In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Sarah Karp brings you the latest on the negotiations between the teacher’s union and the city, and Chip Mitchell explains how far Chicago police officials went to justify the shooting of Laquan McDonald.

Toni Preckwinkle introduces her 2020 budget for Cook County. And former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power talks American diplomacy in the age of Trump.

Why haven't you seen a daily podcast in your feed this week? As we wind down Morning Shift and ramp up our new program Reset, Jenn White explains how we've got you covered from a programming perspective (more of the news and conversations that matter to you), and from a technical perspective (no need to unsubscribe/resubscribe).  Check out the short message from Jenn, and see you back here ve...

Gary Pressy attended every Cubs home game for 33 years. No, he isn’t a die-hard season ticket holder. He’s the club’s organist. But all great streaks eventually come to an end, and a few weeks ago, he announced his retirement. Before playing his last 7th inning stretch, Pressy sat down with WBEZ’s sports contributor Cheryl Raye Stout to talk about his life, his career, and the special place the or...

Farmers in Illinois and across the Midwest are hurting. Because of the weather. Because of competition with massive agribusiness. Because of the trade war with China. Last week, Taiwan doubled its order of Illinois soybeans. Cecile Shea of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs explains why it might not be the boon that farmers were hoping for, and explains what might be ahead for consumers in this...

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has called for an official impeachment inquiry yesterday. That means the 6 House of Representatives committees investigating the president and his administration will determine if there’s enough evidence for the House to proceed with impeachment hearings. HuffPost congressional reporter Arthur Delaney fills us in on the latest, and Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL...

When it comes to climate change, much of the world is sitting up, taking notice, and pledging to do something, while the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations and denies there’s even a problem. We talk about the recent UN Climate Action Summit with Karen Weigert. Plus we hear from actor Harry Hadden-Paton about his role as England’s King George VI, and how the king overcame a s...

Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center went on a one-day strike last Friday, highlighting what they see as staffing issues that put patients at risk. We’ll find out more about the strike from Tribune healthcare reporter Lisa Schencker, and Denise Summers, a member of the union representing the 2,000+ nurses that hit the picket lines. Then, crime is up on the El. We’ll find out what kin...

A college education can greatly improve socioeconomic mobility. In The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes Or Breaks Us, journalist Paul Tough examines the many barriers to higher education for low income and minority students.

No pot stores on the Mag Mile, and the mayor’s refusal to release all the documents related to the Laquan McDonald case are just some of the stories we’re covering in today’s Friday News roundup

WBEZ reporting has found the way the City of Chicago dishes out fines and fees associated with car tickets has affected disadvantaged neighborhoods of color more than any other. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is trying to change that, and some of her reforms will get a vote tomorrow at City Council. City Comptroller Reshma Soni describes the reforms Lightfoot is pushing, and how she thinks they’ll help peop...

From the late 1980’s and into the 90’s, Chicago’s Wicker Park was both a working-class neighborhood and a hub for young creatives searching for community and a place to hone their art. 10 years later, the area became a magnet for developers looking to cash in on Wicker Park’s hip nature and the close proximity to downtown. Poet and activist Kevin Coval’s new book “Everything Must Go: The Life And...

Chicago singer-songwriter Kaina Castillo has been performing at venues across the city since she was a teen. The Irving Park native built a name for herself along the way, and is now touring on her first full-length album,  Next to the Sun .

From federal oversight of Chicago’s public schools tied to last year’s news of CPS’s oversight of sexual abuse and assault cases, to judges in high places to an unfolding story of the continued failure of the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, our round table of reporters break down the biggest news of the week on our Friday News Roundup

Driving for a rideshare company like Uber or Lyft may be your ticket to some extra money. But if you owe fines or fees to the city, you may be blocked from doing the job. WBEZ’s Elliot Ramos explains what’s happening, and who’s affected most. Plus activists argue in court that developer Sterling Bay has no right to use public money from TIFs to build their mega-development known as Lincoln Yards....

Mayor Lightfoot is trying to plug a Grand Canyon-sized budget hole. It’s somewhere in the neighborhood of $860 million. Every penny counts. So when she found out that the Chicago Police Department dished out nearly $70 million in overtime-for just the first 6 months of 2019-she called in the superintendent to find out what was going on. Sun Times reporter Fran Spielman takes us through the past, p...

Uber wants to be more than a rideshare company. They want to dominate a number of transportation markets in the same way Amazon has become a one-stop shopping experience. To that end, Uber has leased the massive old post office building that straddles the entrance to the Eisenhower expressway, with plans to turn it into the headquarters for Uber Freight. But the company hasn’t turned a profit yet,...

Gregory Michie was born to teach. After years as a CPS teacher, Michie took a job as an education professor. He thought he was leaving the rough-and-tumble of daily teaching for a less stressful gig at a university. But a decade later, he was back. Michie’s new book “Same As It Never Was: Notes On A Teacher’s Return To The Classroom” looks at his return to the same school, the same grade level, an...

David Greising of the Better Government Association, Amanda Vinickey of WTTW and A.D. Quig of Crains’ Chicago Business break down the biggest news stories of the week, including Mayor Lightfoot’s twitter spat with Sen. Ted Cruz, the latest on the city budget, the most recent talk of a looming teacher’s strike, and much more.

Bears' chairman George McCaskey talks to Cheryl Raye Stout about his life and work as the grandson of the team's-and the NFL's-founder George Halas

WBEZ’s Patrick Smith explains why prosecution numbers for murder cases are so low. And things to do this weekend around Chicago with See, Hear, Eat.

In his new book, Chicago Public Schools teacher Gregory Michie writes about what it was like to return to teach in the same middle school in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood where he began his career after more than a decade as an education professor. Morning Shift digs into what’s different about the teaching profession this decade compared with the late 1990s and how Michie navigates his...

Actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman talks about his family, his time in Chicago, and his philosophy on life as he prepares to take his one-man show on the road. He’ll hit the Chicago Theater Sept. 15th.

Mayor Lightfoot's complete speech from 8-29-19

Mayor Lightfoot had good news and bad news when she delivered her state-of-the-city speech last night. The good was the number of reforms and cost-saving measures she implemented in her first 100 days. The bad news is, those reforms may not be enough to save us as we face major-and immediate-fiscal challenges. WBEZ political reporter Dan Mihalopoulos fills in for Jenn White, and is joined by Heath...