In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s story in Chicago begins in the 1960s when he moved to the city to study at the Chicago Theological Seminary. Not long after his move, he met Martin Luther King Jr. and asked him for a job at the Chicago chapter of Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket. Since then, Rev. Jesse Jackson became a symbol for the Civil Rights Movement, Black politics an...

Tired of visiting a news website and getting hit with a paywall? Hollywood actor John Cusack feels your pain – and wants outlets to free the news that you need. Cusack and Seth Stern from the Freedom of the Press Foundation stop by to talk about what’s at stake when newsrooms are gutted, journalists are under fire, and information is gatekept. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head ove...

Illinois joins three other Democrat-led states in suing the White House over public health funding cuts. Amazon announces drone delivery coming to southwest suburbs. Portage, Ind., unveils its pitch for a Bears stadium, as northwest suburban residents and mayors rally to secure a stadium in Arlington Heights. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in our Weekly News Recap with WTTW Chicago...

Between the 1930s and ’50s, Chicago was a hub for Black writers, poets and creatives – an era known as the Chicago Black Renaissance. A number of great literary, music and art names came out of Chicago during this renaissance – including Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Nat King Cole, Langston Hughes and many more. In the Loop dives into Chicago’s poetry scene then and now, with...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Jan. 31 instructing Chicago police to document alleged abuses by federal immigration agents and refer wrongdoers to the Cook County State’s Attorney for prosecution. State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke questioned the order’s legality, calling it “wholly inappropriate,” and Mayor Johnson walked back his order on Tuesday, saying officers woul...

For 115 years, the City News Bureau was a training ground for young journalists in Chicago. Known for its long hours, low pay, and intense, fast-paced atmosphere, the wire service broke stories on courts, crime, and government for local papers, television, and radio stations. The new book Sirens in the Loop tells the story of the City News Bureau through the voices of former staffers. In The Loop...

Lori Lightfoot has worked as Chicago’s mayor, a federal prosecutor and a top leader on police accountability. She wants local officials to do more to counter ICE. In the Loop learns about her ICE Accountability Project and how she thinks local officials can respond in the face of aggressive immigration enforcement. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson defends an executive order that requires Chicago police to help hold ICE agents accountable for alleged abuses. Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol, speaks out in an exclusive WBEZ-Sun-Times interview and on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Reshona Landfair, the Jane Doe in R. Kelly’s infamous tape, is out with a memoir, Who’s Watching Shorty?, where she t...

Literary hub, polling place, warming center and now… food pantry? Some libraries can do it all. With 81 branches, the Chicago Public Library system is one of the largest and most robust in the world. On today’s In the Loop, we look at how libraries are about a lot more than just books with Chris Brown, Chicago Public Library Commissioner, Megan Greenback, Legler Library Assistant Director and Mary...

The U.S. withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, citing an alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, states like California and Illinois are taking matters into their own hands and joining the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, or GOARN. In the Loop sits down with Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health; Ameya Pawar, pre...

An Amazon data center is set to break ground in Hobart, Ind., this spring. Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun says the company will pay the $47 million upfront which could be used for infrastructure improvements. But residents say they still have not received a site plan and are asking for independent environmental impact studies. In the Loop hears from Angelita Soriano, a Hobart resident, and Jen Walli...

Online retail behemoth Amazon is closing all of its branded grocery stores — but already has the greenlight to experiment with a new retail idea: a “first-of-its-kind Amazon superstore” that is coming to south suburban Orland Park. Is this the future of retail, and what does it mean for local businesses and residents? In The Loop finds out more about the approved plan and if it could be a potentia...

Chicago City Council advances plan to strengthen enforcement of the Welcoming City Ordinance. THC drinks have come to the United Center. A Congressional Budget Office report shows $21 million was spent on deploying the National Guard to Chicago for “Operation Midway Blitz”.In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Fox 32’s Paris Schutz, WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos and Carrie Shepherd of AXIO...

There’s hardly a better example of how Chicago’s old buildings keep finding new life than a three-story place on Champlain Avenue in Woodlawn, just half a block south of Washington Park. Built back in 1923, the building has been a synagogue, then home to several Christian congregations. Today, it’s something entirely different. Part single-family home, part creative workspace, part artists club —...

After the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, fear, anger, and organizing have surged in communities already on edge. In the Loop checks in with Jered Weber-Johnson, Rector of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul and Brandt Williams, senior editor at Minnesota Public Radio about how residents are pushing back and calling for fed...

The field to replace longtime Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is a crowded one: 16 people are vying for the nomination. Leading in the polls are Congresswoman Robin Kelly, representing Illinois’ 2nd district, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois’ 8th district and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. For a sense on where they stand on key issues, WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Tim...

For the first time, when the EPA is considering new limits on air pollution, it will no longer estimate the monetary cost of lives saved from regulations. Instead it will only calculate the cost of the rules for companies. The Trump administration says this will rectify “misleading” data about the benefit of regulations, but experts warn this could make it easier to roll back gains made from the C...

Why did Chicago just agree to ban some hemp products? Who is falling behind in the race to replace Sen. Dick Durbin? And did a Chicago landlord tip off ICE? In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with Tahman Bradley, WGN political editor, Bob Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times investigative reporter, and Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago reporter. For a full archive of In...

Chicago Restaurant Week is back starting Friday, Jan. 23 until Feb. 8. In the Loop sits down with WBEZ food and drink writer Maggie Hennessy and moderator of local food subreddit group Mitch Gropman, to discuss all things Chicago food. We also get tips to make snagging your next reservation a breeze. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

This month marks 60 years since the start of the Chicago Freedom Movement, when Martin Luther King Jr. moved to North Lawndale on the West Side to protest discriminatory housing practices and high rents. Pamela Stalling, VP of Housing and Financial Empowerment, Chicago Urban League, Alden Loury, WBEZ data projects senior editor and David Stovall, Professor of Black Studies at the University of Ill...

College used to be a reliable path to a professional career. Now, facing an increase in layoffs and a difficult job market, some workers say it’s not enough. In The Loop learns more about why this is happening and what it means for both workers and the economy. We sat down with New York Times reporter Noam Scheiber, and Sarah Rand, a strategic communications consultant. For a full archive of In th...

Chicago Bears gear up for a freezing playoff game against L.A. Rams, while state politicians warm up to an Arlington Heights stadium. Former DePaul basketball players are accused in a gambling scandal. Chicago joins Illinois in a lawsuit against White House over federal immigration enforcement. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with Jacoby Cochran, host of Cit...

Jan. 15 is the deadline to enroll in health insurance plans through the federal government’s ACA Marketplace at Healthcare.gov. But Illinois residents will have until Jan. 31 to enroll through the state’s marketplace Get Covered Illinois. It announced it will extend the deadline for Illinois residents to enroll in a plan as many are struggling to find one that’s within their budget after ACA subsi...

The multibillion-dollar project Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on Chicago’s South Side promises to be one of the largest private investments in the area. Backers of the project say it will be an economic boon for the area, creating jobs and affordable housing. But some residents are concerned about the economic and environmental impact the 128-acre park will have on the area. On today’...

In the Loop checks in with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for our monthly “Ask the Mayor” series and takes listener questions on the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, the Bears playoff victory and more. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.