WBEZ News

The former football coach says he was wrongfully fired after a hazing and abuse scandal. Reporter: Lisa Phillip; Host: Claire Lane

Medical science has firmly established the importance of regular prenatal care for pregnant women. But in Chicago, that care is not guaranteed for the city’s newly arriving migrants. Of the more than 15-thousand who have arrived in Chicago so far, Cook county officials say they have treated more than 200 expectant mothers. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cianna Greaves, Elly Fishman

After the hazing scandal in Northwestern’s athletics program broke this summer, president Michael Schill said, “Our student-athletes are students first.” Former football player Ramon Diaz says that was not his experience. He recently filed a suit against the university for enabling the alleged abuse he endured while on the team in the late 2000s. Diaz is now a therapist working with young athletes...

An experiment is underway involving trees. Three identical gardens across Illinois, Minnesota and Oklahoma are growing thousands of Bur Oaks. Scientists want to know how the oaks will respond to different climates, and how that could affect forests in the future. As part of our "Climate Solutions Week" coverage from WBEZ and NPR Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco has the story. Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-F...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is overwhelmed as they try to house a recent influx of migrants that have been bussed to the city. The pace of buses has been ramping up – with 10 buses expected to arrive today [TUES]. So just how is the city responding to the more than 17-thousand migrants that have arrived in the past year and the growing need for housing ahead of winter? Joining u...

The popular 70s sitcom “Three’s Company” is enjoying a comeback in the U.S. People all over the country are holding parties in celebration of Helen Roper, the spunky, fashionable landlady. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko attended a caftan crawl dubbed the Mrs. Roper romp in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood over the weekend and has this story. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Anna Savchenko

In 1977, Jimmy Carter was president. The original Star Wars was released in theaters. Michael Bilandic was mayor of Chicago. And prep sports were a big deal. And Chicago Vocational High School was the defending Public League champions in football. But that didn’t matter much to the upstart Wolverines of Simeon High School, also known as ... the Blue Machine. Reporter: Michael Puente; Host: Melba L...

In the Chicago region, segregation is a way of life – as common as hot dogs and deep dish pizza. But there are some public places where people of different economic backgrounds come together. A pair of researchers recently studied where folks might “rub shoulders.” WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang takes us to a couple of those spots. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Last year, Black drivers were the subjects in 30 percent of traffic stops in Illinois … almost double the percentage it was nearly two decades ago. That’s according to an investigation by WBEZ and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Many Black drivers are left questioning if a routine run to the store or picking up their child from school could lead to being stopped by police. WBEZ’s Mic...

State law and oversight board fall short of goals to collect law enforcement data and to reduce racial disparities in police traffic stops. Reporters: Matt Kiefer, Taylor Moore, Jim Ylisela, Michael Liptrot; Host: Melba Lara

The Chicago Park District has been spending BIG money to settle complaints from young women who worked as lifeguards. WBEZ first reported on rampant sexual misconduct at the park district’s beaches and pools in 2021. And now our investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos is revealing the costly legal settlements that have followed the lifeguard scandal. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Dan Mihalopoulos

Xavier Williams makes sure kids on the West Side get to class each day. “It’s another form of giving back,” he said. “That’s what I love about it.“ Reporter: Nereida Moreno; Host: Melba Lara

More than one million Illinois households are eligible for energy assistance to prevent shutoffs and excessive utility bills. That money is being cut by nearly a third to 280 million dollars this year. That may leave many of the state’s low-income families confronting a harsh winter. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

There is a big need to find permanent housing for the more than 14-thousand asylum-seekers who have arrived in Chicago in the past year. That can take months, particularly for people who are newly arrived and lack documents and steady income. But a scrappy group of volunteers has been able to quickly move some migrants into housing through a unique program and the help of one landlord. Host: Lisa...

Juan González is senior fellow at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago. He says U.S. foreign policy is key to understanding why migrants flee to the city. Reporter: Esther Yoon-Ji Kang; Host: Melba Lara

Chicago Public School leaders say, in the coming year, they want classrooms to be laser-focused on math improvement. State test scores show students are struggling to catch up to where they were before the pandemic. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp went to one school on Chicago’s South Side that district officials say is poised to make strides. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Sarah Karp

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of three institutions at the center of a dispute over art that was allegedly stolen during the holocaust. Investigators in New York seized artworks by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele from museums in Chicago, Pittsburg, and Ohio. The pieces were part of a larger collection owned by Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian Jewish art collector who was murdered at the Dacha...

He’s Mayor Brandon Johnson’s nominee to be the next police superintendent. Snelling’s CPD career spans three decades, including years at the training academy teaching new hires about things like when to use force. Reporter: Chip Mitchell; Host: Melba Lara

To address the migrant crisis, Chicago area advocates and Democratic lawmakers have been pushing the federal government to grant work permits. Now the Biden Administration has granted temporary protected status for 14 thousand local Venezuelan migrants. Ere Rendón leads immigrant justice initiatives at The Resurrection Project and joins us now. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cianna Greaves, Esther Yo...

Swedish Hospital this summer laid off some midwives while others quit as the medical center made big changes. Many pregnant patients were outraged. In some cases, they had long headed to Swedish just for the hands-on care the midwives were known for. Research shows midwives could help reduce the maternal mortality rate gripping the nation, while increasing choices for patients. And yet hospitals a...

Lawrence Hall - a nonprofit organization in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood – recently opened a first-of-its-kind foster home for LGBTQ youth. The program was created to provide specialized care for people between the ages of 17 and 21 who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer. WBEZ contributor Michael Gerstein recently spent time at the new house that is run by Lawrence Hall. Host: Mar...

Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to abolish cash bail. The historic change took effect on Monday, prompting confusion and long days. Reporters: Chip Mitchell, Mawa Iqbal and Will Bauer; Host: Mary Dixon

There have been almost 4-thousand block parties all across the city this summer, according to a WBEZ analysis of street closure permits. It’s the most in any year since before the pandemic. We visited three block parties this month, where Chicagoans confirmed that the city’s block party tradition is still going strong. Reporter: Claire Kurgan; Host: Mary Dixon

Instead there were first appearances and detention hearings. It’s one of many changes prompted by Illinois’ historic decision to outlaw the use of cash bail across the state. Matthew Hendrickson is a reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times. He covers the Cook County courts. Today, he’s been watching closely as court actors figure out a whole new process of making pretrial decisions. Reporter: Matthew...

Chicagoans can now book appointments to get a new COVID-19 booster shot aimed at protecting against the latest subvariants. The vaccine’s arrival comes as COVID cases are on the rise locally and nationally. But only about 20 percent of Cook County residents got a booster shot last year. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko asked several Chicagoans if they’ll sign up to get the shot this time around. Host: Mary D...