WBEZ News

Migrant children in Chicago are adjusting to their new lives. Their parents know it’s been a long dangerous journey for them, sometimes crossing a treacherous jungle. A new soccer program is giving kids a chance to do what most 8 and 10 year olds are doing this summer— playing outside. WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad takes us to a soccer field in the West Loop and has this audio postcard. HOST: LA...

The Illinois Republican Party has not held a statewide office since Bruce Rauner was governor. Just 3 of the state’s 17 U.S Representatives are Republican. Both U.S. Senators are Democrats. And Democrats hold supermajorities in Springfield. As the Republican National Convention enters the home stretch – Illinois Republicans are taking advice and reflecting on how they can win more elections and ga...

Republicans in Illinois headed to their party’s national convention with the state party in disarray. Party infighting prompted their chair to resign. But now that the delegation is in Milwaukee for the R-N-C – they’re finding something to unify them. Donald Trump. From Milwaukee - WBEZ’s Alex Degman reports. HOST: LABUZ

Some members of Illinois’ Republican delegation think the assassinaton attempt on former President Donald Trump is galvanizing his base and attracting new voters. Trump delegate Aaron Del Mar (del-MAR) thinks it will bring more Republicans who don’t like Trump into the fold. The Republican National Convention begins today [MON] in Milwaukee. The Illinois delegation will begin the day hearing from...

Calls are growing by the day for President Joe Biden to step aside from the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The scrutiny over Biden’s age comes weeks before the Democratic National Convention takes place in Chicago in August. But some of Illinois’ youngest delegates are sticking with Biden – while also hoping to push the Democratic Party in new directions. WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg has mor...

Next month the Democratic National Convention comes to the United Center in Chicago. Tens of thousands of people … from elected officials to protesters … are expected to pack the arena and surrounding streets. Nearby hospitals are planning for the worst but hoping for the best. WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch brings us this story. Host: LABUZ

The upcoming Republican and Democratic national conventions will likely confirm what we’ve known for quite some time – that Joe Biden and Donald Trump will battle for the presidency this fall, even as calls grow for President Biden to step aside. So far, the contest is sewn up. That was really the case by the time we voted in the Illinois primary in March. And that’s probably one of the reasons th...

Three Democratic US Representatives from Illinois are now calling on Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign after a catastrophic debate performance. Mike Quigley, Eric Sorenson, and Brad Schneider all say the party’s best shot at winning in November is if Biden steps aside. WBEZ’s Dave McKinney spoke to Schneider about the growing discontent among some Illinois Democrats. Host: LABUZ

Breon Arzell has acted in HBO's South Side. This summer the Chicago actor plays the lead role in the Pulitzer Prize winning play Hot Wing King at Writers Theater. The play explores the concepts of masculinity and Black queerness. WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis saw the play and spoke with Arzell. He brings us this audio postcard. Host: LARA

A cornerstone of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s crime prevention plan is to hire more young people for summer jobs. He has seen some success. The summer jobs program has slowly, but steadily, grown under Johnson after seeing a COVID-19 induced dip. That growth includes 100 new “peacekeeper” positions where kids learn conflict resolution and relationship building. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel has more. L...

Nearly 40 million adults across the country have some college credit – but no degree. A unique program at Northeastern Illinois University helps people cross the finish line by giving them credit for life experience. But financial challenges mean the program serves only a handful of students. WBEZ’s Lisa Kurian Philip reports. LABUZ

Chicago is in the middle of a heated debate about the future of the city’s 11 test-in selective enrollment high schools. The mayor and the Board of Education say they wanted to prioritize neighborhood schools and move away from the existing system of school choice. This summer, the board is expected to propose changes to the admissions process for these selective schools. WBEZ education reporter S...

Illinois Republicans are preparing to head to Milwaukee for next week’s Republican National Convention where they’ll nominate Donald Trump to be the party’s official nominee for president. The state party now appears to be in lockstep with their presidential pick even though Trump has twice lost Illinois. And intense in-fighting recently cost the Illinois GOP’s leader his job. As WBEZ’s Alex Degma...

A new musical based on John Berendt’s best-selling book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, opens this week.

Incoming freshmen are spending the summer thinking about their first day of high school. In Chicago, it comes after a stressful year as many eighth graders compete to get into the city’s top schools. The Board of Education this year kicked off a debate about test-in high schools, questioning who gets in and how that reflects on the district. A new analysis by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp looks at the roots o...

Highland Park’s first fourth of July parade following the mass shooting two years ago drew a smaller than usual crowd. The parade was also shorter. Still, children were delighted by the various decorated cars, the Jesse White tumblers, as well as trinkets and candy being handed out. Some said they hope it is a good memory for the children.

A new investigation by The Marshall Project found over 100 cases of survivors who were punished for a crime committed by their abusers. The cases the Marshall Project found in Illinois involve a little known law called “The Theory of Accountability” It allows a person to be prosecuted for another person’s crime- if they assisted or helped. Even -- in some cases -- if that help was provided only un...

Two people were injured Saturday at 31st Street Beach after an argument left a 17-year-old girl shot in the shoulder and another person with a stab-wound to the arm. Four people have been shot at the South Side beach in less than a month. In response to the violence, Fourth Ward Alderman Lamont Robinson has implemented several measures to tighten security - and is calling on the Park District to e...

The Chicago White Sox are looking to move from their home stadium in Bridgeport and set up shop closer to downtown. It comes 33 years after the team tore down Old Comiskey Park and erected what is now known as Guaranteed Rate Field in its place. A new book .. “Last Comiskey” provides dozens of photos from the last year of that beloved stadium at 35th and Shields. Ken Smoller is the book’s author....

In Illinois, hair stylists, barbers, nail techs and estheticians must have hundreds of hours of training to get their license. 80 percent of these beauty and cosmetology programs are run by for-profit companies. But after investing thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours, graduates are rarely better off than those with just a high school degree. WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang has the story. Host: L...

A lot of Black, Brown and low-income students in Illinois who need a college degree to move up in the world go to for-profit colleges to get one. These companies promise a fast-track to graduation and a better job – one you can do while you’re working the job you already have or raising your kids. But a WBEZ investigation found these schools too often leave students worse off than when they starte...

Yesterday’s stunning court hearing for the man accused of the mass shooting in north suburban Highland Park two years ago has victims’ families, survivors and residents reeling. Robert Crimo the Third rejected a plea deal from prosecutors during the hearing. Some family members of people killed in the 4th of July shooting believe Crimo intentionally went back on the deal in an effort to cause more...

Defense attorneys for four former ComEd lobbyists and executives say a Supreme Court decision could win their clients a new trial. A jury convicted the lobbyists and executives last year of bribing ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But the high court today (WED) narrowed the bribery law used in-part to win those convictions. Prosecutors used that same law to charge Madigan - who is schedu...

A road in west suburban Wheaton has seen dozens of car crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists over the past decade or so. Many have resulted in severe injuries, including three deaths. For years, residents of one apartment complex have been calling for the installation of a traffic signal to address the issue. WBEZ’s Jessica Alvarado Gamez has been following their journey. Host: Dixon

Ex-Chicago Alderman Ed Burke spent 54 years in city council — the longest reign in history. Now, he’ll spend two years in prison after a jury convicted him of using his power in office for private gain. A federal judge handed down the sentence today. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel joins us from federal court now for more.