The Block Club Chicago Podcast

Former UIC Flame and current MLB All Star outfielder, Curtis Granderson, generously donated a sum of $5 million to help fund a $10 million ballpark at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the largest one-time gift from a professional athlete back to their alma mater in history. 'On The Block' host Brandon Pope reports on the difference the organization is making.  Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Br...

The Chicago Sky went big in the WNBA Draft, and the city is extremely excited about it. With the No. 3 and the No. 7 overall picks, the Sky selected 6-foot-7 Brazilian center Kamilla Cardoso of South Carolina and 6-foot-3 forward Angel Reese of Louisiana State University. What does that mean for the team, and women's basketball across Chicago? Mack Liederman reports.  Host - Jon Hansen Reporter -...

LaVonté Stewart, founder of the nonprofit Lost Boyz Inc., once again is wearing the championship ring he won with Hampton University’s football team in 1994. Where it was found, and Stewart's journey to redemption, are improbable and inspiring.  Host - Jon Hansen Guest - LaVonté Stewart Read Original Story Here More On Lost Boyz Inc Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are...

Kocoy Malagón was among the small business owners forced to leave Little Village Discount Mall last year after their landlord wouldn’t renew their leases. “When we closed in the mall, that forced me to reinvent myself,” she said. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Iridian Fierro, Madison Savedra Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a ...

Antia Lyons, 63, passed out on her bus and later died — and no one noticed for nearly an hour. Reporter Manny Ramos explains how that's possible, and what the CTA says - or isn't saying - about what happened.  Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Manny Ramos Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization de...

Kamaca Champion dreamt for years of turning her love for knitting into her own store.  Miss Purl opened in 2021, a place for South Side crafters to express themselves in a yarn paradise. After chatting with Kamaca in 2021, we got an update for how things are going nearly three years later! Host  - Jon Hansen Reporter - Atavia Reed Read More About Miss Purl Here Miss Purl's Website Call our hotline...

Update: Riot Fest is leaving the Douglass Park following years of tension between festival organizers, neighbors and local officials. Original Episode Summary: Riot Fest is set to return to Douglass Park in September. Though some neighbors still want it gone, local business owners said organizers have stepped up efforts to support them. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Leen Yassine Read More Here  Wan...

Advocates want bird safety building requirements to be mandatory. They say small changes, like requiring developers to use materials birds can see on the first 75 feet of a building, would make a huge impact. Host - Jon Hansen Guest - Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a&n...

The first-term mayor defended his handling of the migrant crisis and pointed to enacted policies as proof he’s fulfilling his campaign promises in an interview with Block Club. But he’s also faced criticism from his own supporters. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Quinn Myers Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofi...

David Ross taught himself to make electric bikes while growing up in an Amish community. He’s helped make Robert’s Cycle, opened in 1935, a hub of e-bike repairs and sales. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Kayleigh Padar Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, re...

As neighborhood groups and nearby restaurant owners lobbied against Clark Street Outdoor Dining program, Ald. Brendan Reilly says he was pressured to write a letter agreeing to end it or permits wouldn’t have been approved last year. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Melody Mercado Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non...

A report on policing alternatives looked at over 4 million 911 calls from 2022 in Chicago and in seven other cities. It found that most were unrelated to urgent safety needs, spurring calls from advocates for more alternative policing strategies. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Rachel Hinton Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 5...

Local alderpeople and firefighter organizations formed a Black Fire Coalition Friday to demand the city implement policies to rectify discriminatory practices that have kept Black people from joining and getting promoted within the Chicago Fire Department.  Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Atavia Reed Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is...

Ashley Dickson never expected to see her copper-colored prom dress again. Now, her daughter will get to wear it to her own prom. Host - Jon Hansen Reporters - Iridian Fierro, Francia Garcia Hernandez Read More About The Prom Dress Story Here Read More About The Pet Store Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news orga...

After years of unanswered 311 complaints and fines ignored, the city is considering a pilot program to clear sidewalks. For inspiration, Chicago can look to Toronto, Syracuse where the cities do the plowing. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Casey Toner Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedi...

Chicago Public Schools plans to do away with a decade-old system in which school funding was largely based on student enrollment. Instead, starting next year, each school will get a set number of staff and additional funding based on need. Host - Jon Hansen Reporters - Reema Amin, Becky Vevea - Chalkbeat Chicago Read More Here   Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Bloc...

Host - Jon Hansen Guests - Quinn Myers, Max Bever Read More Here  It's been nearly a week since Election Day, and we still don't know who won the Democratic State's Attorney primary. In the meantime, some incorrect information disseminated from the Chicago Board of Elections caused confusion and calls of election fraud. Block Club's Quinn Myers with the latest on the race, and Max Bever -- the CBO...

We get a behind the scenes tour of the archives of the Museum of Science and Industry, with curator Dr. Voula Saridakis, and find out what exactly her job is and how she ended up working at MSI.  Host - Jon Hansen Guest - Dr. Voula Saridakis  Part 1 Of Our MSI Podcast, learning the history of the 1893 building.  Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is...

Nothing is the same at the apartment building where Mary Buford raised her family. The once-neglected courtyards on the side of the building are flush with grass and a rainbow of florals. In her first visit back in decades, Buford was quietly impressed at what has become of the complex. She’ll be the first to tell you that living in the former Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments was one of the hi...

The Democratic Primary for Cook County State's Attorney is close, 'Bring Chicago Home' is done, and Quinn Myers reports live from an uber between campaign headquarters to break it all down. Oh, and barely anyone voted - Max Bever from the Board of Elections explains! Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Quinn Myers All Things Elections Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are...

The Asylum Seeker Emergency Rental Assistance Program has helped 4,600 households move into apartments. But some could soon lose their homes if they can’t find work. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Madison Savedra Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant...

While most associate Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with dyeing the river green and the Downtown parade, the city’s neighborhoods have storied parades of their own. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Linze Rice Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, rele...

The Chicago Teachers Union will push for teacher raises, plus more funding for special education, mental health services and sports programs as teachers negotiate the union’s first contract with Mayor Brandon Johnson -- who worked as a teacher and organizer for years.  Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Mina Bloom Read More Here Watch Stacy Davis Gates' Full Remarks To The City Club Want to donate to ou...

For more than four decades, unhoused Chicagoans have called a small strip of land along the Dan Ryan Expressway in the South Loop home. While neighbors have gotten used to seeing tents, a tiny wooden home went up last week -- the first put up by volunteers with the Orange Tent Project, a local nonprofit that’s already drawn the ire of the city and backlash from some neighbors for bringing hundreds...

A few years ago, Jim Bachor was hit by a “tsunami” of projects when he began filling city potholes with small mosaics. He’s since filled more than 100 potholes in Chicago with images of everything from hot sauce packets to tiny replicas of famous paintings to the Chicago flag. He just opened a gallery in Uptown. Host - Jon Hansen Reporters - Iridian Fierro, Kayleigh Padar, Maxwell Evans, Shamus To...