City Cast Chicago

This week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order authorizing police to immediately enforce a 10 p.m. curfew for Chicago minors, who also aren't allowed in Millennium Park past 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday without a “responsible adult.” This is Lightfoot’s response to the death of 16-year-old Seandell Holliday, who was shot and killed near the Bean over the weekend. The mayor says these...

After nearly 30 years at the helm, Joyce Kenner is retiring as principal of Whitney Young high school. The CPS selective enrollment school is routinely ranked among the top in the country, and you probably know some of their alumni like Michelle Obama. As the school year winds to a close, Kenner talks with host Jacoby Cochran at the school’s West Loop campus about her legacy, the culture she sough...

Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson most recently made headlines as the giver of free gas, but have you wondered where he gets his giveaway money? The story starts with a global, but Chicago-based company: McDonald’s. Wilson started as a custodian at a McDonald’s in 1970, moving up to manager, and eventually franchise owner, setting the stage for him to make his fortune. Even though not every McDonald...

The 2022 Bears schedule is now official, which means plenty of fans will be booking their flights across the country. But what's the best trip for every Chicago sports team? Jacoby Cochran was invited on CHGO Sports' latest episode of THE Chicago Sports Podcast to share his dream destinations.  Subscribe to THE Chicago Sports Podcast at CHGO

City Cast producer Simone Alicea is in the host chair this week to dig into some top stories around Chicago. She’s joined by two of the hosts of one of her favorite podcasts, “Hello from the Magic Tavern,” an improvised comedy chat show set in a fantasy world. Arnie Niekamp plays a fictional version of himself who fell through a magical portal in Chicago, and Matt Young plays his wizard co-host. S...

Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District was redrawn last year to include more of Chicago’s Northwest Side, including gentrifying neighborhoods like Logan Square and Avondale and longtime Latinx areas like Hermosa and Belmont Cragin, to western suburbs including Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. Two Democratic candidates have some name recognition as current office holders: Gilbert Villegas is 36th Ward alderma...

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tapped Bally’s to be the first and only casino operator in Chicago. The decision still needs full City Council approval. The Bally brand actually started here in Chicago 90 years ago as part of a company called Lion Manufacturing, and they created an early pinball game called Ballyhoo. The company expanded to slot machines, arcade games, and eventually even amusement parks...

The reigning WNBA Champion Chicago Sky began the 2022 season last Friday at home against the LA Sparks. Like most of the WNBA, the Sky are not yet at full strength with last season’s Finals MVP Kahleah Copper still playing overseas. The Sky were in a position to win the game but lost 98-91 in overtime. Don’t worry though it’s just one game with a long road ahead. Host Jacoby Cochran sat down with...

Chicago Public Schools’ enrollment has dropped by more than 100,000 students in the last twenty years. And in Chicago, fewer students mean less money for a school. While the median school will see an increase of about $80,000 dollars next year, the 2022-2023 budget proposal has 40% of schools losing an average of $220,000 dollars, mostly in Black and brown neighborhoods. Despite cuts, district CEO...

Earlier this week, a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court’s conservative majority signaled the end of Roe v. Wade. Even as Illinois has strengthened its access to abortion care, Chicago’s reproductive justice activists are scared of what the impending decision will mean for women here and across the country. Block Club Chicago reporter covering Logan Square, Humboldt Park and Avondale Mina...

Gospel music has roots in southern spirituals during slavery and migrated north during the Great Migration in the early 1900s. Chicago has staked its claim as the birthplace of modern gospel thanks to Bronzeville’s Pilgrim Baptist Church and Thomas Dorsey, its choir director for 50 years. In the 1930s, Dorsey blended the style and chords of blues music with the praise and worship of traditional go...

Reproductive rights activists in Chicago are kicking into high gear after a draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked this week. In the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court’s conservative majority signals it will soon overturn Roe v. Wade. Chicago Abortion Fund head Megan Jeyifo says activists have been sounding the alarm and preparing for this for years. Even tho...

Lucy Westlake isn’t walking at graduation this spring with her class at Naperville North High School. That’s because the 18 year old is preparing to be the youngest American woman to summit Mount Everest. She graduated early last fall, and she previously broke the world record for youngest female to climb to the highest points in all 50 states. She’s also climbed the highest points on four of the...

Early voting in Illinois’ primaries begins in just a few weeks. After getting a new voter registration card in the mail, a City Cast listener reached out to us with several voting questions. Producer Simone Alicea, a Chicago transplant, also had questions about how to vote here. That’s why we reached out to Max Bever with the Chicago Board of Elections. He tells us everything you need to know abou...

This week, the Chicago Reader and its former co-owner ended a month-long stalemate that threatened the future of the beloved alt-weekly. Len Goodman, and three allied board members, agreed to step down, clearing the way for the Reader to transition to a nonprofit structure. Two of the paper's writers, Kelly Garcia and Katie Prout, explain what why there's been an impasse for the last five months a...

This week, five of Chicago’s selective enrollment high schools ranked among the county’s top 100 high schools, according to U.S. News and World Report. But until recently, Chicago Public Schools had its own ranking system: the School Quality Rating Policy. It rated individual schools’ quality from best-performing (Level 1) to needing the most support (Level 3). But after critics said the system pu...

When you live in a big city like Chicago, it can be really easy to forget just how much nature is available to us. Cook County has more than 70,000 acres of forest preserves. Our wetlands, prairies, woodlands, and savannas are home to hundreds of native plants and animals. Conservationists and organizers are working year-round to preserve these spaces and educate residents. As Chicago gets its spr...

**UPDATE** The Graduate Employees' Organization tweeted late Monday night that the strike was suspended. The podcast is updated to include that news. Statement from UIC about a tentative agreement After a year without a new labor contract, the graduate student union at the University of Illinois Chicago went on strike last week. Bargaining continues around wage increases, student fees, healthcare...

A month ago, Nicole Lee was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to finish the term of former 11th Ward Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, following his conviction for tax fraud. An alderperson’s responsibilities include voting on legislation, constituent services, allocating resources to the ward, and more. Lee is a third-generation Chinatown resident, Whitney Young alumna, and she most recently led commu...

After a judge struck down the federal mask mandate on planes and public transit, Gov. Pritzker revoked the state’s mask policy on buses and trains. Soon after, CTA, Metra, and Amtrak, along with rideshare companies and airlines began moving to mask-optional policies. Harvey World Herald founder Amethyst Davis and Block Club Chicago’s Jamie Nesbitt Golden join us and tell us why they are keeping th...

“Unplugging” opens in theaters this weekend in Chicago and suburbs. Eva Longoria and Matt Walsh star as a married couple who leave Chicago for a rural, getaway meant to be a digital detox. But things take a turn. City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran sat down with Walsh and co-producer Brad Morris to talk about the creation of the movie and what it really means to be unplugged from a world run by...

The Illinois Lottery as we know it today with Pick 3, Pick 4, and Mega Millions games has its roots in a 19th century parlor game known as “Policy.” Brought to Chicago in the 1880s, Policy was popularized in South and West side communities and sold as an opportunity to change families' lives. Sound familiar? In fact, during the height of play in the 1930s and '40s, more than $20 million annually f...

Oprah Winfrey—aka “The Queen of Talk”—covered everything from veganism to the L.A. Riots to Dr. Phil (yeah, she had some misses, too) over 25 years of her classic talk show, which started here in Chicago in 1986. “Oprahdemics,” a Radiotopia from PRX podcast that digs into the enormous cultural impact of Oprah’s talk show, digs into the icon as a cultural syllabus. Host Jacoby Cochran sits down wit...

Friday, April 15, would have been Harold Washington’s 100th birthday, and centennial celebrations continue this week. More than 30 years after his death, Chicago’s first Black mayor is still lauded as the leader who rocked the Democratic machine that had reigned supreme at City Hall. In addition to galvanizing Black voters in 1983, he built a coalition of Latinx, LGBTQ, and progressive white Chica...

Earlier this week a man opened fire on a New York City subway train shooting 10 people and injuring 13 more. This tragedy, alongside four recent incidents of violence on or near CTA trains and buses, has renewed conversations about safety on public transit. Today, City Cast Chicago Host Jacoby Cochran is joined by the Chicago Tribune’s Stephanie Casanova and The Marshall Project’s Ghazala Irshad t...