The Block Club Chicago Podcast

In 1979, Mayor Jane Byrne transformed a nine-block stretch of state street into a pedestrian mall. It did not go well. Since then, that example has been used as a cautionary tale against turning streets into pedestrian only areas. But is the tide turning? 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...

A long-awaited improvement plan for Grant Park calls for the famed park to be extended to the lakefront — with DuSable Lake Shore Drive routed underneath the expanded green space. That is, if city officials can find the money to pull it off. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Mack Liederman Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c...

Why is it so expensive to build affordable housing in Chicago? One recent West Side development clocked in at $884,000 per unit. While the city says it’s working to address red tape that drives up expenses, advocates say more must be done to rein in “crazy” costs associated with affordable housing. Host - Jon Hansen Reporters - Michael Liptrot and Ariel Parella Read More Here Want to donate to our...

As her senior year got underway, two of the many people who reached out to Carolina Carchi were teachers she’d had in elementary school. “You were amazing when I had you, and you are still showing them how to turn a terrible experience into an amazing opportunity to learn and grow,” one wrote. Another wrote: “I. AM. SO. PROUD. OF YOU!!!!… You are AMAZING! I was so proud and not at ALL surprised.”...

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 and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way. We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as wat...

Entrepreneurs and doctors Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail had matching cars, a matching taste for luxury watches and matching condos in Chicago’s Trump Tower. The two even had similar backstories: They’d immigrated to the United States as children — Ahmed from Pakistan and Suhail from Jordan — and had gotten their medical degrees from overseas schools and built up images of themselves as entrepreneu...

Boeing 737s and Airbus A350s aren’t the only things taking flight at O’Hare Airport. A quiet patch of green space at O’Hare has been home to a collection of beehives for almost 15 years. In 2011, O’Hare became the first airport in the United States to have an apiary. Since then, the hives have produced thousands of pounds of honey.   Host- Jon Hansen Reporter - Molly DeVore Want to donate to our n...

Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Melody Mercado One of Chicago’s most influential aldermen, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) is stepping down by the end of the month to lead the Chicago Housing Authority — or retire from politics entirely. His son wants the job.  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 organiza...

Swarms of flying insects are usually a nuisance. But this summer, Chicagoans are lighting up for a big return of lightning bugs. The flying beetles known for their bioluminescence are keeping the lights on across the city — more so than past summers, local bug experts have observed. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Mack Liederman Read More Here   Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE W...

Chicago hospitals have been key to helping more people surviving strokes. Today's episode, sponsored by Rush, explains what signs to watch out for, and how the hospital systems continues to improve outcome for patients.  Host - Jon Hansen Guest - Dr. Laurel Cherian More About Rush Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit...

Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Francia Garcia Hernandez A group of police district council members is urging city officials to prohibit federal immigration agents from wearing face masks and force them to identify themselves when working in the city. The call comes as masked federal agents have been seen making arrests at immigration courts, during routine immigration check-ins and in raids in the c...

Today's episode is sponsored by Rush. July is Chicago's sunniest month. But be careful -- it can age our skin and potentially cause skin cancer. Dr. Samantha Venkatesh from Rush with some useful tips to stay safe and enjoy the sunshine.  For more on Rush, click 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...

The hottest ticket for a game in town isn’t for the Chicago Cubs or White Sox. A new barnstorming league of dancing ballplayers making national headlines and packing football stadiums for reimagining the stodgy rules of America’s pastime have sold out Sox Park for two nights between Aug. 15-16. More than 182,000 people applied to a lottery just for the chance to buy tickets to see the Savannah Ban...

Lake Michigan set a record high in 2020. In Edgewater, the low lake levels have connected two popular beaches while also exposing a protected dunes area to beachgoers. In South Shore, neighbors are relieved the high waters aren’t threatening their buildings. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Madison Savedra This episode sponsored by Rush Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are...

Sidetrack, the city’s largest and arguably most popular gay bar, has applied to open a location at O’Hare Airport — a move that, if approved, would make it the first gay bar inside an airport in the United States. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Patrick Filbin 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 organiza...

The former Loretto Hospital executive charged with stealing millions from the safety-net hospital also used fake COVID-19 testing companies to steal about $300 million from the government, prosecutors alleged in a newly unsealed indictment. Former Loretto COO and CFO Anosh Ahmed is among a group of four who now face charges related to the scheme, prosecutors said. Block Club has reported extensive...

The Chicago No Kings rally comes as protests have ramped up against ICE and the Trump administration this week locally and in Los Angeles, where the National Guard and Marines have been deployed against the wishes of local leaders. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Francia Garcia Hernadez    Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofi...

Chicago is the fifth-fastest-sinking major city in the United States, according to a new study. While the city is only sinking by a few millimeters every year, experts say the shift could damage buildings and other infrastructure. Reporter - Molly DeVore Host - Jon Hansen 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...

Content warning: This story contains descriptions of domestic violence and abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338. Local officials say they’re making concerted efforts to reduce domestic violence and raise awareness. Yet a complicated mix of factors can lead to these tragic cases, and no one agency at any level of government has...

Today's episode is sponsored by Rush University Medical Center. May is National Nurses Month, and on this episode, we chat with two nurses at Rush to find out why they love their job, and what sets Rush apart. Nursing remains the country's most trusted profession. Medical centers across the country are counting on a new generation of nurses to fill a critical shortage, and keep the job's legacy st...

Federal immigration officials still haven’t released records showing how many people they rounded up during January sweeps in Chicago or what happened to them afterward. Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Mick Dumke READ MORE HERE DONATE 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 reliabl...

Read More About Woven Being Here Through the perspectives of four collaborating artists with connections to Zhegagoynak— Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent), Kelly Church (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Tribe of Pottawatomi/Ottawa), Nora Moore Lloyd (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), and Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) — Woven Being explores confluences that...

A review of Uber receipts showed the company has been routinely adding the $1.50 charge on Downtown rides outside of the surcharge’s time window. In response to a Block Club inquiry, an Uber spokesperson said the company had “mistakenly charged” the congestion fee on rides after 10 p.m. since early January, when the city expanded the Downtown congestion surcharge to weekends and reduced its cost b...

A North Lawndale student whose pop-up bathroom hair salon became an online sensation is working to turn her passion for hairstyling and supporting her friends into a business. Host - Iridian Fierro Reporter - Michael Liptrot 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 reli...

Corroded cars, broken-down trucks and dusty motorcycles have piled up on two lots in Englewood. For years, families have been forced to live next to the collection of mangled vehicles and junk. Still, no one has taken responsibility for the junkyard on the 7100 block of South Normal Boulevard. Public records identify a North Side man as the agent of a company that owns one of the junkyard lots, bu...