WBEZ News

Chicago-area food pantries continue to experience a higher need than normal. They’re grappling with issues like state and federal funding cuts, rising grocery prices – and the upcoming holiday season. HOST: LANE

150 U.S. Border Patrol agents who rattled Chicago for two months have moved on to North Carolina. But the Trump administration says its deportation blitz here is continuing. And the Sun-Times reports a bigger Border Control group could be here by March. Some law enforcement experts say what they’ve seen so far — from tear gas to car chases — has been out of control. HOST: LANE

Yes, it’s the ultimate food holiday. And yes, some people don’t want to cook. Chicago chefs this year are leaning into options for dining in or picking up to go. HOST: LANE

In a rare move, a key city council panel REJECTED Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal today (mon), far ahead of the December 31st deadline to pass a plan. Critics say that sends a clear message to the mayor to go back to the drawing board, while Johnson defiantly doubled down. HOST: MELBA

Talk about Chicago theater, and soon the subject will turn to the director Robert Falls. Falls spent thirty-five years atop Goodman Theater and in 2015 was inducted into the National Theater Hall of Fame. But he stepped down from the Goodman a few years ago….launched a freelance career in his 70s… and this month, pops up in an unlikely place… Steppenwolf. WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis sat down...

Tax credits that make Obamacare insurance more affordable are expiring in December. That prompted the fight at the center of the government shutdown. HOST: DEGMAN

Perez Jr. died unexpectedly last month. On Tuesday, during a Veteran’s Day celebration in Little Village, his friends, family and elected officials gathered to celebrate his life and legacy. HOST: DEGMAN

Grocery prices are continuing to rise, SNAP benefits are in flux for many families – and the holidays are on the horizon. The Sun-Times has been tracking grocery prices for 35 different items across 4 different Chicago stores for nearly a year to evaluate cost trends. HOST: LANE

While violent crime in Chicago has declined, there’s one category that continues to persistently rise. That’s domestic violence. It skyrocketed during pandemic-era stay-at-home orders and continues to plague the city. Yet, as federal COVID-19 relief grants dry up, organizations that support survivors are bracing for drastic cuts to city-funded programming that they say has changed lives. HOST: LAN...

The modern opera “Proving Up” was supposed to premiere in Chicago three years ago. But it was lost to COVID-19 and the omicron surge. Now the opera finally makes its debut—in a school production. HOST: LANE

Alongside the Chicago Sun-Times, we’re gathering your questions about all things money and finances. Then each week, we get your questions answered by the people who know best. This week we’ve got this question from Carson in Wilmette: "Why do I pay more for less? At restaurants, they make the portions look like it's the same, but when I open it, it's less. Everything is shrinking, yet costs go up...

Nearly two months into President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign, social media feeds from his administration and its right-wing allies paint a grim picture of Chicago. Highly produced videos depict heroic military raids. And social media influencers help to spread the message that Chicago is a city plagued by violence, at war with the federal government. But the videos d...

President Donald Trump has been outspoken in blaming crime on ‘sanctuary’ policies in Democratic states, but the numbers don’t tell the same story. A WBEZ and Sun-Times analysis shows many Republican-led states actually have higher violent crime rates and faster-growing undocumented immigrant populations. HOST: LANE

After police killed George Floyd in 2020, there was talk of a racial reckoning. In the theater community, that reckoning took the form of a letter titled “We See You, White American Theater.” The letter demanded that theaters stop tokenizing artists of color and start implementing company wide anti-rascist trainings. It would ultimately be signed by one-hundred-thousand artists, including many in...

A federal judge today extended limits on the use of force by federal agents carrying out a Chicago-area deportation blitz. The decision came after the judge heard clips of sworn testimony by the U.S. Border Patrol chief in charge of that operation. He was asked about a pep talk for his agents by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Both say they’re going tough on violent mobs to protect the Am...

The 20-20 murder of George Floyd stirred waves of activism and protest across the country. It also sparked a year of reflection. In Chicago, several major arts groups joined businesses big and small in showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Many promised in public D-E-I plans to make changes to better reflect the city they serve. Now, five years later, the Sun-Times and WBEZ have...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been targeting Chicago neighborhoods and the fear among residents and workers is palpable. That’s meant delays in building repairs or missed rent payments … which some property managers say could raise the cost of rent. HOST: LANE

It’s a facility where human rights abuses have been alleged, and that has been entirely cut off from the public. There was another form of protest yesterday (MON). It was music. HOST: MELBA

Each year, Chicago’s cultural affairs department stages a competition for local musicians. It’s called the Chicago Made Music Showcase….Winners go on to perform at Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago ….and they get studio recording time. The grand prize winner also receives ten-thousand dollars. This year’s top vote getter is the singer Mara Love. She visited the studios of WBEZ sister station Vocal...

We're answering YOUR questions about the National Guard and immigration agents in Chicago. Today’s Questions: "What are the qualifications for becoming an immigration agent? HOST: LANE

Not all federal immigration officers are wearing ID badges on their uniforms more than three weeks after an order from a federal judge in response to a lawsuit. And many of the IDs they are wearing can be hard to find or read HOST: MELBA

Alongside the Chicago Sun-Times, we’re gathering your questions about all things money and finances. Then each week, we get your questions answered by the people who know best. This week, we’ve got this question from Murray who says: Please explain supply and demand. Why is it that if a manufacturer has produced a product and has established a cost to manufacture and then sells more than anticipat...

After three decades of writing, Dale is calling it a career. HOST: PUENTE

The dust is clearing in Springfield after state lawmakers wrapped up a busy fall veto session at around 4:30 this morning. Democrats threw a financial lifeline to the Chicago-area’s mass transit system that raised tolls and sales taxes. They pushed back against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions. And they moved to allow physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs t...

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in Gary, Indiana yesterday (THURS) and made several surprising remarks. HOST: LANE