WBEZ News

Lola Wang is a queer Asian immigrant therapist and founder of Fig Tree Therapy in Chicago. Since immigrating to the U-S from China in 2014, she’s been focused on building a sense of belonging for herself, as well as others in the city’s queer immigrant community. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Nidhi Shastri

Allegations of sexualized hazing among student athletes at Northwestern University have been the main story during Big Ten Media Days. The series started Wednesday just 16 days after longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cheryl Rae Stout

The Chicago Public Library did away with its kids museum passport, and replaced it with a digital passport program instead. Some say this move will give more people access to cultural institutions around the city. Others say it’s a net loss for big families. Host: Lara Melba; Reporter: Adora Namigadde

Each of us has a different way to answer the question “what is the meaning of home?” For Austin Cantú, he and his family have called Waukegan home for a long time. But it wasn’t until he reclaimed an abandoned arts park in the north suburb as a way to connect to his father’s roots that he finally felt deeply invested in his community. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Andrea Flores

Today President Joe Biden signed a proclamation to create the new Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, encompassing one site in Chicago and two in Mississippi. On what would have been Till’s 82nd birthday, Alan Spears with the National Parks Conservation Association joined WBEZ to explain the significance of the monument. Host: Clare Lane; Reporter: Lauren Frost

A South Side church service Tuesday celebrated the life of Renault Robinson. He’s a former Chicago cop who organized against police racism in the ’60s and ’70s. He also sued successfully to force CPD to hire more minority and female officers. In the ’80s, under Mayor Harold Washington, Robinson had a stormy tenure as head of the Chicago Housing Authority. He died this month at age 80. Host: Clare...

This week we’re exploring the question “what is the meaning of home.” And for some, like Heather Clark, home means independence when navigating the world as a person living with motor disabilities. Clark recently had renovations done on her home in north suburban Zion, where the space can now accommodate her needs. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Katrina Pham

The answer to “what is the meaning of home” isn’t the same for all of us. This week we’re hearing from people from different walks of life with their thoughts about that question. Host: Clare Lane

Stories about the terrible state of Illinois prison buildings have been trickling out for years. But a new assessment reveals the situation might be even worse than previously thought - with billions of dollars of necessary repairs left undone. Host: Clare Lane; Reporter: Shannon Heffernan

Climate change is severely disrupting the state's $19-billion-dollar per year agriculture industry. But the Illinois Farm Bureau is trying to help. They're hosting meetings with farmers throughout the summer to encourage conservation practices. Host: Melba Lara: Reporter: Jim Meadows

In Illinois, about 8 percent of the population doesn’t speak English very well. And that means, for many immigrant communities in the state and region, language is a barrier to accessing and engaging with their new government. They have a hard time getting basic services, much less participating in civic life. As part of our “Democracy Solutions Project,” WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang takes a look at...

Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off Friday, Jul. 21 in Union Park on the near West Side and Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour will bring large crowds and tourist dollars to Soldier Field Saturday and Sunday. Michael Edwards from the Chicago Loop Alliance joins to talk about the economic impact of the summer’s blockbuster events. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Cianna Greaves

John P. O’Rourke sailed to victory in 1923, only to later be disqualified on a technicality. Today, his descendants are driven to clinch their own win. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Lauren Frost

The Rev. Frederick D. Haynes the Third has taken over as the head of Rainbow PUSH. This is not your run-of-the-mill management transition – The storied civil rights organization was led for more than 50 years by the Rev. Jesse Jackson Senior. Host: Mary Dixon

WBEZ has obtained video showing the interrogation that led to a 15-year-old falsely confessing to a shooting last year. The 43-minute video shows the lead detective using deception and leading questions to steer the teen to incriminate himself. The police jailed the 15-year-old on charges including attempted murder — until his basketball team proved he was 18 miles from the shooting when it took p...

Illinois will be the first state to abolish cash bail following a landmark decision by the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday. The Pre-trial Fairness portion of the so-called SAFE-T Act will officially go into effect on Sept. 18. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Alex Degman

Chicago public school officials are opening a welcome center for migrant students and their families this week. The center at Roberto Clemente Community Academy on Western Avenue is the first of its kind. Host: Clare Lane; Reporter: Elvia Malagon

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has designated Monday as another Air Pollution Action Day because of smoke from Canadian wildfires. Bad air quality has affected our region repeatedly this summer and it’s one of the many ways the impact of climate change can be felt locally. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Lauren Frost

Extreme weather impacts all Chicagoans, but outreach workers say the unhoused are increasingly vulnerable. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Anna Savchenko

Reverend Jessee Jackson announced his resignation over the weekend at the annual Rainbow PUSH convention. Jackson founded the civil rights group in 1971. Host: Clare Lane; Reporter: Natalie Moore

We sent reporters into one community to understand what’s at stake — and found a fabric of everyday Chicagoans helping migrants build a new life. Host: Clare Lane; Reporter: Mariah Woelfel

This summer, high school graduates across the Chicago area are gearing up for the next step in their lives. Joserik Figueroa-Duran just graduated from Chicago’s Whitney Young High School. After hitting a low point during the pandemic, she discovered a love of flying through an aviation program at Olive Harvey College. Host: Lisa Labuz; Reporter: Nereida Moreno

More than 16 hundred people have been shot this year in Chicago. Increasingly, the city is leaning on anti-violence workers to try and bring that number down. There are hundreds of these workers - many of them former gang members. As part of their job, they step into the middle of intractable gang conflicts to try and prevent further shootings. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Summer in Chicago means big festivals, concerts, and sporting events. And Chicagoans are tapping into rideshares – like Uber or Lyft – to get around town. But lately, some rideshare drivers have been more critical about how much money they actually get from those fares. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Tatiana Walk-Morris

Asylum seekers are being moved out of a police station on Chicago’s West Side as multiple officers face allegations of sexual misconduct against migrants there. The city police oversight agency says it’s investigating officers for alleged sexual misconduct at the 10th District Police station, where dozens of migrants have been sleeping. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Mariah Woelfel