WBEZ News

As Harris is chosen as the first Black woman to be nominated vice president of a major party, Illinois Black women leaders say there’s more than one reason to celebrate. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

In Chicago many Black teens have been at the forefront of recent marches. They are part of a movement for social justice that began long before this summer’s wave of demonstrations. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad

Chicago resident Jeff Skrentny is spending 2020 listing insects, plants, birds and other natural things. Host: Becky Vevea Reporter: Jerome McDonnell

As COVID-19 cases climb in Illinois, some businesses are becoming virus trackers of sorts. They’re collecting information from customers that would normally be something public health officials would do. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

Chicago rapper FBG Duck was fatally shot in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood Tuesday. On social media many are mourning his death, while rival rappers are celebrating and mocking his murder. Host: Becky Vevea Guest: Lance Williams

With COVID-19 cases rising and pressure building, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS drop preliminary plans for both remote and in-person school. Host: Becky Vevea, Mariah Woelfel Reporter: Sarah Karp

Chicago’s first jury trial in months is underway at the federal courthouse downtown. It looks a lot different because of the pandemic. Jon Seidel covers the federal courts for the Chicago Sun-Times and shares what court proceedings look like in the time of the coronavirus. Host: Mary Dixon Producer: Mariah Woelfel

Some parents say in-person school isn’t realistic during a pandemic. Others say they can’t revisit poor e-learning plans. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Susie An

Experts say painless mouth and shallow nose swabs can be nearly as good as, or possibly better than, nasopharyngeal samples for detecting COVID-19. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Monica Eng

Visitors from hot-spot states are still coming to Chicago, saying they didn’t want to cancel their planned vacations or cross-state day trips. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

New data shows what CPS’ contract with police calls for: a full year's salary and benefits for 10 months of work. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Sarah Karp

First-year teacher Alexia Dukes spoke with her mentor, Maria Rivera, about how the pandemic changed everything. Producer: Bill Healy

Latinos are testing positive for COVID-19 at a higher rate than other groups, and that’s especially true for residents of East Chicago in Northwest Indiana. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Michael Puente

Mercy Hospital has served Chicago’s South Side for nearly 170 years. This week, it announced plans to close next year, citing financial problems. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

As school districts backtrack on plans to mix remote and in-person school, parents are divided on the push to start all remote in the fall. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Susie An

The pandemic has upended summer plans for college students, from internships to travel to jobs. Instead, many turned to summer school. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Kate McGee

Chicago-born music artist Juice WRLD had his life and career tragically cut short when he passed away in December. He was 21 years old. Earlier this month, his estate released a new album of his music called “Legends Never Die.” Host: Susie An, Mariah Woelfel Guest: Bekoe

In just the past two months there have been more than 850 shootings in Chicago. But throughout the city there are hundreds of anti-violence workers who have not given up hope. Host: Susie An

Do you need a car for drive-thru COVID-19 testing? Are self-administered tests accurate? Sadiya Khan, an epidemiologist at Northwestern University, answers these questions and more. Host: Lisa Lazbuz Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

During ComEd’s eight-year bribery scheme, the company won two lucrative bills – and customers across northern Illinois are paying for it. Host: Melba Lara, Lisa Labuz Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

After a memorial at Rhodes Funeral Home in Gresham ended in a gunfight, one funeral home owner says a shift in gang culture is to blame. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Monica Eng

COVID-19 cases are rising among older children. In Dupage County they now make up nearly 20% of all cases. Dr. Jihad Shoshara runs a pediatric practice in the county, and explains what that means. Host: Mary Dixon Producer: Mariah Woelfel

Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation in Chicago is just down the street from the funeral home where 15 people were shot earlier this week. Carlos Nelson leads the organization and has long championed revitalization of 79th Street. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Natalie Moore

Donna Clarke of Neighborhood Housing Services wants Chase to invest $1 billion, mostly in the form of home loans and small business loans. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Linda Lutton

President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr announced Wednesday that federal agents will surge into Chicago to help combat rising crime. Reset's Justin Kaufman broke down the president's remarks. Host: Melba Lara

Chicago Public Schools officials are proposing a back-to-school plan for the fall that includes in-person and remote learning. But with the COVID-19 crisis far from over, students and parents are mixed about a return to the classroom. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad

Chicago's entertainment venues have been shut down in the coronavirus pandemic. And now the owners of many small music clubs are banding together to ask Congress for help riding it out. Host: Mary Dixon Guest: Katie Tuten

Servers at Chicago restaurants say customers are risking their health every time they walk in the door. Governor J.B. Pritzker says if cases go up much more, indoor dining and bars could be first to go. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Vivian McCall

Police say they are working on a plan to return the bikes, but lawyers worry protesters could “implicate themselves” by showing up in person. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Monica Eng

The Chicago History Museum acquired more than five million images and negatives that belonged to the newspaper. In a new exhibit over 80 years of Chicago history is on display, as captured by photographers at the Chicago Sun-Times. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Carrie Shepherd

As the electric utility Commonwealth Edison pays a $200 million fine, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has denied wrongdoing. "He has never made a legislative decision with improper motives," a spokeswoman said. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Tony Arnold

CPS released a plan Friday, days after the Chicago Teachers Union said it wanted remote learning only this fall. Most students will be in schools two days a week and, on the other three days, learn remotely or work on assignments from home. Host: Melba Lara, Mariah Woelfel Reporter: Sarah Karp

A few years ago, a mutual friend introduced Haley Fitzsimons to the man who would later become her husband. She talked to Kevin for StoryCorps Chicago about meeting in person for the first time. Producer: Bill Healy

School districts in suburban Chicago are releasing their reopening plans for the fall, and it’s clear things won’t be the same. Plans vary from in-person instruction to going fully remote for the start of the year. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Susie An

Soon after the pandemic hit Illinois, numerous nurses and doctors told WBEZ that a chaotic and stressful work life was harming their emotional well-being. We check back in with a few of them to see how COVID-19 has changed their lives since. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

Universities are preparing to welcome students back for on-campus learning but one professor says schools aren’t doing enough to protect the health of the host communities. Host: Mary Dixon Guest: Sheldon Jacobson

Threewalls gallery in Humboldt Park awarded $32,000 to seven Chicago artists and one duo to develop projects that address racial justice issues where they live. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Carrie Shepherd

An estimated 1,200 people are kept behind bars in Illinois every year even though they’ve completed their sentences. With COVID-19 spreading in prisons across the country and the state, the problem has taken on new urgency. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Jessica Pupovac

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfood is ordering travelers coming from 15 states where COVID-19 cases have increased drastically to quarantine for 14 days. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad

Any Illinoisan who’s voted since the 2018 midterms automatically will get an application to vote by mail in the November Third elections. A new state law is meant to make it easier to cast a ballot in high-profile presidential years. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Claudia Morell

In the North Kenwood neighborhood, music has filled the air every evening for the past three months. The source: The front porch of a music-loving couple. Host: Melba Lara Reporter: Carrie Shepherd

Roughly 4,000 new teachers will join the profession this fall after an interruption in their training and a crash course in remote learning. Host: Lisa Labuz Reporter: Susie An

Black Americans are forever reminded of their complicated relationship to this country. They know this country often doesn’t love them back. Host: Susie An Author: Natalie Moore

Its been a violent summer in Chicago, with more than 400 shootings and 89 people were murdered in June, according to police. The people doing the shooting are traumatized themselves and often driven by righteous anger, say violence prevention workers. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Patrick Smith

Murders in Chicago continue at their highest pace in three years, and there’s renewed attention at the toll that gun violence is taking on children. 
 
 Host: Melba Lara
 Reporter: Odette Yousef

Some community groups are throwing out a bold proposal to address disinvestment on the West and South Sides: How about a thousand new single-family homes on each side of town? Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Linda Lutton

Some community groups are throwing out a bold proposal to address disinvestment on the West and South Sides: How about a thousand new single-family homes on each side of town? Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Linda Lutton

Some community groups are throwing out a bold proposal to address disinvestment on the West and South Sides: How about a thousand new single-family homes on each side of town? Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Linda Lutton

The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership will hire community organizations, which will then be tasked with recruiting 600 contact tracers by mid-September. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Kate McGee

Next school year is around the corner and with the pandemic far from over, school officials across Illinois are figuring out back-to-school plans that fit the needs of their communities. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad