WBEZ News

At its peak, nearly 15,000 asylum seekers were living in 28 migrant shelters across Chicago. More than half of those migrants have left since the city began rolling out shelter evictions this spring. Many moved to other cities, or are now renting. About 600 migrants have re-entered the shelter system. Some others are ending up on the streets. WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad has the story. Host: Ma...

Anthony Freud, who has led Chicago’s Lyric Opera since 2011, is retiring this summer. The Lyric, like opera companies across the country, faces big challenges, like fewer subscribers … and a need to diversify the artform. But Freud is hopeful. Before his departure, he gave WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers a tour of the Lyric’s massive downtown building and shared what opera needs to do to stay relevant. H...

The use of automated license plate readers are having a big impact on investigations into highway shootings in Illinois. That’s according to the Illinois State Police. There have been 42 shootings on interstate highways so far this year. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly says license plate readers have helped to identify an individual involved in the majority of the cases. Director Kell...

Residents of Chicago’s West Side have a new way to beat the heat. Humboldt Park Beach – the city’s only inland, man-made beach – re-opened to the public this week for the first time since 2019. WBEZ’s Lauren Frost talked to beachgoers on opening day, and has this story.

Around 30,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Chicago over the last two years. The influx has led to a backlash — to claims the migrants are fueling crime and taking up resources that longtime Chicago residents need. WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell is back from two weeks in Colombia, a country that’s received a much larger influx from Venezuela. Those two countries share a language, a religion and a nearly 14-hu...

In Chicago, Venezuelan migrants are desperate for legal status and jobs. In South America, a country neighboring Venezuela has taken steps to give migrants just that. That country is Colombia. This week we’re looking at how Colombia has set up one of the world’s largest migratory amnesties. WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell spent two weeks there and reports the amnesty has boosted Colombia’s economy, but it’s...

Over the past two years, about 30,000 Venezuelan migrants have come to Chicago. To get here, they cross a lot of dangerous borders. The first one separates Venezuela from Colombia. WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell takes us to that border. The story continues our series on Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.

Excitement was in the air Monday as candidates started filing petitions for Chicago’s first elected school board. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp was there as the first candidates stepped up.

Meet a young mother who survived a harrowing journey across the border with her two young children to start a new life. Reporter: Chip Mitchell

nominating convention. This will be the third DNC held in Chicago since 1968. These conventions are thrown with the help of THOUSANDS of volunteers from the Chicago area. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel spoke to volunteers from conventions past and present to get an inside look at the widely watched event. Host: DIXON

Melina Sandoval is attending North Park University in the fall. She just graduated from Carl Schurz High School on Chicago’s North Side. Melina spoke to WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko about the challenges she faced as an undocumented student…and her dreams for her future. Host: LABUZ

Five University of Chicago students are in limbo because they took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. College officials have put their degrees on hold. Some faculty say the decision raises questions about the university’s commitment to free speech. W-B-E-Z’s Lisa Kurian Philip reports.

Jessie Montgomery is a leading voice of a new generation of classical composers. She’s finishing up a prominent residency at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Her time at CSO will wrap after a series of concerts this weekend. But she’s not leaving Chicago. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers sat down with Montgomery after a rehearsal at Symphony Center.

If prosecutors have it their way — ex-Chicago alderman Ed Burke would spend 10 years in federal prison. That would amount to one of the harshest public corruption sentences handed down in the city’s federal court in the last decade. Burke’s defense team is asking the judge for NO prison time for their client. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel joins us now for more of what’s to come for the longest serving ald...

You can drive from one end of Chicago to the other and never see or even hear a cicada. But in certain pockets of the city where nature has persisted, they are loud and present. WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco spoke with residents on the far south side and far north side of the city to see how they’re coping with the overwhelming numbers of flying, red-eyed insects. Host: Mary Dixon

Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy will headline the city’s Blues Festival on Sunday. Guy’s set is an opportunity for audiences to see the blues great in the city that made him. WBEZ contributor Robert Loerzel has more. Host: Mary Dixon

The City of Evanston has a new flag, thanks to 7-year-old Bernie Allen-Harrah. The rising second design was chosen as the winner of the Mayor’s Youth Flag Redesign Contest. The competition was open to Evanston K-12 students. Finalists worked with professional designers who volunteered to help the contestants polish their creations. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cianna Greaves

Illinois lawmakers wrapped up their legislative session last month once again without passing Karina's bill - or even calling it for a full vote. The measure would require judges to order the confiscation of guns from people who have emergency restraining orders against them. The bill had bipartisan support, and advocates for domestic violence survivors say it would save lives. So why is this popu...

Saturday saw the much anticipated match up between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever. The game featured three of the WNBA’s top rookies: The Sky’s Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso against the Fever’s Catlin Clark. In this match down in Indy, the Fever won by one point … 71 to 70. Clark – who finished with 11 points – talks about an aggressive shove by the Sky’s Chennedy Carter.

In the crucial hours after a shooting at a Pilsen high school… Chicago Public Schools staff slowed down the police investigation. That’s according to new reporting by the Illinois Answers Project, from the Better Government Association. Investigative reporter Peter Nickeas interviewed sources and reviewed thousands of pages of emails and other documents.

Getting your driver’s license…going to prom … your first kiss. Now, for many teenagers in Chicago, you can add one more rite of passage to the high school experience: the launch of your very own streetwear brand. Most of the young people jumping on the trend are boys…motivated by a desire for money, fame or a way to express themselves. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko picks up this story starting in the Rosc...

An election more than 7,000 miles away is impacting how Hindus in Chicago engage with their faith. WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde spoke with local Hindus who are grappling with how the leading candidate in India is representing their faith on the world stage.

Joshua Allen has written for Empire on FOX, The Morning Show on Apple TV, and From Scratch on Netflix. He has taken a short break from Hollywood to return to Chicago – as a playwright. WBEZ’s Mike Davis has the story. Host: Mary Dixon

Many migrants in Chicago are getting married, having babies, joining churches and sending their children to local schools. But that’s not the end of THEIR journey. WBEZ’s Adriana Cardona Maguigad takes us to two neighborhoods where newly arrived asylum seekers are adapting. Host: Mary Dixon

The Illinois state legislature wrapped its Spring Session before most alarm clocks rang this morning (WED)... after hours of back-and-forth theatrics. WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman joins me now to break down what made the cut in the new state budget. Host: Mary Dixon