WBEZ News

Chicago LOVES its basketball. It’s not just the 90s Bulls. Any park you go to will have folks playing a game of pick-up. Chicago Public League high school stars become celebrities in this town. HOST: MELBA

78th Street from South Shore Drive to Coles Avenue has officially been designated as “Doctor Donda West Way.” HOST: MELBA

For the first time, Chicago’s school board will be fully elected. All 20 members, plus a president, will be chosen in the November election. HOST: MELBA

A new book details the life and legacy of the Gay Sisters, a family group who shaped the Gospel music genre.

The singers are best known for their 1951 hit record "God Will Take Care of You," which was later recorded by Aretha Franklin.

Behind the book are record label founder Steven Dolins and Pastor Gregory Donald Gay, the younger brother of the singing group.

HOST: LANE

A new book details the life and legacy of the Gay Sisters, a family group who shaped the Gospel music genre.

The singers are best known for their 1951 hit record "God Will Take Care of You," which was later recorded by Aretha Franklin.

Behind the book are record label founder Steven Dolins and Pastor Gregory Donald Gay, the younger brother of the singing group.

HOST: LANE

The billionaire Democrat who’s eying a 2028 presidential bid says the drug – which is being covered by the state’s health insurance plan – has helped him eat healthier and exercise more. HOST: ALEX

The Chicago River Swim didn’t happen this weekend. BUT it wasn't the only opportunity for Chicagoans to experience the river. WBEZ’s Somer Van Benton reports.

You followed up with a family you spent time with in August. They were on day twelve with no power. How are they holding up now?

In 2021, Illinois became the first state to require every public elementary and high school to teach a unit of Asian American history.

That’s because of the passage of the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act.

But five years later, it’s not clear how many schools are teaching the material.

HOST: DEGMAN

It’s been five years since Illinois became the first state to require every public elementary and high school to teach a unit of Asian American history.

That’s because of the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act.

Today, advocates say there’s still a long way to go in putting the law into practice in schools.

So why is it important for everyone… but especially young people... to learn this history?

HOST: LANE

In Illinois, residents who are terminally ill with less than six months to live can now request a prescription for medication to end their lives. Illinois joins 12 other states and Washington D-C in legalizing medical aid in dying. It’s known as Deb’s Law. It was inspired by Deb Robertson. She lives in Lombard and has an aggressive form of cancer. She spent years advocating for the law. HOST: ALEX

Chaka Khan is an 11 time Grammy winner, Rock and Roll hall of fame inductee, and has a song preserved in the Library of Congress. The cultural icon got her start in Chicago’s Hyde Park and Auburn Gresham. This week, she's releasing a new album co-written with Sia. WBEZ producer Haley Blomquist and Sun-Times reporter Erica Thompson sat down with her ahead of the album drop to talk about her Chicago roots and the freedom of making music on her own terms.

Closing schools in Chicago became a political hot potato after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel shuttered 50 all at once in 2013.

But as enrollment in the district continues to drop, there’s a growing chorus of people who say it's time to do another round.

Yet the question will no longer be in the mayor’s hands. This year, for the first time ever, city voters will get to elect the whole school board.

The four candidates for president were asked at a WTTW forum earlier this...

You may have heard about the controversy surrounding Flock cameras and their use – and abuse – by city and suburban police officers.

But you may NOT have realized that lots of colleges use the A-I-powered surveillance tools, too.

Including right here in Chicago, at one of Illinois’s largest campuses.

It’s one of five public universities in the state that contract with Flock.

HOST: LANE

Lawmakers passed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act – or the TEAACH Act – in 2021.

And other states have since followed in Illinois’ footsteps.

But as WBEZ’s Minju Park reports in part one of the “Teaching History” series…

The promise of the TEAACH Act has not yet been fully delivered.

HOST: LANE

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has officially launched his bid for reelection. And he wants his investments in the arts and culture scene in the city to, quote, “define” his administration. But how does Chicago’s spending on the arts compare to other major cities? HOST :ALEX

It’s the 25th anniversary of nine eleven attack. Many people remember where they were or what they were doing that day … BUT there’s a generation of people who only know life AFTER nine 11. WBEZ’s Somer Van Benton spoke with some of Chicago’s youth — those born after 2001 – about what they understand about the attack.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is painting this mayoral election season as a stark choice. Either give him another four years to fight for working class Chicagoans and people of color in long-neglected neighborhoods. Or return to the days of school closings, shuttered mental health clinics, and special interest influence on government. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel has more on Johnson’s campaign launch and strategy. HOST: DEGMAN

Birds are already flying through the Chicago area on their fall migration.

So it’s a busy season for bird watchers.

For one birder, it’s just one part of a more than three-year daily birding streak – rain or shine.

HOST: LANE

Celebrations for Mexican Independence Day began this weekend.

Thousands gathered in Grant Park for El Grito Chicago — a two day celebration of Mexican culture and independence.

HOST: LANE

Twenty-five years ago today ... on September 12th, 2001 ... former WBEZ host Jerome McDonnell had his first "Worldview" show after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The show focused on what the attack could mean for the U-S HOST: PUENTE

25 years ago today the world stopped as the 9/11 terrorist attacks unfolded. As attacks continued beyond New York to the Pentagon, and another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania, apprehension grew in Chicago that we could be next. Former WBEZ reporter David Schaper was outside the Sears Tower that day, and he spoke with some who worked in the building to get a sense of what they were feeling, as Chicago nervously watched. HOST: DEGMAN

It’s the 25th anniversary of 911 attack. Many people remember where they were or what they were doing that day … BUT there’s a generation of people who only know life AFTER 911. WBEZ’s Somer Van Benton spoke with some of Chicago’s youth — those born after 2001 – about what they understand about the attack. Here’s what they shared. HOST: DEGMAN

Today people around the country are commemorating the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

25 years ago, Sun-Times watchdogs reporter Frank Main followed Chicago first responders to New York City.

He observed as they helped sift through the rubble at Ground Zero.

Frank recently penned an essay about what he witnessed in the immediate aftermath.

HOST: LANE

Illinois’ construction industry is poised to become more inclusive.

A new state law requires construction job sites to make accommodations for workers who menstruate or lactate.

HOST: LANE

The newly formed Northern Illinois Transit Authority held its first-ever public meeting today. It replaces the Regional Transit Authority, or RTA, in governing the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace. Sun-Times reporter David Struett was at the meeting, and is here to tell us how things are going so far for the new agency. HOST: DEGMAN

The coverage… and rhetoric around it… has left some of Chicago’s teens feeling discouraged and unwelcome in their own city.

But they aren’t giving up.

Last month (Aug 19), more than a hundred and fifty young Chicagoans threw a party at North Avenue Beach.

The event was peaceful but it wasn’t without conflict.

HOST: LANE

It's been a year since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz, an aggressive anti-immigration campaign they said was targeting the "worst of the worst,” in Chicago. In reality, Operation Midway Blitz spread fear throughout the city, as federal immigration agents conducted mass arrests of people, including U.S. citizens, who were not criminals. WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times reporters were there as federal agents descended on Chicago. Those reporters reflect back on the key moments and lasting effects of the sweeping enforcement operation.

Some Chicagoans are reeling from a mass shooting in Washington Park that shook the South Side last weekend. It’s the largest shooting the city has seen all year. In response, an anti-violence group called Acclivus opened its doors to the victims and their loved ones … to help them cope with the aftermath of the tragedy. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko has this story. A quick warning to listeners: this story includes a description of the shooting and the sound of gunfire. HOST: LARA

Kanye West plays two nearly sold-out shows this week at Soldier Field. West found his voice in Chicago as a young artist. And he returns a polarizing figure, after recently apologizing for anti-semitic and racist behavior. What should his legacy be?

One of the definitive moments of Operation Midway Blitz was the military-style raid of an apartment complex in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood last September. The Trump administration said it was going after members of a Venezuelan gang, but no one detained that night was ever charged. After the raid, a Cook County judge called the property a “fire trap” and ordered everyone who was still living there to vacate the building. Darren Hightower, along with dozens of his neighbors, was forced out of his home just a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is projecting an upcoming budget deficit of $882 million dollars next year. It’s one of the largest gaps in decades and is likely to prompt another divisive battle between the mayor and the City Council over how to close it. In his annual budget forecast, Johnson said the gap is driven in part by cost of living raises for union workers, increased gas and energy costs caused by the U.S. war against Iran, and failed revenue streams passed by the city council last year to avoid a tax on corporations. He will outline his ideas fo...

It’s been five days since police shot and killed an armed guard while he was at work at a bus and train depot in Gary. The guard’s family is looking for answers as to what led nine responding officers to shoot more than a hundred rounds at him. WBEZ’s Michael Puente reports.

Operation Midway Blitz brought hundreds of immigration agents to Chicago and the suburbs toward the end of last year. The chaotic way agents detained people and tear gassed neighborhoods did not just affect immigrants. It also took a toll on the people helping them, people like Cindy Eigler. WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch brings us her story.

Every year, thousands of bikers turn Dusable Lake Shore Drive into a cyclist’s paradise. For one morning, participants can ride 30 miles along Chicago’s shoreline… car free. And this year Bike the Drive turns 25. Clare McDermott is with Active Transportation Alliance. It’s a non-profit organization dedicated to improving conditions for walking, transit, and biking

There was a history of failed city inspections at the South Deering building where 56 bodies were recently found decomposing.

The owners of the funeral home — Clark and Johanna Morgan — have even faced state license suspensions.

At one point, the couple was pulled over by suburban police with two bodies, and a foul smell, in their car.

But none of these red flags across multiple agencies prevented the gruesome tragedy discovered last month that the couple had been improperly handling the remains of dozens of peop...

It’s been nearly one year since hundreds of federal immigration agents arrived in Chicago to accelerate their aggressive deportation campaign. HOST: MELBA

It may not feel like it, but today (MON) is the last day of meteorological summer. We’re joined now by Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford to walk us through what was a memorable summer for extreme weather, and share what could be coming next. H0ST: MELBA

B-T-S returns to Chicago this week for two sold-out shows at Soldier Field as a part of the group’s “Arirang” (AH-ree-rahng) world tour. It’s been seven years since the K-pop boy band last performed in Chicago. And the group has built an *army* of fans in Chicago and around the world. WBEZ’s Minju Park went to a B-T-S trivia night to speak to fans about what this moment means for them. HOST: LARA

The power is back on in Gary… mostly. The city of roughly 70-thousand in northwest Indiana was among the hardest hit during the August 11th storms. Even though NIPSCO said this week that 99 percent of its customers have been restored, a few hundred are still without… and people are still on the ground cleaning up. WBEZ’s Alex Degman reports. HOST: LARA