: Dr. Trent Ford

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church is using a funeral home for weekly services as it makes plans to rise from the ashes. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Adora Namigadde

WBEZ found that the big fundraising is done by schools where most kids aren’t low income, And increasingly, the money is going to hire staff. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Natalie Moore

The landfill in Waukegan will soon be home to 20,000 solar panels, part of a trend to reuse Superfund cleanup sites. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Caroline Kubzansky

WBEZ found that fundraising by CPS schools has skyrocketed since 2010. And the big fundraising is by schools where most kids aren’t low income. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

In recordings from a closed-door meeting, former park district board president Avis Lavelle said she left to relieve pressure on Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

In our series, Kids Ask, we hear from a 5 year-old curious about what an opinion is. Susie An talks to Dr. Marisha Humphries from UIC. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Susie An

Historian and WBEZ contributor Shermann Dilla Thomas, and midday host Lisa Labuz discuss the history and architecture of Quinn Chapel AME Church on Chicago's South Side. Host: Mary Dixon & Lisa Labuz; Producer: Cianna Greaves

Some Chicago Asian Americans want to make sure their heritage month is not forgotten. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Chicago remains a common scapegoat in gun violence debates. Host: Melba Lara; Guest: Dr. Kimya Barden

We hear how the pandemic changed everything for four local 2022 college grads. Host: Melba Lara; Host: Anna Savchenko

The data that could help illuminate disparities has never been public here. After a WBEZ inquiry, the state is evaluating whether that should change. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

An Illinois fifth grade teacher shares how she’s navigating the shooting in Texas with her students. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Susie An

Some teens at Waubonsie Valley High are so into the project that teachers have to prod them to leave the prairie and go to their other classes. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Susie An

The mayor’s push to amend the city’s curfew comes after a 16 year old was fatally shot in Millennium Park. Lightfoot’s amendment would change the current citywide curfew for teens to 10 p.m., seven days a week. The plan is scheduled for a vote in committee today and would still need full council approval. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

A complete re-design of the Field Museum’s former Native North America Hall opens today. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Lauren Frost

After an investigation found that students at small, majority Black and Latino high schools were steered toward JROTC, CPS pledged to make changes. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Alex Ruppenthal

“It’s like my soul left my body,” said Chanell Holliday during a visit with classmates of her son. He was fatally shot on Saturday near The Bean. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Susie An

North Lawndale College Prep's drama therapy class helps students express themselves and process their emotions through poetry. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

In 2019, WBEZ asked Lightfoot her thoughts on everything from the environment to crime. Three years later, we took a look at her progress. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Becky Vevea

Shermann 'Dilla' Thomas provides a lesson on lesser known history in Chicago, discussing the Jones brothers. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Lisa Labuz

Co-founder of Chicago Environmentalists, Katherine Tellock, speaks about the group's online guides to green and sustainable businesses in Chicago. Host: Melba Lara

Data from a new sensor network shows the highest rates of pollution in Little Village, Austin, Englewood, Irving Park and other neighborhoods. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: María Inés Zamudio

Alexandra Antoine has been creating community-informed art for years. Now she’s digging into the Garfield Park neighborhood and welcoming its residents to create alongside her. Reporter: Araceli Gomez-Aldana

State Rep. Delia Ramirez and Chicago Ald. Gilbert Villegas have name recognition on their side in the heated, four-candidate race for the newly created district. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

In a May 20 Chicago Teachers Union leadership election, teachers will choose whether to focus more on classic concerns such as pay, prep time and pensions. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

Census Bureau director Robert Santos tells WBEZ how the agency is rebuilding public trust after 2020. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Tens of thousands more people may seek abortions in Illinois. Hospitals and clinics worry they won’t have enough staff to treat them. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

Chicago's alderman have been at odds for months on remapping the city's 50 wards. WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel breaks down their 11-hour deal and what it means for voters. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford talks about this week’s hot temperatures and why they should be a cause for caution. Host: Melba Lara, Araceli Gómez-Aldana; Producer: Lauren Frost

The Archdiocese of Chicago’s "Renew My Church" reorganization wraps up later this month. Catholics in the area are feeling hope and despair as the project proceeds. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Adora Namigadde

Northwestern University sociologist Andrew Papachristos details a new analysis of public data about CPD members. The study finds that their misconduct, often portrayed as a matter of “bad apples,” is a group phenomenon and inflicts outsized harm in minority communities. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Chip Mitchell

A new racial equity study underscores frustration among students and staff, and the ways in which school leaders have failed to tackle these issues. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Sarah Karp; Producer: Lauren Frost

Illinois has long been an oasis for those seeking abortions, as neighboring states have restricted access. Kristen Schorsch explains what's ahead for the state if the U.S. Supreme Court finalizes a recently leaked draft decision. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

Chicago historian Shermann Dilla Thomas talks about Chinatown’s history of appointing an unofficial Mayor to represent their community. Host: Mary Dixon, Lisa Labuz; Producer: Cianna Greaves

In the last couple of weeks, Illinois has seen a high number of days with precipitation. Illinois State Climatologist, Doctor Trent Ford shares how this spring stacks up so far. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

The featured artists belonged to the South Side Community Art Center and their artwork spans from the center’s founding in 1940 through the 1980s. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Natalie Moore; Guest: Zakkiyyah Najeebah

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown talks about the initiative and the department’s efforts to improve its murder clearance rate. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Patrick Smith

The parents say the boy was relentlessly bullied but Latin didn’t inform them or investigate, as required by law. Latin strongly denies wrongdoing. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Susie An

The City of Chicago is examining how city governments around the world are using housing policies to promote wealth building in communities where a majority of residents are people of color. Professor Robert Chaskin on the research team shares specifics behind the study. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Natalie Moore

Police have blamed young people seeking joyrides for the uptick, but Professor Robert Vargas, director of the UChicago Justice Project, points to perpetrators with economic motivations. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Kenner, 65, has become synonymous with Whitney Young Magnet High School over her 32 years at the highly prestigious selective enrollment school. Host: Lisa Labuz; Producer: Lauren Frost

On Earth Day last Friday, dozens of people gathered in downtown Chicago to push for more green policies at Chicago Public Schools. We talk to Jelena Collins, a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School and leader of the Chicago Climate Youth Coalition. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

The funds, part of the federal government’s response to the pandemic, were budgeted for anti-violence efforts, but have not yet been spent. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project, suggest the department of corrections bears some of the blame for the convictions. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost