The Rundown | Chicago News (WBEZ Chicago)

Octavia Butler loved science fiction as a child, but she never saw any versions of herself depicted in the traditionally white, male genre.

“So at about 14 she said, ‘Well, I guess I have to write myself in,’” said Candace Hunter, the creator of a new Butler exhibit at the Hyde Park Art Center. “And she did. And she did it to much applause and much fanfare.”

Butler became one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of her generation, winning two Hugo awards, two Nebula awards and a MacArthur Fellowship before her death in 2006.

Hunter, who developed the exhibit, is a distinguished artist in her own right. She’s a longtime artist-in-residence at HPAC who creates collages, paintings, installations and performance art to tell stories about the nuance of injustice and human experience.

In her new exhibit, “Candace Hunter: The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E. Butler,” Hunter invites people into some of the worlds that Butler created. She explores themes like forced displacement – central to Butler’s “Parable” series – and racial integration – a key element of Butler’s “Xenogenesis” series.

“She takes so many heady topics and bends them into science fiction,” Hunter said. “She is giving you truth in palatable ways in which you can then start examining yourself.”

Hunter explained how sci-fi both shows us to ourselves and offers possibilities of what we can be. She also gave host Erin Allen a tour of the exhibit, which is open through March 3 at the Hyde Park Art Center.

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled his nearly $53 billion spending plan during his State of the State address in Springfield. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced a major development plan today that relies on borrowing $1.25 billion to pay for affordable housing units and other projects. The Chicago City Council is adding new restrictions to limit the spread of chain dollar stores.

A north suburban congressman is the second congressional Democrat from Illinois to call for President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid. Chicago Public Schools says it has figured out how to close a $500 million budget deficit. Chicago and Illinois leaders are speaking out against the violence over the Fourth of July weekend.

Illinois election officials are considering various security measures ahead of the 2024 primary elections next Spring. All those ads you see on CTA trains and buses are helping to keep ticket prices from rising. An Illinois healthcare program for undocumented seniors is pausing enrollments next month.

Chicago City Council members are being asked to greenlight a $27 million dollar settlement for yet another police chase gone wrong. Plus, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says he doesn’t want to raise taxes, but whether he needs to remains to be seen. A new study from UIC shows how safe people feel when guns are present.

Chicago officials have opened a new training facility on the city’s West Side for police and firefighters, but there’s some controversy. Early voting begins today for the city’s municipal election. The additional SNAP benefits tied to the pandemic are expiring in Illinois as of March 1.

The Trump administration this week cancelled $125 million in funding for infectious disease prevention in Illinois. Some small business owners in Chicago say potential tariffs are adding to an already uncertain economic future. Some Metra services could be gone for a long time if they get cut due to budget constraints next year.

Coming up - a new assessment shows major barriers in the city of Chicago’s mental healthcare system. Owners of a west suburban grocery store float plans to expand into areas with poor access to fresh food. Former U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger on his new book.

J. Ivy is a writer, narrator and poet who recently took home the first Grammy ever awarded in the new category of Best Spoken Word Poetry Album. “When I’m creating an album, I don’t listen to anybody else,” the multi-hyphenate artist said on The Rundown. “If I found myself sounding like anybody else I switch that up real quick.” He came by WBEZ and talked with Erin about the differences between rap and spoken word poetry, his influences and inspirations, and about how he produced the tracks on his Grammy-winning new album “The Poet Who Sat By The Door.”

The Jelly Belly Candy company will cease operations in North Chicago and lay off dozens of workers. Illinois ended its fiscal year with more money than expected. More than 1.7 million people are expected to travel through O’Hare and Midway airports this holiday weekend.

Workers started tearing down the Democratic National Convention at the United Center early Friday morning, and at least one expects to be working until 7 p.m. United Auto Workers at the Stellantis plant in Illinois could go on strike as early as mid-October. The Chicago Bears have reportedly traded for defensive end Darrell Taylor from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears say they are willing to put up $2 billion of their own money towards a new stadium in the city, but the statement from the team was light on other details. The state of Illinois is finally making available $18.5 million to assist and protect witnesses of violent crime. The conflict-ridden Illinois Supreme Court is letting convicted former Chicago Alderman Edward Burke keep his law license.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory, advocates in Illinois held a press conference today – vowing to defend the rights and safety of all immigrants. Illinois Republicans are bullish on a second Trump presidency. And many Ukrainian Americans in Chicago are worried about what Trump’s return to the White House will mean for their home country.

The Joffrey Ballet danced along a fine line for several decades: The company could either take big artistic risks or die trying. On more than one occasion, death almost won.

But, as any Chicagoan who looks skyward on State Street knows, the Joffrey lives on. Today, the Joffrey is Chicago’s preeminent classical ballet company. But nearly 70 years ago, it was a nascent group that co-founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino were trying to get off the ground in New York, with six dancers and a station wagon.

In this episode, WBEZ arts and culture reporter Courtney Kueppers introduced us to the pioneering and persevering spirit of the Joffrey Ballet through the lens of a new exhibit.

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The legendary performance artist Pope.L died in December 2023 at 68, and many of his contemporaries agree it will take years to unpack his work and its influence—if that is even possible. “At the basis of the work, I would say, is a riddle,” said curator Hamza Walker, the director of LAXART. “He was always full of questions.” Walker first met Pope.L in the early aughts and said he found his work both confounding and brilliant. We could dedicate a whole podcast to understanding Pope.L’s work, so in this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Walker to scratch the surface on Pope.L’s life and legacy.

The federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan may soon take its most hostile turn yet. Students defrauded by their colleges are losing hope they might get their debt canceled. The Illinois Office To Prevent and End Homelessness has a new report on disparities in homelessness.

Richard Hunt’s sculptures are all over the city of Chicago – at McCormick Place, Midway Airport, and too many more locations to list – and they’re all around the country too. With over 160 installations, Hunt is one of the most prolific creators of public art in America.

He passed away on Saturday. He was 88 years old.

In this episode, his friend and biographer Jon Ott explains why Hunt – born in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood in 1935 – was “one of the most important figures in art history.”

“He was using the industrial materials of the time,” Ott said. “Being one of the first artists in the direct metal welding technique that he used to create assemblage art out of discarded bumpers, steel parts, aluminum, copper.”

Ott tells us about Hunt’s upbringing on the South Side, his unexpected scholarship to the School of the Art Institute, and how the death of Emmett Till – who lived just two blocks from Hunt’s childhood home – profoundly changed his art.

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Fourth of July looked different in suburban Highland Park, which spent the day marking one year since a deadly mass shooting. Chicago officials are taking inventory of recent damage caused by torrential rainfall and flooding. Millions in state funding will be made available to help people navigate the court system in Cook County.

After three shootings in the Chicago area, including one where at least 23 people were injured, one fatally, an Illinois congressman reiterates that guns are the problem. A recent survey shows that more people would use the CTA if there was expanded service during the weekday. A private foundation is funding a memorial to victims of former Chicago Police Commander John Burge and his “Midnight Crew.”

Chicago police officials say they’re ready for the Democratic National Convention in August, despite a recent report suggesting otherwise. The lead organizer of a proposed birth center on Chicago’s South Side is asking state regulators for permission to open. A new study finds Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over by police regardless of where they drive in Chicago.

Illinois becomes the first state in the nation to effectively ban book bans. Chicago is set to receive $10.5 million in federal funding to help with the city’s migrant population. Planned Parenthood of Illinois saw a big increase in abortion care patients since Roe fell last summer.

As many as 10 tornadoes were reported in the Chicago area Monday night. Illinois Republicans are reacting to Former President Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate. Chicago alderpersons approved more than $11 million to settle allegations of gender and disability discrimination within the Chicago Fire Department.

United and American Airlines are asking Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to scale back expansion plans at O'Hare Airport. The Chicago City Council is tightening public access amid a slew of chaotic meetings. Faculty at Second City Chicago may soon go on strike.

On Chicago’s West Side, crews used the Juneteenth holiday to help seniors whose basements flooded last July. Many homeowners still need help to remove mold. Nine community organizations based in Cook County are receiving grant money to help the populations they serve manage diabetes and prediabetes. A new art project places the portraits of noteworthy Chicagoans on bus shelters across the city.

City of Chicago Warming Centers are open as temperatures dip into the single digits tonight. A new quantum computing campus is coming to Chicago's South Side. A federal judge is setting aside concerns about a government witness’ competency in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

When the four members of Third Coast Percussion were studying classical music at Northwestern University, they didn’t have much of a blueprint for building careers in a percussion ensemble. Twenty years later, they’re working with renowned composers and racking up Grammy nominations. “We’ve never been the stereotypical classical musicians,” said founding ensemble member Robert Dillon. And you can see it in their performances, where they blow into tubes and play flower pots. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Dillon and David Skidmore about 20 years of Third Coast Percussion.

The head of the U.S. Secret Service is in Chicago this week to tour the venues that will play host to the Democratic National Convention in August. A new study finds evidence of racial bias in Chicago traffic stops. The City of Chicago is giving out $600,000 dollars to nonprofits serving youth this summer.

Some employees at the Illinois capitol are turning up the heat as they try to unionize. Columbia College Chicago said it will announce staff layoffs by June 1st. It’s been 100 years since the murder of Bobby Franks by two University of Chicago students, a crime that inspired the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Rope.”

Chicago voters will start to receive their mail ballots this week – with one referendum question that is facing a lawsuit to throw it off. A new report on the racial wealth gap outlines steps for corporations and business leaders. The Latino Policy Forum has selected a new cohort of Chicago leaders expected to build bridges between Black and Brown communities.

Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor says JB Pritzker should be in the running for Vice President. A new report says crime rates in U.S. cities have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Southside Blooms, a non-profit Englewood flower shop that seeks to employ at-risk youth, has been tasked with making the DNCs floral arrangements.

Four neighborhoods in Chicago are developing ways to reduce gun violence through partnerships with public and private groups. Governor J.B. Pritzker touts $41 billion in spending on infrastructure. A hard foul at the Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game drew some controversy.

For Thanksgiving, the food may be taken care of, but what about the feels? Jordan Wimby AKA “The Melanin Martha” is a chef and culinary preservationist. She talks to host Erin Allen about prioritizing identity, community and healing when you’re cooking and creating space during the holiday season.

Chicago has finished its fifth month in a row with a drop in murders compared to last year. A consultant's report finds Illinois prisons at Pontiac, Logan County, and Stateville at Joliet are nearly inoperable. Beer enthusiasts from around Chicago descended on Bronzeville last night for the opening of the Turner Haus Brewery's flagship taproom, the only Black-owned brewery taproom currently operating in Chicago.

In a world full of dull, muted colors like “Greige,” “Sand,” Khaki” and “Millennial Gray,” The Color Factory offers an alternate experience.

“Color is so powerful. I think that that is undeniable,” said The Color Factory CEO Tina Malhotra. “You walk into a restaurant and the color of the restaurant has the ability to shape the way you think about what you're about to eat. It changes your mood. It elicits feelings. And I think that everyone's relationship with color is deeply personal because oftentimes it's connected to their own memories and their own experiences.”

The Color Factory is something of a museum, or what Malhotra calls “an immersive art experience.” There are locations in New York and Houston, and the Chicago edition is in the Willis Tower.

Rundown podcast host Erin Allen spoke with Malhotra about the multi-sensory experiences you’ll find at The Color Factory, how color and memory are intertwined, and how she and her team tried to make each location reflect the city it’s in, quite the project for a massive cultural center like Chicago.

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Chicago’s City Council approved tens of millions to aid asylum-seekers arriving in the city but the aid is only temporary. Shrink-flation is still showing up on store shelves and hitting consumers in the pocketbook. DuPage County leaders are talking about building their own pipeline to Lake Michigan, bypassing a continued agreement with Chicago.

Ọmọlará Mino is a social worker and educator from Englewood whose goal is to connect Black students with their African roots. “It’s all with the idea of us reclaiming our history, reclaiming our truths, reclaiming parts of ourselves that we’ve been taken away from,” she says. Mino is also a musician known artistically as Omo Nyame. As part of the “Chi Sounds Like” series from WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo, we hear some of Mino’s tracks, and she explains why she’s teaching Black youth to love their history in order to build up the next generation.

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Wing Yun Schreiber was experimenting with their gender presentation through fashion a few years ago when they realized they couldn’t access the clothing they needed. So they created godscloset, a community closet that provides gender-affirming clothing to trans and gender non-conforming people in Chicago – all for free. Wing Yun shares the birth of godscloset, the meaning behind the name, and what you can expect at the upcoming pop-up fundraiser on Feb. 19 in Humboldt Park.

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Illinois’ ban on high-powered firearms and large-capacity magazines will remain in place for now after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to consider a case against the law. A long-dormant idea of building a third Chicago-area airport in the south suburbs is being revived by Illinois lawmakers. A new study highlights the discrimination Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. have faced since the start of the pandemic.

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church broke ground on its new building today. Government mole Danny Solis is laying out how he helped steer developers to Michael Madigan’s law firm in the federal corruption trial of the ex-Illinois House Speaker. A non-profit addressing housing challenges in disinvested Chicago neighborhoods is getting a $15 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

Last week, the Supreme Court issued two rulings with big implications in the world of higher education. First, they ruled that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were unconstitutional, effectively ending affirmative action at colleges nationwide. The next day, they ruled that an executive action by President Joe Biden – one that would have canceled up to $20,000 in student loan debt for some borrowers – was beyond his authority, effectively killing the program. To explain what these rulings mean for future students and the millions of people who already have educational loans, we’re joined by Lisa Philip, WBEZ’s higher education reporter. She’s been gauging the reactions from borrowers, students, administrators and others.

Pegasus Theatre wraps up its 37th Young Playwrights Festival this week. This year’s festival features one-act plays by four Chicago high school students who worked with teachers to submit their work. Professional actors perform the winning scripts. “It was really empowering,” said Grant Parris, one of the playwrights. He and another winner, Alexander Loaiza, submitted their plays to the festival last year and are now freshmen in college. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Parris and Loaiza about what it was like to see their words come to life onstage.

A letter obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows 16 current or former employees of COPA, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, are calling on an oversight board to consider taking the first step toward removing the agency’s chief, Andrea Kersten. The leader of Chicago’s immigrant and refugee rights committee wants to hold hearings on how to remove barriers to housing for migrants. A new play about legendary Chicago columnist Mike Royko opens tonight at the Chopin Theater.

Illinois politicians hit the pavement on Tuesday as nominating petitions began circulating to appear on next March’s primary ballot for U.S. president and other offices. The Pritzker administration is rolling back some changes the state made earlier this summer to curb costs for immigrant health insurance. New Chicago Public School inspector general report shows some high level staff wrongly got federal pandemic loans.

The Chicago Teachers Union is continuing to lambast the head of Chicago Public Schools as he fights to hold on to his job. Two Springfield insiders are being named as alleged financial winners from a controversial state program. New lawsuits are attempting to get two incarcerated students in Illinois re-enrolled in their college program.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or a first-time listener, you’ll love the changes coming to The Rundown podcast. From now on, catch three episodes from The Rundown feed every weekday: morning news, a midday deep-dive conversation and afternoon news. We want to bring you all the Chicago news you need to get through your day. And with our midday episodes, we’ll help you discover new places, people and things to love about the city. In this episode, host Erin Allen checks in with morning news host Adora Namigadde and afternoon news host Lisa Labuz.

In traditional Chicago fashion, spring has sprung just in time for summer. While places like the Garfield Park Conservatory offer flower sightings year-round, this is the moment to get outside and see—or grow—spring blooms. In the final installment of our series on WBEZ’s culture guide, we get tips on where to wander through flowers around the city.

Years ago, Adam L. McMath was nervously debuting a documentary at the Black Alphabet Film Festival, which bills itself as Chicago’s first Black LGBTQ+ film festival. His film was called “Misunderstud,” about 10 masculine lesbians, and he said he and his producers got a standing ovation when the credits rolled.

Today, McMath is the executive director at Black Alphabet, and his goal is to uplift the next generation of storytellers.

“Now is the time to be a storyteller,” McMath said. “I want to uplift young folks that don’t think they can do it, and let them know that you actually can. It’s hard work, but it’s easier than you think to get into.”

In this episode, McMath explains when he first felt the power of film, how Chicago has influenced his work, and why he wants to keep telling the history of Black LGBTQ+ Chicagoans.

This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.

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Angie Leventis Lourgos began reporting on abortion access in Illinois in 2015. In the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she has watched the Midwest become even further divided over the issue of abortion rights. “It seems like the chasm between Missouri and Illinois or Illinois and Indiana has only widened,” she said. “I didn’t think that was possible because they seemed so disparate when I started doing this reporting.” Earlier this year, Leventis Lourgos published her first book, “Life-Altering: Abortion Stories from the Midwest.” She spoke with a number of abortion patients around the region about their experiences. The stories in the book span six decades: from illegal abortions pre-Roe, to post-Roe attacks on abortion clinics. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Leventis Lourgos about her reporting and the state of the post-Roe Midwest this election year.

Testimony concluded today from a key government witness in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain. A new lawsuit wants to hold the Illinois Department of Corrections accountable for the death of a man incarcerated in a dilapidated state prison. The last supermoon of the year will light up the sky tonight.

Illinois’ embattled child welfare agency gets a new director next month. Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan made a surprise appearance in his federal corruption case. Illinois will not reach an interim goal of reducing runoff pollution across the state’s waterways.

Illinois lawmakers are considering whether to renew a contract with a private prison health care company after hearing concerns over quality. Two migrant families who were kicked out of hotels after missing curfew by minutes say they haven’t heard from city leaders about other options. The Parliament of World’s Religions is meeting in Chicago this week.

The State Board of Education says school districts should set policies for how they want to interact with federal immigration officials. Local researchers warn Trump’s new restrictions on the NIH could slow scientific progress. The City of Chicago is partnering with The Shine Hope Company to help city residents fight hopelessness.

This November, WBEZ launches its daily news podcast. Host Erin Allen will keep you informed, tickled, geeked, and pondering on Chicago’s news, culture and people in bite-sized episodes each weekday. Subscribe today!

A pair of for-profit colleges in the Chicago area have abruptly shut down. The nonprofit HEAL Palestine is working to bring Gazan children to Chicago and other U.S. cities for serious medical care. Invasive jumping worms are likely to begin turning up in your garden beds and making a mess.

Dozens of new employees will have to be hired by the Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County now that the county sheriff is no longer allowing new adults into its electronic monitoring program. Illinois’ Attorney General is asking for more money from state lawmakers as he tries to plan his budget for next year. We’ll hear about a debt relief program for those with outstanding driving tickets in Chicago.

There’s a weird discrepancy in the field of particle physics: basically, it’s unclear why we all exist. All the matter and antimatter particles produced during the Big Bang should have annihilated one another, according to Sam Zeller, a physicist at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. But our presence on Earth – as well as the presence of Earth, and everything else – is evidence that didn’t happen. In an attempt to solve this mystery, Fermilab is conducting a new flagship experiment called the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, or DUNE. Zeller is the deputy director for part of the project, and she explains why they’re going to start blasting neutrinos from Illinois to South Dakota.

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Ennis Martin is a Chicago-based illustrator and painter known for paintings of big whales with big feet. He’s also an afrofuturism and science fiction fanatic. As part of the “Chi Sounds Like” series from our sister station Vocalo, Martin explains his path from the b-boy and hip-hop community to graffiti and eventually to sci-fi art. He says his sci-fi paintings aim to make sense of being human.

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If you ride the CTA, you probably noticed the system has a crisis on its hands. More and more, the city’s unhoused population is using trains and buses as a last resort to find a place to stay. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko explains the cause: a serious shortage in shelter beds combined with a pandemic-related increase in homelessness. Savchenko tells us about the roots of the crisis, what the city’s doing to intervene, and she talks about the social service agencies working to help the unhoused.

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Poet Tarnynon Onumonu grew up in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. She discovered poetry at 10 years old, and as an adult, she uses her writing to find community and healing.

“I’ve just always used poetry as a tool to activate my creativity, to return to myself, to feel comfort in difficult times,” Onumonu said.

In this episode, Onumonu meditates on how creativity helps her connect with herself and the world around her.

This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.

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Abortion rights groups in Illinois are defending access to an abortion pill. Thousands of Chicago Park District workers are preparing to strike for better wages. Some Cicero residents demanded the town spend more on flooding prevention at a town hall meeting Tuesday.

Most Christians celebrated Christmas last month, but this weekend, some others are just getting started. Orthodox Christmas is on Jan. 7, and Chicago has one of the largest Orthodox Christian populations in the U.S. Celebrations are underway this weekend, with delectable holiday food. So we turned to WBEZ producer (and former chef) Cianna Greaves. In this episode, Greaves tells host Erin Allen about some of the cultural and culinary traditions surrounding Orthodox Christmas, and where to enjoy them.

THC-infused seltzer beverages – you know, the kind that get you high – are becoming more readily available in local grocery stores and even for on-site consumption at a few Chicago breweries.

But, how is this legal? And should we expect a THC beverage boom in the near future?

To answer those questions, the Rundown podcast visited Hopewell Brewing in Logan Square, whose hemp-based, THC-infused beverage called Choom became available in February. We talked with Hopewell owner Samantha Lee about why they decided to offer Choom. We also ask reporter Steve Hendershot – who covered the trend for WBEZ – to give the lemon-lime seltzer a taste and to explain the legal gray area where these kinds of beverages exist.

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Joseph Perez is known to many as Sentrock – the muralist and street artist whose work can be experienced on walls, in illustrations, and as action figures across Chicago and the U.S. You’d probably recognize his signature character, a boy with a red bird mask named the Bird City Saint. Sentrock talks about the childhood yearnings and storytelling that inspire his work and how it manifested into a 3-room exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum.

If you drink socially, January might be a tricky month to give up alcohol. Even without snow on the ground, Chicago winters tend to force us indoors, and many friend groups and social events turn to bars.

Thankfully for Chicago’s Dry January participants, this city already has a growing map of sober spaces. To learn more, we talked to Cristina Torres, the founder of alcohol-free Bendición Bottle Shop.

“I like to think of this space as a blessing for sober people,” she said. “This is a safe space in a city full of alcohol.” In addition to selling non-alcoholic beverages and mocktail supplies, Bendición hosts a Sober(ish) Book Club and other events.

In this episode, Torres and host Erin Allen talk about finding and building sober spaces in Chicago.

This episode originally aired on December 30, 2022.

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Greta Johnsen is the host of WBEZ’s Nerdette podcast and a known super-reader, regularly knocking out at least a book a week. Rundown host Erin Allen talks with Greta about her favorite fall reads, new and old, where to find them (hey Libby!) and what a poll of readers is consuming right now.

Here’s just a few of the many recommendations in this episode:

• “Happiness Falls” by Angie Kim (2023)
• “Worthy” by Jada Pinkett Smith (2023)
• “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner (2021)
• “Throne of Glass” series by Sarah J. Maas (2012-2018)
• “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman (2011)
• “Who Fears Death” by Nnedi Okorafor (2010)
• “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt (1992)

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Do you remember the track ‘Mariposa’? It did significant rounds on TikTok during the pandemic lockdown. The group behind the song, Peach Tree Rascals, is about to wrap up a 19 show, 27-day tour. Ahead of their Chicago show last week, they spoke with Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez about their deep friendship, what it’s like to create a viral music hit and how they’re making their immigrant parents proud.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson works toward a revised Anjanette Young ordinance, Illinois lawmakers introduce a measure to punish students who sexually assault other students at school, and Cook County says more information is needed to make south suburban property taxes more fair.

The Chicago Board of Education has offered the head of the school district a buyout. Job recommendations Michael Madigan presented to Gov. JB Pritzker are emerging as a focus in the former speaker’s federal corruption trial. A snowy cold front means a windy afternoon and evening in the Chicago area.

A long election season in Chicago came to a close yesterday with Brandon Johnson narrowly eking out a victory over Paul Vallas in the race to become Chicago’s next mayor. Unofficial results show Johnson won by just around 15,000 votes out of over 550,000 cast. How did he do it, and what does his victory mean for Chicago? We take a look at what happened with Block Club Chicago investigative editor Mick Dumke, who breaks down the race and what we can expect after Johnson’s swearing-in on May 15.

Ukrainian-Americans in Chicago observed the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of their home country. Transgender teens and their parents are angry and frustrated after Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago paused gender care surgeries. The Chicago Park District is looking to fill thousands of summer jobs.

Early voting numbers in Chicago are lagging ahead of tomorrow’s primary election. The agency that investigates police misconduct in Chicago currently has 600 open misconduct cases. The Chicago Bears have traded Quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers in exchange for a draft pick next year.

Early voting is expected to resume Wednesday morning in Chicago and Cook County following a brief shut down. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf wants $1 billion of public money to help build a new South Loop stadium for the team. The Chicago area will see highs in the 50s as this year’s average February temperature continues to rise.

The list of candidates running to be Chicago’s next mayor is set after one last hopeful was kicked off the ballot. Illinois state senators passed a budget bill that would give themselves a nearly 20 percent pay raise. Lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates outline some priorities for Illinois’ spring legislative session.

The season of ‘Dibs’ is coming. Motorists, are you ready? Author, historian, and Chicago tour guide, Adam Selzer, talks about Chicago’s unofficial dibs tradition of saving a shoveled parking space, using lawn chairs – or, in his case, a frozen pair of pants. He’ll share some dibs suggestions, funny stories, and the legal piece of things, too.

Chicago is a hotbed for innovation in music and has long drawn crowds for concerts and festivals. This year is no exception. From the Sueños Festival in Grant Park during Memorial Day weekend to Babyface Ray and Rico Nasty concerts, the concert season is already up and running. In this episode, we talk to freelance music writer Alejandro Hernandez about his guide to the best spring concerts around the city.

Evictions in Cook County are back to pre-pandemic levels. More than 800 people were evicted from their homes in the month of May, the highest total in four years. Why? WBEZ data reporter Amy Qin explains her recent findings: that wages aren’t keeping up with rising rents, that eviction enforcement disproportionately affects Black residents in one South Side zip code and that Cook County’s eviction process can be particularly devastating. “It is a costly process. It is emotionally traumatic for people,” Qin said on The Rundown. “And I'm just kind of thinking, you know, is there a better way to resolve this?”

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he is prepared to resist Immigration Enforcement agents if they attempt to operate in Chicago once Donald Trump becomes president. Prosecutors show how former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan wanted to help a congressman’s son who’d been convicted of misconduct. New Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh had his introductory news conference this week.

The longtime chief of staff to ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been sentenced to multiple years in prison. Chicago Public Schools might finally be getting rid of the custodial management company that has long been accused of leaving some schools filthy. After the head of Chicago’s Howard Brown Health centers has stepped down, workers say they hope the new leader will prioritize their union contract.

A Chicago alderperson is calling for street festivals to have more security protections in the wake of deadly attacks in New Orleans and Germany. State officials will start working on a plan this year to give residents the option to use a digital copy of their driver's licenses and IDs on their cell phones. There’s a new Illinois law on the books addressing student discipline in non-public schools.

Nearly 2,000 migrants must leave Chicago shelters by February 1st under new deadlines on shelter stays. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson today publicly addressed reports of unsanitary conditions at city-run migrant shelters after new details emerged this week. Bitter cold returns to the Chicago area tonight; expect high temperatures in the teens both Saturday and Sunday.

City of Chicago officials plan to close three migrant shelters by the end of October since fewer people are arriving in the city. The state of Illinois is spending $6 million to bolster career training for people experiencing homelessness. The Chicago White Sox are just nine losses away from ending up on the wrong side of baseball history.

Sometimes a home isn’t a home until you’ve put your stamp on it – or embedded yourself in your community in a certain way. Austin Cantú has called Waukegan home for a long time, but it wasn’t until he started revitalizing an abandoned arts park that he finally connected with his father and his roots. As for Marco Lopez, home always meant being on the move. But now that he has a partner and a daughter, he’s ready to create something permanent in Chicago. These stories were produced by Andrea Flores and Cynthia Salgado as part of the NextGen Radio Project from WBEZ and NPR.

Illinois elected officials applaud a new law cracking down on crisis pregnancy centers. A new report suggests Chicago is slow to rebound from the pandemic in attracting new residents. The city of Chicago is moving forward with converting Broadway Armory Park into an emergency migrant shelter.

The state attorney general found the Catholic Church in Illinois didn’t report hundreds of priests and other clergy members accused of sexual abuse. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will gavel in a City Council meeting for the first time today. As Chicago prepares to host the Democratic Convention next summer, some financial experts question if the benefits will outweigh the costs.

Eric Williams said the inspiration for Bronzeville Winery hit him during the pandemic.

“At Mariano's it became ‘Club Mariano's,’” Williams said. “I mean, it was like music, it was DJs. And so I'm like, if people are getting down in Mariano's in aisle five, this can work permanently.”

Now, as they approach the two-year anniversary of their wine bar and restaurant at 44th and Cottage Grove, Williams and co-owner Cecilia Cuff say they hope their success can serve as a beacon for other business owners considering an opening on the South Side.

“There are people that generationally want what we offer, but they leave the community to be able to access those things,” Cuff said. “We shouldn't have to go downtown or to the North Side or out of the state to be able to have the same experience.”

“What Wicker Park is now, it's not what it was 25 years ago,” Williams said. “For me, what's as important to us as a business is the inspiration that it can have for other people to see that this is possible on Cottage Grove.”

Rundown podcast host Erin Allen talked with Cuff and Williams about winning the 2024 Jean Banchet award for best hospitality, the priority they put on serving Black-owned wines, and how they’re investing in the community of Bronzeville.

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Today marks the deadline for eighth graders to apply for a seat in a Chicago public high school outside their neighborhood. Paleontologists are working with Dinosaur Sue at the Field Museum to see why Tyrannosaurus rexes’ arms are so short. An online petition is calling on the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to rescind the honorary doctorate it awarded to Ye.

A state lawmaker from Chicago wants police to rethink how they conduct traffic stops in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods. An Illinois Senate proposal to ban single-use toiletry containers from state hotels is now moving to the Illinois House.

Alderpersons took a first step toward one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promises on mental health services. A heat wave is expected to reach the Chicago area this week. A church service this morning will celebrate the life of a former Chicago cop who stood up to police racism and won reforms.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s excited his friend Tim Walz, a fellow midwestern Democratic governor, is the party’s vice presidential nominee. The Illinois State Board of Education is launching an ad campaign to recruit more teachers statewide. The U.S. Women's Soccer Team – which features two players from the Chicago Red Stars – has secured a spot in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics.

Ten people are competing with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the February municipal election. Some folks are backing her, others are on the fence, and then there are those who never supported her and never will. WBEZ city politics reporter, Mariah Woelfel, gives us a sense of where people are coming from.

Illinois recently became the first state to ensure legal protections for child social media influencers. Illinois Republicans are embracing voting by mail as they prepare for the 2024 election cycle. Local volunteers aim to protect migrants arriving in Chicago from exploitation.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul likely isn’t going to take any action against hospitals in Chicago that have stopped gender care surgeries. Democratic attorneys general in 19 states – including Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan – are suing over President Donald Trump’s attempt to reshape elections across the U.S. The Chicago Cubs will play in their home opener at Wrigley Field today after a long stretch of away games to start the season.

The police officer charged with murdering Sonya Massey in Springfield is getting his trial moved. President Trump has reportedly frozen nearly $800 million in federal funding for Northwestern University. Cook County residents who struggle with big property tax hikes might get a one-time payment of $1,000 dollars.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first city budget passed. There are few details on a 60-day limit for migrants staying in Chicago city shelters. The Illinois Commerce Commission will issue its decision on the Peoples Gas $402 million dollar rate hike today.

Two Chicago hospitals are accused of ignoring years of abuse by a Chicago gynecologist. A small faction of City Council is continuing to condemn their colleague for attending a protest where an American flag was burned. A former Illinois governor wants voters to have a say on giving public subsidies to the Chicago Bears and White Sox for new stadiums.

Outside of the big speeches every night, what actually happens at the DNC? As it turns out, it’s a convention, filled with delegates hobnobbing, nail technicians issuing Kamala Harris manicures and vendors showing off everything from custom “Yes We Kam” patches to a collection of living, breathing, queen-worshiping bees. The Rundown podcast visited the DNC and spoke with a whole bunch of attendees who see the DNC in Chicago as a unique opportunity – for all kinds of different reasons.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is trying to keep Illinois’ ban on assault-style firearms intact while the state appeals a legal challenge to it. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was in Joliet today for the installation of the first electric vehicle charging station funded through the state Climate Equitable Jobs Act. The Chicago Sky will have the third-overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Northwestern University officials today released a “progress report” on efforts to combat antisemitism on campus. The CTA has long lagged in its goal to make all train stations accessible by 2038 — citing funding as the biggest impediment. Plus, the Chicago Blackhawks debuted two recent draft picks during last night’s 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club.

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Chicago plans to close five shelters for migrants in the coming weeks. Workers at a Chicago tortilla factory say they’re facing retaliation for trying to organize for better job conditions. Illinois health officials say respiratory viruses are trending down across the state.

Governor J.B. Pritzker reacts to the Supreme Court ruling tossing out a challenge to the accessibility of abortion pills. The Illinois Department of Public Health is launching a new data collection process to better track syphilis cases. The Chicago Bears wrapped up their annual organized team activities and are looking ahead to training camp and the preseason.