The Rundown | Chicago News

If you haven’t been to any of Hannibal Buress’s recent shows, you probably know him as a stand-up comedian and actor from shows like “Broad City.” But he also happens to be a musician and a rapper. Last winter, he dropped a new single called “Knee Brace” under the moniker Eshu Tune. Since then, he’s been doing hybrid stand-up and musical performances on tour. During the last week of 2023, we’re co...

During the last week of 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to our most memorable episodes on the subject.  SoloSam is a Chicago rapper, producer, and chef with a cooking show series , a cookbook and B-EATS. It’s a bi-monthly party series that combines good food, good music and community.  “If it wasn’t for food I wouldn’t have grown as a music artist,...

To round out 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to some of our favorite interviews about the genre. Next year, the National Public Housing Museum will open in Chicago, and DJ Spinderella is curating the music room. WBEZ hosted an event with the museum back in August, so we took the opportunity to sit down with DJ Spinderella and Chicago-based singer Isaiah Shark...

During the last week of 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by returning to our most memorable episodes on the subject. Ye – the artist formerly known as Kanye West — has been stirring up controversy for decades now, for better or for worse. We come back to our conversation with professor and Chicago native Jeffrey McCune Jr., who has written about, researched, and taught cla...

Illinois politicians are weighing in on former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke's corruption conviction. Half of the counties in Illinois are reporting elevated numbers of hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Chicago’s animal shelters are at capacity as adoption rates slow.

Richard Hunt’s sculptures are all over the city of Chicago – at McCormick Place, Midway Airport, and too many more locations to list – and they’re all around the country too. With over 160 installations, Hunt is one of the most prolific creators of public art in America.  He passed away on Saturday. He was 88 years old.  In this episode, his friend and biographer Jon Ott explains why Hun...

Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke is convicted of federal corruption charges. Criminal charges dropped against more than two dozen U of C students who staged a sit in. CPS won’t provide bus transportation to students in elementary magnet and selective enrollment schools this year.

Former Chicago Alderperson Ed Burke has been found guilty of racketeering by a federal jury. Adjunct faculty at Columbia College Chicago have ratified a new contract that brings an end to a seven weeks-long strike. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on August 31, 2024.

Grief – does it have to be sad? How do children grieve? What if you feel awkward talking about loss with a loved one who’s grieving? In this episode, we revisit a conversation between host Erin Allen and Julie Weatherhead, a grief counselor and co-founder of Got Grief House. They speak to these questions and more.

A new report details the impact extreme heat has on neighborhoods across Chicago. For Chicago area students who need help paying for college, this application season has been an especially anxious one because the FAFSA may not fully open until December 31. Today is the winter solstice, and Chicagoans will see only about nine hours and eight minutes of daylight.

The death of a boy living in a Chicago migrant shelter is drawing renewed scrutiny to shelter conditions. Healthcare workers and long COVID patients gathered in front of UIC Hospital today to call for stronger protections in healthcare facilities. Since the 1880s, fewer than half of Chicago Christmases have been white – defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground on December 25th – a...

Morgan Elise Johnson considers “The Triibe” – that’s the digital news publication she co-founded in 2017 – as part of the legacy of Black liberatory press.  “And sometimes I know that our approach, I'm just going to say, it ruffles some feathers,” Johnson said. “We're very unapologetically Black about it. You know, and we're very much here for Black liberation.’” The latest issue of “The Trii...

Conditions inside a migrant shelter in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood could be getting worse. A Democrat running for Cook County state’s attorney once prosecuted a boy for a murder that took place when he was 10 – his confession was later found to be coerced. Chicago area hospitals are seeing an uptick in the number of people hospitalized for respiratory illnesses.

Two women who worked as lifeguards at public beaches have sued the Chicago Park District. Volunteers say migrants in Chicago are scrambling to find housing ahead of a plan to limit how long they can stay in shelters. Planned Parenthood of Illinois is opening a new health center in Carbondale, which becomes its southernmost clinic in the state.

Since the war started between Israel and Hamas, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students on college campuses across the United States have been embroiled in their own conflict. Shouting matches have erupted, and the University of Pennsylvania president stepped down after criticism of her response to antisemitic comments on campus. But, away from the angry shouting matches, a lot of students are gri...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says Texas’ governor is in part to blame for a 5-year-old migrant child’s death. After six weeks of trial, a federal jury has been sent to deliberate the corruption case against Ed Burke — one of the most powerful aldermen in Chicago history. A strike that disrupted classes at Columbia College Chicago for six weeks may be coming to an end.

A federal jury is now deliberating the federal corruption case against former Chicago Alderperson Ed Burke. The death of a 5-year-old boy who was staying at a migrant shelter in Pilsen is raising questions about conditions inside these facilities. The Columbia College Faculty Union says a tentative agreement has been made with the administration that ends a 49-day strike with adjuncts.

Five years from now, when you think of Chicago in 2023, what might come to mind? Maybe Brandon Johnson’s victory in the mayoral race, the statewide elimination of cash bail or the escalating migrant crisis. Maybe the Northwestern football hazing scandal or the giant snapping turtle affectionately nicknamed Chonkasaurus. We couldn’t possibly cover it all, so we’re closing out 2023 by looking back o...

Migrants are now subject to a 60-day limit on how long they can live in Chicago city shelters, but a WBEZ analysis finds that a majority of migrant shelter stays have been longer than that. Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke’s fate could be in the hands of a federal jury as soon as today. Fewer people are donating toys to the Salvation Army in the Chicago area this holiday season, yet there is great...

Attorneys for former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke are asking the jury to find him not guilty and send him home for his birthday later this month. A transgender Chicago man has filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer and union, saying they denied him gender-affirming care. Metra will offer discounted rides to anyone who receives assistance through SNAP – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistan...

Where are recently-arrived migrants to Chicago living? And how do they get there? The answer to the first question is churches, police stations, city-run shelters, hotels, apartments, and – still for many – outdoors.  The answer to the second question is just as complicated. “A lot of folks are having some success walking around neighborhoods and just looking for for-rent apartment signs, and...

Gun advocates remain optimistic despite recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to preserve Illinois’ gun ban. A mental health program for migrants in Chicago shelters could be a model for other cities. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced his strategy to reduce crime by using a community-driven approach.

The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving Illinois' Assault Weapons ban in place. The Chicago City Council blocked a resolution for voters to weigh in on the city’s sanctuary city designation. Starting December 31, anyone who works in Cook County can use paid leave at work for any reason.

In 1982, Carlos Tortolero left his teaching career to start a museum. The National Museum of Mexican Art opened its doors in Pilsen five years later, and it has stayed in the same building ever since. The museum champions Mexican artists from both Mexico and the U.S. “We represent a culture without borders,” Tortolero said. Now, with the museum on solid financial footing, he plans to retire at the...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says nearly all of the city’s police stations are no longer being used to shelter migrants. A Chicago City Council vote maintains Police Board authority over the most severe officer discipline cases – but the city could end up in a risky court fight about it. Closing arguments continue today in the federal corruption trial of former Chicago alderman Ed Burke.