WBEZ News

The board president and chief executive were told that an unfolding probe involved 34 subjects at seven beaches and three pools, eight months before WBEZ made it public. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

The battle to keep the Bronzeville hospital open eroded trust among South Side residents Mercy served – and it highlights the obstacles to providing healthcare to the people who need it most. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

The NHL fined the team $2 million after an internal review found leaders kept a player’s allegations against a then-assistant coach quiet for weeks during its 2010 run for the Stanley Cup. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Tony Arnold

TikTok historian Shermann Dilla Thomas on the notorious housing project Cabrini Green, and the real-life crimes that inspired the 1992 horror classic Candyman. Host: Mary Dixon, Lisa Labuz; Producer: Cianna Greaves

Gloria Barerra, a school nurse at a suburban high school, says the job responsibilities for nurses have grown exponentially since the pandemic began. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Susie An

For about the past decade, Lake Superior has seen increasing blooms of blue-green algae. Chicago Tribune environmental reporter Morgan Greene details the possible connection between climate change and cyanobacteria. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

The 170-year-old Bronzeville institution treated the neediest and was rescued from closure for $1. Here’s why hospitals like it are on life support. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

One community in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood welcomed the return of trick-or-treating with a glow stick dance party for kids. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Adora Namigadde

New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics shows that exposure to police — under any circumstances — has negative health effects on Black youth. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Guest: Dr. Monique Jindal

As students settle into the new school year, teachers are beginning to understand how much learning they missed last year during the pandemic. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad

At DePaul University, the answer is a tentative “Yes," along with caution when searching for a quick fix for equitable access to higher ed. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Anna Savchenko

Pam’s reception desk, Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O and Michael’s “World’s Best Boss” mug are all on display at the interactive museum in Chicago.

With celebrities and public officials in tow, celebrations kicked off Tuesday with a parade at Wintrust Arena and ended with a rally at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Michael Puente

As the pandemic continues, Little Village social worker Melony Espinoza is helping students embrace the return to school. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

What’s the relationship between the climate in Illinois, and your favorite fall-time squash? We ask Illinois State Climatologist, Doctor Trent Ford how climate affects the growth of the local pumpkin crop. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

Chicago historian and TikTok personality Shermann “Dilla” Thomas talks about honoring the life and legacy of Chicago historian, Timuel Black Jr. Host: Mary Dixon; Producer: Cianna Greaves

Black strategized with Martin Luther King Jr., challenged the Democratic Party machine and fought to desegregate housing and public schools. Host: Araceli Gomez-Aldana; Reporter: Natalie Moore

As the Chicago Sky were striving for their first WNBA championship, WBEZ heard from fans about why they like following the league. Host: Araceli Gómez-Aldana Reporter: Lauren Frost

This fall, after a year when many students stayed home, classroom antics are more serious and frequent... including some prompted by social media challenges. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Susie And

Northwestern University Professor Andrew Papachristos speaks about the early promises of an anti-violence strategy known as street outreach. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is playing politics with the city’s murder crisis, in the latest back-and-forth over who is to blame for the city’s gun violence epidemic. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Patrick Smith

This fall, WBEZ education reporters are checking in with students and educators to see how in-person learning is going as the pandemic continues. Reina Torres is a junior at Curie High School on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad

Doctor Christy Rollinson from the Morton Arboretum speaks with WBEZ's Greta Johnsen on whether periods of drought, and above-normal temperatures this summer will impact autumn leaves. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

There's a new winged dinosaur in the scientific record. Doctor Jingmai O'Connor, paleontologist and associate curator of fossil reptiles with the Field Museum, helped find it. Host: Mary Dixon; Producer: Cianna Greaves

Curtis Harrison, the owner of a sprawling Buick convertible, takes an evening cruise and shares his love of classic cars from the ’70s. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Chip Mitchell

Some Chicago parents are getting ready to go back inside schools, to help students and teachers in the classroom. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad

The singer’s Chicago attorney says Kelly’s Brooklyn defense team made a mistake by trying to “victim blame” witnesses. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Patrick Smith

WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz spoke with Chicago historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas about what the American Negro Exposition in 1940 meant for Chicago. Host: Mary Dixon; Producer: Cianna Greaves

Greg Johnson, the district superintendent of Oak Park and River Forest High School in the western suburbs, shares what it’s been like this year, adjusting back to in-person learning as the pandemic continues. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Susie An

Doctor Juanita Mora, an allergist with the Chicago Allergy Center and a spokesperson for the American Lung Association, talks about the effect of climate change on allergies. Host: Lisa Labuz; Producer: Lauren Frost

A civil-rights group wants the governor to commute sentences for 43 people whose mental health and behavior deteriorated in solitary. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Shannon Heffernan

Chicago Public Schools enrollment is down by at least 10,000 students this fall. It has dropped by more than 24,000 since the pandemic began. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp, Adriana Cardona-Maguigad

Tiffany Baker was 17 and in foster care when she met social worker Terri Treiman. Decades later, the two spoke at StoryCorps about the meaning of their relationship. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Bill Healy

Many years ago, John Wahlfeldt’s wife bought him a book about a mostly forgotten tunnel system beneath downtown Chicago. Host: Mary Dixon; Producer: Bill Healy

Carter Wagner first came out to his parents when he was 12. Now a freshman in college, he and his mom revisit their earlier conversation at the StoryCorps booth. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Bill Healy

Arianna Hermosillo and Irakere Picon met in 2011 on their way to an anti-immigration protest. Seven years later they got engaged at the StoryCorps booth in Chicago. Producer: Bill Healy

Anja Herman first visited the StoryCorps booth in 2015, when she was nine. Now 15, she and her aunt reflected on their conversation about living with a physical disability. Producer: Bill Healy

Sonia Wang's parents wanted her to become a lawyer or doctor, but instead she became a teacher. In 2015, Sonia Wang visited the StoryCorps booth with Ji Yoon Noh, a young woman she mentors, who was curious about how Sonia’s parents handled her career choice. Producer: Bill Healy

High school students in Chicago are adjusting to new classroom routines. But some are having a hard time following their school’s dress code. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad

Critics say Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan is an impractical political stunt and will do more harm than good. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Ellen Hughes feared the worst when her son, Walker, bit her while on the way into the ER. Then a public safety officer “worked a miracle." Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Bill Healy

We revisit a story from 2014, featuring Bobby Hart talking with his wife, Meg, who was 37 weeks pregnant at the time. Were they prepared for what came next? Host: Mary Dixon; Producer: Bill Healy

Doctor Scott Collis, atmospheric scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, shares when can we attribute persistent unusual weather to climate change. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

Lisa Daniels’ son was killed four years ago. But she’s made her peace with the person accused of shooting him. Producer: Bill Healy

When he was in middle school, Garry Mitchell, Jr.'s dad showed up at the principal’s office to make sure he got into advanced classes. As part of our StoryCorps Chicago finale this week, we’re listening back to some of the powerful conversations recorded over the years. Host: Mary Dixon; Producer: Bill Healy

We visit two vacant lots on the West Side that are part of opening weekend for the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Linda Lutton

Most Illinois schools haven’t started weekly COVID-19 saliva testing despite being several weeks into the school year. Lisa Schencker of the Chicago Tribune explains why. Host: Melba Lara; Producer: Lauren Frost

Lorraine Hansberry's famed play brought the story of a Black family on the South Side of Chicago to Broadway. A new exhibit reimagines its themes. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Natalie Moore

The city of Chicago recently began a pilot program that trims back the role of police in responding to 911 calls about mental-health crises. Matt Richards of the Chicago Department of Public Health shares details on how that effort is going. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Chip Mitchell

Some of the youngest Chicago Public School students are having a hard time adjusting to in-person learning after a year of learning at home. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad