WBEZ News

My Brightest Diamond and the Chicago-based sextet Eighth Blackbird are two Midwest musical projects that defy categorization. This week, they join forces at the Athenaeum Center [ATH-uh-NAY-um] in Lake View for a concert…about love. WBEZ contributor Hannah Edgar reports. HOST: DIXON

Four years ago, Governor JB Pritzker signed landmark climate legislation. It committed Illinois to some of the most ambitious climate goals in the Midwest - from putting more electric vehicles on the road to phasing out fossil fuels by 2050. But Illinois is not meeting its goals to make that deadline. WBEZ’s climate change reporter… Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco has the story. HOST: DIXON

Changes to federal transportation funding being pushed by President Donald Trump’s administration could be devastating to Illinois transit. That’s according to reporting by the Sun-Times David Struett. He reports, the new head of the U.S. Department of Transportation is ordering his department to prioritize communities with higher marriage and birth rates. That could put Illinois nearly last in li...

President Trump’s administration is suing Chicago, Cook County and Illinois officials over so-called sanctuary policies. The Justice Department is claiming in federal court that officials including Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Governor JB Pritzker are interfering with immigration enforcement. WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell has been talking with legal experts about...

Singer-songwriter Neko Case is a singular voice in music. Across 11 albums, she has crafted a canon of songs that are sharp, haunting and vulnerable. Case has written a new memoir titled “The Harder I Fight, the More I Love You.” In it, she talks openly about her isolated childhood and the long journey of becoming a musician — including her formative Chicago years. She joined WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz to...

For many immigrants in the Chicago area, the fear of being detained by law enforcement is already affecting their health. Hundreds of immigrants are skipping appointments and leaving prescriptions at the pharmacy since Republican President Donald Trump returned to office. WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch takes you inside a free clinic to show you the chilling effect.

An ornately displayed tooth at the Art Institute of Chicago was thought to have belonged to Saint John the Baptist. But that’s not the case. Researchers at Oxford University concluded that the tooth in question is from a different time and could not belong to the prophet. Chicago Sun Times reporter Robert Herguth did some digging on this revelation and shared his findings with WBEZ host Lisa Labuz...

Students with undocumented parents are weighing whether or not to fill out the FAFSA, the free application for federal student aid. Submitting the form unlocks help paying for college… But it requires sharing detailed personal information about their parents. And there are heightened concerns over what the Trump administration might do with this information. WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip reports. HOST...

President Donald Trump is touting the arrests of thousands of immigrants who he says are dangerous criminals who must be deported. But Chicago attorneys say the reality on the ground is different They say agents are picking up innocent immigrants…often without the required warrant. WBEZ immigration reporter Adriana Cardona Maguigad has more…. HOST: DIXON

The Chicago pizzeria Spacca Napoli has been a fixture of the Ravenswood neighborhood for nearly 20 years. Recently, it was recognized by Chicago’s culinary community as the best pizza in town. Just days after accepting the prize, its owner Jonathan Goldsmith prepared to undergo surgery to remove stomach cancer. WBEZ Courtney Kueppers visited Goldsmith the day before his operation. HOST: DIXON

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will spend the next few months chipping away at progressive policies on the environment, public safety, and hemp regulation. That’s according to a first look at Johnson’s legislative calendar for the first quarter of this year. But the policy agenda does NOT include any big or new revenue streams Johnson has been promising. WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg reports. HOST: DIXON

How does music speak to times of crisis? University of Chicago professor Steve Rings posed the question to clarinetist Stephen Williamson, violinist Danny Jin, and cellist John Sharp of the Chicago Symphony. In response, they perform Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with pianist Umi Garrett at 3 p.m. this Sunday at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall. WBEZ contributor Hannah Edga...

The federal racketeering conspiracy case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain is now in the jury’s hands. Federal prosecutors aggressively made their closing arguments today (WED) - even giving the ex-speaker a nickname – Mike “Milquetoast” Madigan. Here to take us inside the intense courtroom scene is WBEZ’s Illinois politics reporter Dave McKinne...

Thursday, Sean Harden will preside as president over the first monthly meeting of the new partly-elected Chicago Board of Education. It’s a turbulent time. The teachers contract is unresolved, a budget crisis is looming, the federal government is wreaking havoc and the head of the school district will be terminated in June. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp sat down with Harden, a relative unknown, to learn more...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was flanked by his administration’s heavyweights today (TUES) as he declared a “full force of government” response to the Trump Administration’s deportation efforts. The press conference with his police chief, budget director and top attorney was Johnson’s first since Trump took office. It comes amid a flurry of immigration news in recent days. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel w...

Many residents are living in fear – some afraid to take their kids to school or go out for a bite to eat. WBEZ’s Michael Puente went to Chicago’s East Side neighborhood - where nearly 80 percent of residents are Mexican. HOST: LANE

The new play Jaja's African Hair Braiding comes to Chicago after a Tony-winning Broadway run. One of those awards recognized the play's standout wig design. WBEZ's Mike Davis went backstage at Chicago Shakespeare to file this report. HOST: LANE

It’s been a week since President Donald Trump took office. And his administration’s new immigration policies and threats of mass raids have had much of Chicago’s immigrant community on edge. “Enhanced” immigration enforcement started yesterday (SUN) in the city. ICE agents, along with border czar Tom Homan and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were on the ground. WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona-Magu...

President Trump is threatening so-called sanctuary cities and states, like Chicago and Illinois, that bar their employees from helping federal immigration enforcement. He’s ordered a cutoff of federal funds and directed the Justice Department to prosecute officials of cities and states that don’t help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency known as ICE. Trump has also stoked fears of...

President Donald Trump’s threat of mass deportations in Chicago and across the U.S. is raising questions and fears … especially in schools that serve a lot of immigrants. In Chicago, the school district and community organizations are spreading the word that immigrants still have rights. They hope it will help parents and students to feel empowered. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp reports. HOST: DIXON

It started with a handful of incarcerated men having huddled conversations about writing inside the Dixon Correctional Center in northern Illinois. Over the past few years, that’s grown into the Mud Theatre Project in Chicago. Many of its founders have since made their way out of prison…and on to one of the most prestigious stages in the city. WBEZ’s Mike Davis takes us behind the scenes of the ne...

The Art Institute is making history with its latest exhibition, a sprawling showcase that focuses on the art of the Pan-African movement. WBEZ producer Cianna Greaves reports. host: dixon

The Chicago Bears are reportedly hiring Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the team’s new head coach. WBEZ producer Noah Jennings spoke with sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout to learn what Johnson will bring to Chicago.

Residents across neighborhoods are getting ready by putting their deportation defense infrastructure to the test. Reporter: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad; Host: Mary Dixon

After years of warm relations with the Biden White House, a new, grim reality sets in for Illinois when Donald Trump is inaugurated Monday. Reporter: Michael Puente