WBEZ News

The Lillstreet Art Center on the Northwest Side has seen a surge in demand for beginner sewing classes. In fact … sewing classes there have been FULL for the past TWO years. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko dropped in on a session and learned the fun and sometimes serious reasons why folks are picking up the craft. Host: Mary Dixon

Next week, former Chicago alderman Ed Burke will stand trial on federal corruption charges that he used his power in public office to make money at his private law firm. Though Burke won reelection in 2019 after the initial indictment and raid on his office, the charges helped put an end to his five-decade career in the council earlier this year. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel brings us this look at Burke’...

Chicago and the surrounding suburbs have seen extreme rainfall events this year that resulted in significant flooding. When those events happen, the floodwater that’s often contaminated with sewage makes its way through the storm drains to one of the water reclamation plants in the region so that it can be cleaned. But that bears the question, “how do they actually do that?” WBEZ’s Noah Jennings w...

Steel continues to be the dominant industry in Northwest Indiana -- as it has been for more than a century. While the mills have provided good-paying jobs for the thousands who have worked there over the decades -- they've also been a major source of air pollution. Reporter and host: Michael Puente

A year ago the Chicago Transit Authority made a pledge to fix delays and address the crime and grime that was keeping riders away from the system. It was called Meeting the Moment… and the goals were ambitious: make train and bus service more reliable…improve safety and the overall rider experience The CTA is claiming progress.. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Claudia Morell

The Chicago Sky introduced their new head coach Teresa Weatherspoon at a press conference yesterday. Afterwards, the hall of famer sat down with WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout in an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss her plans for her first season with the Sky. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cheryl Raye Stout

Educators in Illinois have a January deadline to draft a plan for improving how reading is taught. The effort by the Illinois State Board of Education is part of a national movement to update reading instruction … so it matches what science says about the way kids learn. Here to tell us more is Tinaya York. She helped write the first draft of Illinois’ literacy plan with educators around the state...

A dozen police officers from around Illinois appeared on a leaked membership list for the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist group. They include a state trooper, a state university campus cop and an officer for a village known as “America’s First Black Town.” These officers are in addition to the more than two dozen current and former Chicago police officials found on the leaked list. Many...

Twenty-seven current and former Chicago cops appeared on the leaked membership list of the Oath Keepers — the anti-government extremist group that gained notoriety for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Now, a monthslong investigation from WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project has looked into those officers in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois, reve...

The people who spoke with WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times say the department should rid itself of cops connected to extremist groups.

The people who spoke with WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times say the department should rid itself of cops connected to extremist groups. Reporters: Dan Mihalopoulos and Tom Schuba

This year Chicagoans elected 65 people to serve on the city’s first police district councils. The job includes providing a forum for city residents to raise concerns about policing in their district and help address them. The councils are all up and running. But there’s no instruction manual for making sure they’re effective. Five months since the district council members took their oath, WBEZ’s C...

This year Chicagoans elected 65 people to serve on the city’s first police district councils. The job includes providing a forum for city residents to raise concerns about policing in their district and help address them. The councils are all up and running. But there’s no instruction manual for making sure they’re effective. Five months since the district council members took their oath, WBEZ’s C...

Abbott claims he is sending migrants to Democratic cities – without any coordination – to protest US immigration policies. But Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson says Abbott’s actions are a large-scale human smuggling operation. Reporter: Natalie Moore; Host: Melba Lara

Thousands of migrants in Chicago don’t have a permanent place to live or work. The humanitarian crisis continues to grow as the city scrambles for solutions. But one neighboring Midwestern state wants to help relocate hundreds – if not thousands – of those migrants. WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang has the story. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

More than 1.6 million people in Illinois have student loan balances. And this month they have to make payments for the first time in three years. Advocates say the pandemic-era pause allowed people to buy homes and start families. One Brookfield woman says it allowed her to avoid becoming a statistic. WBEZ’s Lisa Philip reports. Host: Mary Dixon

As the seasons change, you might be thinking about updating your wardrobe with the latest fall and winter trends. But many Chicago teens are rejecting fast fashion. They’re turning to thrift shops for cheaper and more sustainable options. WBEZ’s Nereida Moreno stopped by a North Side thrift store to hear why some students are embracing secondhand clothes. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Nereida Moreno

What does sanctuary status actually mean? Where does it come from? And does it actually affect the flow of asylum-seekers to the city? WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang sat down with Professor Kathleen Arnold – director of the Refugee and Forced Migration program at DePaul University. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Host: Claire Lane

More than a million Illinois residents are making payments on their federal student loans this month for the first time in three years. WBEZ is bringing you some of their stories – and what the pandemic-era payment pause has meant to them. Today we have the story of a borrower who was able to start his family. WBEZ’s Lisa Philip brings us into his living room in the southwest suburbs, where his to...

Johnson is pledging he won’t raise property taxes, saying the city’s budget gap will be plugged with rosier revenue projections and other money. Reporter: Tessa Weinberg; Host: Melba Lara

This month more than a million Illinois residents are making payments on their federal student loans for the first time in three years. A pandemic era pause on payments ended in September leaving borrowers scrambling to adjust their monthly budgets. In the lead up we asked borrowers what questions they have about their student debt. WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Philip shared their responses...

Community organizer Kennedy Bartley has long been familiar with Chicago City Hall. But never before has she had the type of access she and her group – U-W-F, United Working Families – do under Mayor Brandon Johnson. 28-year-old Bartley finds herself at the helm of a progressive political powerhouse during an unprecedented time – when Johnson is vowing to quote- “co-govern” with those who helped el...

The Chicago Transit Authority says it has had a surge in hiring and training rail operators in the past year. The conversation starts off with the CTA’s Chief Administrative Officer Tom McKone and includes CTA spokesperson Brian Steele. Reporter: Claudia Morell; Host: Susie An

In his latest book, historian and Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep offers a fresh take on President Abraham Lincoln. Specifically, how Lincoln was able to navigate the political division of the mid-19th century - and how disagreements with his peers shaped Lincoln’s legacy. It’s entitled Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded In a Divided America. Steve Inskeep recently sat down with WBEZ’s Lisa...

Park the lawn mower. Put away the sidewalk edger. Building a climate resilient future may depend on it. Is the pristine, green lawn incompatible with life in a warming world? Botanist and Chicago-area native Joey Santore has a show called Kill Your Lawn and was recently in town filming. As part of our "Climate Solutions Week" coverage from WBEZ and NPR, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco sat down with him....