In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

In the latest installment of The Movie That Made Me, Lesle Honore of the KLEO Community Family Life Center talks about her attachment to, and struggles with, the classic film Gone With the Wind. Plus A.D. Quig of Crains’ takes a stab at what Mayor Lightfoot will say tonight at her first State of the City address. The speech airs at 6pm here on WBEZ.

Tens of thousands of people in Cook County have a hard time getting a job, finding housing, or moving on to become productive citizens after a conviction for a marijuana-related offense. But when weed becomes legal in Illinois on January 1, many of those convictions will be expunged. This will break down some of the barriers so that these people can better provide for themselves and their families...

From budgets to hiring, from staffing to special ed, people in Chicago have a lot of questions when it comes to the 2019-2020 school year at Chicago’s public schools. CPS CEO Janice Jackson joins us for an extended one-on-one where she talks about those issues, answers questions from listeners, and addresses the possibility of a teachers strike

When Lori Lightfoot campaigned for Mayor of Chicago, she talked about rooting out corruption, making government more transparent, including communities in discussions about how to make better policy, and having an all-around more equitable city that works for everyone. 3 key members of her transition teams talk about how they’ve done so far, and the work that still needs to be done to keep those p...

CJ Run was born in Germany, grew up in England, spent their high school years in rural North Carolina, and finally found community and a sense of belonging at college in Champaign-Urbana. Now, they’ve moved to Chicago, and the music is flowing like never before. They hope that music provides inspiration to kids like them who are trying to figure out who they are and what life’s all about.

Mayor Llightfoot and the billion dollar budget hole. Why national Democrats need to stop in Chicago. A Tea Party firebrand looks to run against Trump. And rampant bullying and sexual harassment in the statehouse outlined in a new report. Those stories and more on this week’s Friday News Roundup.

Last year a staffer in Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s office came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against her superior Kevin Quinn. Now a new report fully outlines the circumstances and situations women have endured for years. And while Madigan himself has not been accused of wrongdoing, the powerful politician has apologized for not seeing it, or responding to these allegatio...

The Trump administration’s decision to withhold funds from health providers that talk about abortions has led Planned Parenthood to leave the federal program Title X and go without the millions in funds that comes with it. We talk about what that means for the organization, and women across the country and in Illinois Plus we look at the nonprofit I Grow Chicago, and the services and a safe space...

It’s not quite the old smoke-filled back room of yore, but Cook County Democrats met late last week to choose who they’ll be supporting in the 2020 elections. WBEZ county reporter Kristen Schorch explains who got the nod, and how the county party’s backing helps a candidate. Then Mother Jones’ AJ Vicens talks about the reporting he’s done around election tampering via social media, and how rules t...

Over the last week, news reports and business channels have been throwing around the term Inverted Yield Curve. We’ll find out what it means, and what it has to do with a possible future recession or economic downturn. Then we’ll talk to the folks who run a house on the city’s Southwest Side that serves as transitional housing for men who need to escape emergency situations, like if their life is...

Bumps in the road for a future Chicago casino. A long-time politician says she won't stand for reelection. State's Attorney Kim Foxx gets a primary challenger. Those stories and more, broken down by 3 of the best journalists in the city. This week we're joined by WTTW's Paris Schutz, New York Times Chicago bureau chief Monica Davie, and freelance reporter Kim Bellware

From paying social media influencers to their ad campaigns to the flavors themselves, Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim believes that Juul, the biggest player in the growing e-cigarette market, is going directly after children. So he’s going directly after the company with a lawsuit. Plus K.L.E.O. is a non-profit serving kids on the south side through a variety of programs from helping...

A new survey says that Chicago and Illinois will do quite well once a successful casino opens in the city. But it also says that the profits for the casino’s actual owner will be so low, we may see a situation where no one wants to build one in the first place. And 20,000 cases of elder abuse were reported in Illinois last year, and experts say the number of actual abuse cases is much higher. We t...

It’s been well over a year since the Trump administration started slapping tariffs on Chinese goods. China has responded in kind, and Illinois corn and soybean producers are taking a hit as one of their biggest export markets dries up. Additional tariffs will mean average consumers in the state will start feeling it as well. Plus the Chicago Tribune’s food writers have searched out the best middle...

Pro Publica Illinois has taken another deep dive into gambling in the state. This time the focus is on Waukegan, the gambling interests there, and the influence they’re exerting. Plus the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards give young people a chance to put their world into words.

Billy Branch was born in Chicago, but he was raised in LA. He’d never been exposed to the blues until, at 17, he moved back to Chicago to attend UIC, and wandered into Grant Park for what many aficionados call “the greatest blues concert ever”. From that moment he was hooked. A few years later he was touring the world with Willie Dixon’s band, and he’s been leading his own band Sons of Blues since...

Small business loans are not being dished out at past rates in minority and low-income areas across Chicagoland and across Illinois. That’s according to a new study from Chicago’s Woodstock Institute. The lack of investment from banks essentially leaves communities without gasoline for their economic engines. We hear from the study’s author, and 2 small business owners trying to access additional...

A new WBEZ investigation found 1 in 3 CPS schools continue to have teacher vacancies. Some kids have gone all year without a teacher. And most of those schools are in black neighborhoods. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp explains what she found. And the impact of Toni Morrison. The prolific author died earlier this week.

Ratings agencies-which determine how fiscally stable a government entity is, which ultimately determines how much it will cost that government to borrow money-have taken a dim view of Illinois’ finances over the last several years. But this week, the state was offered a glimmer of hope. Erik Kim, Senior Director at Fitch Ratings in NYC, believes that the governor and the legislature are taking the...

One weekend in America, two more mass shootings. While the national media focuses on the massacres in El Paso and Dayton, 7 were killed and nearly 50 wounded in Chicago between Friday and Sunday nights. Earlier this year, as we marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, we brought in two Chicago teens working hard to rid their schools and communities of gun violence.

Construction updates, distracted drivers, and new rail cars are some of the transportation stories you’ll hear from Tribune reporter and WBEZ transportation contributor Mary Wisniewski. Plus anti-hate activist Christian Picciolini talks about Rocky on the latest installment of The Movie That Made Me.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker made the bulk of the headlines this week. We’ll find out what they said, what they meant, and how they plan to move forward on a number of issues and promises with our panel of journalists. This week we’re joined by Heather Cherone, A.D. Quig, and Dave McKinney.

Pritzker signed a bill that prohibits potential employers from asking applicants about their past salaries. Revealing past salaries often perpetuates the fact that women and minorities are paid less for the same work than white men. Plus the University of Illinois Cancer Center has re-tooled a successful app for the Latinx community. The app, now available in Spanish, helps keep patients informed...