WBEZ News

At the University of Illinois Chicago, students who grew up speaking Spanish can take classes to learn how to read and write in the language — and how to use it on the job. But the courses are at risk under a new plan by administrators to cut costs. W-B-E-Z’s Lisa Kurian Philip reports. HOST: DIXON

A Chicago gynecologist is in the East African nation of Uganda [you-GAHN-duh] on a Fulbright Scholarship. It’s a longstanding international exchange program that connects Americans to the world. Now the doctor is seeing firsthand how the president’s efforts to slash government spending are changing how the world sees Americans. The doctor reached out to WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko. HOST: DIXON

Over the last two decades, Chicago police have taken in 35 thousand weapons at gun buybacks. And sometimes, the guns taken into police possession… go missing. HOST: Melba Lara; REPORTERS: Casey Toner and Tom Schuba

A new study finds that Illinois homeowners on average paid almost $1,000 more on their home insurance in 2024 than they did three years ago. We’ll break down the numbers. HOST: CLARE LANE; REPORTER: NOAH JENNINGS

Twenty years ago, when many of Chicago’s public housing apartments were being torn down after years of neglect, some former residents rallied to preserve one building. That eventually became the National Public Housing Museum. Its exhibits span decades and cover cities across the U-S. The museum opens its doors tomorrow (Fri). While people in Chicago might be familiar with the disinvestment, decay...

Chicago finished the first quarter of the year with 96 murders. That’s down more than 15 percent from the first three months of last year. New Orleans-based data analyst Jeff Asher closely follows crime numbers in Chicago and other U.S. cities. He spoke with WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell. HOST: DIXON

It now moves to a group of 700-plus elected CTU representatives who will decide whether to recommend that all members ratify it. CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said it's a big contract, tackling a range of issues from pay to class size to sports to housing for students. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp reports. HOST: DIXON

An exhibit at the Field Museum explores Chicago’s African fashion scene through clothing inspired by objects in the museum's collections. Connecting Threads: Africa Fashion in Chicago highlights the work of local designers and the stories that inspire them. WBEZ producer Cianna Greaves spoke to Ghanaian-born designer Jennifer Akese-Burney – one of the artists featured in the exhibit – about the gr...

A new book from former Chicago Sun-Times reporter Thomas Maier explores the life of America’s first World War 2 spy. Ernest Cuneo was a former NFL player turned secret agent. In the book the “The Invisible Spy”, Maier (mayer) writes about a cross-country trip Cuneo (KHOO-nee-yo) took with James Bond author Ian Fleming. Including a stop here in Chicago. An excerpt from the book is in today’s Sun-Ti...

Illinois prisons punish people who get convicted of crimes. But the state Constitution says criminal penalties should also be “restoring” them to “useful citizenship.” WBEZ’s Prisoncast project asked hundreds of folks locked up in Illinois how they think about rehabilitation in prison. We partnered with incarcerated journalists, who interviewed other men inside the Kewanee Life Skills Reentry Cent...

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Half Gringa, the alias of Chicago-based singer-songwriter Isabel Olive, is releasing her third album today In Cosmovisión, the Venezuelan and American singer explores themes like climate change and her dual heritage with complex melodies and ruminative lyrics. I had a moment to chat with Olive before her performance at WBEZ. Here’s some of our conversation. HOST: DIXON

Earlier this week workers from the Environmental Protection agency marched in downtown Chicago to protest plans to cut funding and staffing there. The head of the EPA says he wants to cut the agency’s budget by 65 percent. Some employees say this could compromise fundamental functions of the agency tasked with safeguarding the air, water and health of the country. WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco (...

A new opera that opens in Chicago this week throws out all the old conventions. The Listeners is set in the modern-day, features a cult and puts a complicated, female character in the spotlight. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers has more on the genre-busting show. And, what comes next for opera. HOST: DIXON

When the play Purpose had its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, There were whispers the show might make it to New York. The show opened on Broadway last weekend. WBEZ’s Mike Davis reports from the Theater District in New York. HOST: LABUZ

It’s been five years since Governor JB Pritzker issued the stay at home order at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. WBEZ’S Isabela Nieto spoke with Illinoisans about how their lives have changed since 2020. HOST: GOMEZ-ALDANA

The principal of Lincoln Park High School made an appearance on Wheel of Fortune Thursday. And he invited students, parents and teachers to watch the broadcast with him in the school’s auditorium. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko was there. HOST: LARA

It's been a year since Chicago police killed Dexter Reed during a traffic stop. Police say Reed fired on them first, wounding an officer and prompting 96 shots in response. Reed's family says police never should have pulled a 26-year-old black man in the first place. The Sun Times and the Investigative Project on race and equity looked at how police stops have changed and how they have it. HOST: P...

It’s been five years since the pandemic began. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say approximately 1 in 5 adults have a health condition that might be related to their previous COVID-19 illness. Researchers say long COVID can affect physical and mental health. Symptoms can last a few weeks, months or even years. WBEZ’s Araceli Gomez-Aldana talked to one Chicagoan about her battle with...

DePaul University is sending students into Cook County Jail to learn alongside some of the people detained there. It gives both groups the chance to learn from a Depaul professor…and from each other. WBEZ's Lisa Kurian Philip takes us deep into the Little Village jail to hear what that sounds like. HOST: LARA