The Rundown | Chicago News

Arts journalist Makeda Easter had issues with a lot of art-related journalism, so she created her own publication: The Art Rebellion , where she focuses coverage on artists without public relations teams, those working outside of New York and Los Angeles, and those creating activist art. Easter is also vocal about one of her goals: making people understand how essential artists are in our society....

Chicago alderpersons gave initial approval to spending $70 million from city reserves to support migrants. A renowned nun from Texas visited Chicago this week to speak about her work with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wants to make a state compensation program for victims of violent crime more accessible.

The Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases. Activists want the Environmental Protection Agency to require Illinois to address unsafe drinking water conditions in state prisons. Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans.

Later this year, Chicago will choose its first-ever elected Chicago Public School board members. “Finally the people of Chicago will be able to get somebody on the board who will represent their interests,” said WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. In November, the city will elect 10 board members, with 11 more appointed by the mayor. The board currently has seven seats, so it will also triple in s...

A mass shooting Saturday night in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood killed a 9-year-old girl and left three boys injured – two critically. United States Supreme Court arguments today over a Northwest Indiana mayor’s bribery conviction could have a big legal impact on Chicago. Some Chicago advocates say they are skeptical about the way city officials are spending funds for migrant relief eff...

Illinois lawmakers are moving to update the state’s biometric privacy law. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke in southwest Chicago today about Black Maternal Health Week. The Chicago Bulls are a step closer to the postseason.

Fatphobia is everywhere, including the office. Anti-fat bias shows up in hiring, salary negotiations, conversations between coworkers and even the chairs we sit in. “I cannot think of any example in the workplace where it would be appropriate to comment on the size of someone’s body,” said Rundown producer Sarah Stark. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Stark about workplace bias and the im...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking City Council to approve $70 million more for migrant spending. A Chicago City Council committee approved penalties for violating a security perimeter for the upcoming DNC. The Chicago Sky are scouting long term talent ahead of next week’s WNBA draft.

A state lawmaker from Chicago wants police to rethink how they conduct traffic stops in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods. An Illinois Senate proposal to ban single-use toiletry containers from state hotels is now moving to the Illinois House.

“People hate to admit they’re sexist or ageist or racist,” said retired women’s studies professor Esther Rothblum. “But if you ask people about fat oppression, they will tell you they hate fat people.” Rothblum spent much of her career studying anti-fatness, and her research illustrates just how pervasive fatphobia is. Rothblum spoke with WBEZ’s daily talk show Reset as part of a series about anti...

It is unclear from just watching that video whether that officer, officer St. Louis, was shot by fellow police or whether he was shot by Mr. Reed. The Indiana Attorney General is fighting for safer drinking water for hoosiers. The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications is preparing residents to handle extreme weather this summer.

The Gazan Health Ministry reports hundreds of aid workers have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, but many health care workers in Chicago are traveling to the war zone to care for the wounded. Illinois lawmakers are proposing legislation that would build an online hub for caregivers. Chicagoans may soon get to ride electric scooters 24/7.

The last time Patrice Yursik chemically relaxed her hair was 22 years ago. She says she did it for her wedding, but really, it was for her mom. “That was it,” said Yursik, who says her mother started straightening her hair when she was six years old. “I was like, I'm never doing this again.” Research studies released in the last decade have noted links between chemical hair relaxers and various ty...

The attorney representing the family of Dexter Reed Jr., a Chicago man fatally shot by police on the city’s West Side, says police used excessive force during a traffic stop. A new report describes the maximum security prison in Pontiac, Illinois as a disgusting and neglected environment for mentally ill inmates. EXPO Chicago, the Midwest’s largest art fair, opens to the general public on Friday m...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to video footage released Tuesday of police officers fatally shooting Dexter Reed Jr. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says her office will determine if the use of force in the shooting was beyond what’s allowable under the law. Illinois is doling out millions of dollars in grants to help full service grocery stores open in food deserts.

It’s tax season, and pretty soon, it’ll be audit season. An “audit” is when the IRS investigates whether an individual or corporation accurately reported and paid their taxes. In 2023, a Stanford study found an unsettling discrepancy when it comes to who does – and does not – get an IRS audit. “Black taxpayers are about three to five times as likely to be audited than everyone else,” said Daniel H...

Chicago Public School principals get their budgets, some Evanston city council members want more information about a potential migrant shelter, and thousands flocked to Adler Planetarium to watch the solar eclipse Monday.

President Joe Biden is expected in Chicago for a reelection fundraiser. Evanston is looking into converting a vacant office building into a shelter for migrants. More than 300 University of Illinois Chicago faculty, students and alumni are sounding the alarm about an effort to rein in campus speech.

“Theater feels spiritual to me,” actor Jon Michael Hill told The Rundown. You may know him from TV shows including “Detroit 1-8-7” and “Elementary,” but Hill is also a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member. He plays the introverted main character and narrator of “Purpose,” a world premiere from playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins and director Phylicia Rashad—yes, that Phylicia Rashad. In this...

Hundreds of UIC students and faculty are speaking out, worried about free speech on campus. A website tied to right wing activists publishes data connected to hundreds of voters. Evanston looks to convert an office building into a migrant shelter.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is unveiling new strategies to cut red tape and speed up development in the city, particularly for the construction of affordable housing and development. A state lawmaker from Chicago wants city parks to get more money for programming and upkeep if they host a major music festival. Chicago’s Bureau of Forestry is advising residents that the “mass cic...

The WasteShed is an organization that diverts reusable materials – mostly arts and crafts and school supplies – away from landfills and into the hands of schools and anyone else who visits one of their locations in Evanston and Chicago’s Humboldt Park Neighborhood. WasteShed founder Eleanor Ray is something of a trash archeologist. And instead of buying something you need brand new, she encourages...

This week, our parent company, Chicago Public Media, announced significant programming changes and staff layoffs. The Rundown podcast host, Erin Allen, addresses how they will affect the show. You can learn more about the announcement, including its impact on our sister station Vocalo, as well as the Chicago Sun-Times, here .

It’s still four months away, but law enforcement is already planning for the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. A coalition of Black and Brown leaders joined Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in support of work permits for all immigrants. Two civil rights groups are urging the Chicago Police Department to rethink its use of traffic stops.

Law enforcement agencies gathered at Soldier Field to prepare for any emergency that might arise at this summer’s Democratic National Convention. Roughly one in 10 Cook County Democratic voters appeared to skip voting for a presidential candidate in last month’s Illinois primary. The total solar eclipse is Monday.