Claim OwnershipIn the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons
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Illinois joins three other Democrat-led states in suing the White House over public health funding cuts. Amazon announces drone delivery coming to southwest suburbs. Portage, Ind., unveils its pitch for a Bears stadium, as northwest suburban residents and mayors rally to secure a stadium in Arlington Heights. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in our Weekly News Recap with WTTW Chicago politics reporter Heather Cherone, Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter Jon Seidel and Capitol News Illinois state government and politics reporter Hannah Meisel.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Between the 1930s and ’50s, Chicago was a hub for Black writers, poets and creatives – an era known as the Chicago Black Renaissance.
A number of great literary, music and art names came out of Chicago during this renaissance – including Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Nat King Cole, Langston Hughes and many more.
In the Loop dives into Chicago’s poetry scene then and now, with Chicago Public Library’s division chief of Archives and Special Collections Chianta Dorsey, Chicago’s first Poet Laureate avery r. young and Sudanese-American poet and archivist Israa Abbas.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Jan. 31 instructing Chicago police to document alleged abuses by federal immigration agents and refer wrongdoers to the Cook County State’s Attorney for prosecution. State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke questioned the order’s legality, calling it “wholly inappropriate,” and Mayor Johnson walked back his order on Tuesday, saying officers would still document alleged misconduct but would not refer cases to the county’s top prosecutor. Mayor Johnson answers questions from listeners and host Sasha-Ann Simons about that and other topics.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
For 115 years, the City News Bureau was a training ground for young journalists in Chicago. Known for its long hours, low pay, and intense, fast-paced atmosphere, the wire service broke stories on courts, crime, and government for local papers, television, and radio stations.
The new book Sirens in the Loop tells the story of the City News Bureau through the voices of former staffers.
In The Loop hears about what a day in the newsroom of City News was like from James Elsener, the co-author of “Sirens,” and City News alums Abdon Pallasch and Rummana Hussain.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Lori Lightfoot has worked as Chicago’s mayor, a federal prosecutor and a top leader on police accountability. She wants local officials to do more to counter ICE. In the Loop learns about her ICE Accountability Project and how she thinks local officials can respond in the face of aggressive immigration enforcement.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson defends an executive order that requires Chicago police to help hold ICE agents accountable for alleged abuses. Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol, speaks out in an exclusive WBEZ-Sun-Times interview and on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Reshona Landfair, the Jane Doe in R. Kelly’s infamous tape, is out with a memoir, Who’s Watching Shorty?, where she tells her story and “reclaims her name.”
In the Loop goes behind the headlines of those and other state and local stories Better Government Association president David Greising, Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Violet Miller.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Literary hub, polling place, warming center and now… food pantry? Some libraries can do it all.
With 81 branches, the Chicago Public Library system is one of the largest and most robust in the world. On today’s In the Loop, we look at how libraries are about a lot more than just books with Chris Brown, Chicago Public Library Commissioner, Megan Greenback, Legler Library Assistant Director and Mary Davis Fournier, Executive Director, Public Library Association.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
The U.S. withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, citing an alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, states like California and Illinois are taking matters into their own hands and joining the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, or GOARN.
In the Loop sits down with Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health;
Ameya Pawar, president and CEO of Michael Reese Health Trust; and Dr. Emily Landon, infectious disease specialist at University of Chicago. We find out more about how joining this network will protect Illinois residents and how this keeps the state informed about potential public health threats.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
An Amazon data center is set to break ground in Hobart, Ind., this spring. Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun says the company will pay the $47 million upfront which could be used for infrastructure improvements. But residents say they still have not received a site plan and are asking for independent environmental impact studies.
In the Loop hears from Angelita Soriano, a Hobart resident, and Jen Walling, executive director for the Illinois Environmental Council, which is supporting legislation that would put guardrails on data centers’ impact on the environment.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Online retail behemoth Amazon is closing all of its branded grocery stores — but already has the greenlight to experiment with a new retail idea: a “first-of-its-kind Amazon superstore” that is coming to south suburban Orland Park. Is this the future of retail, and what does it mean for local businesses and residents?
In The Loop finds out more about the approved plan and if it could be a potential blueprint for more “superstores.” We hear from Jim Dodge, mayor of Orland Park, and Steve Caine, partner and retail expert with Bain & Company.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Chicago City Council advances plan to strengthen enforcement of the Welcoming City Ordinance. THC drinks have come to the United Center. A Congressional Budget Office report shows $21 million was spent on deploying the National Guard to Chicago for “Operation Midway Blitz”.In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Fox 32’s Paris Schutz, WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos and Carrie Shepherd of AXIOS Chicago.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
There’s hardly a better example of how Chicago’s old buildings keep finding new life than a three-story place on Champlain Avenue in Woodlawn, just half a block south of Washington Park. Built back in 1923, the building has been a synagogue, then home to several Christian congregations.
Today, it’s something entirely different. Part single-family home, part creative workspace, part artists club — and still a work in progress. Even some of the original materials are being reused.
In the Loop gets a tour of the space from Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business senior real estate reporter, and Amber Ginsburg, artist, teacher and civic director of the Narrow Bridge Arts Club.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
After the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, fear, anger, and organizing have surged in communities already on edge. In the Loop checks in with Jered Weber-Johnson, Rector of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul and Brandt Williams, senior editor at Minnesota Public Radio about how residents are pushing back and calling for federal agents to leave town. Then, we bring the conversation home and hear from Miguel Alvelo Rivera, member of the Northwest Side Rapid Response Team in Chicago. What could this escalation signal for the Chicago area, as federal agents are expected to return this spring?
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
The field to replace longtime Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is a crowded one: 16 people are vying for the nomination. Leading in the polls are Congresswoman Robin Kelly, representing Illinois’ 2nd district, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois’ 8th district and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. For a sense on where they stand on key issues, WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and International House hosted a U.S. Senate Democratic Primary debate ahead of the March 17th primary.
The rules of the debate: Candidates had two minutes to answer a question, and 30 seconds for a rebuttal at the moderators’ discretion. They also had a chance to make opening and closing remarks – two minutes for opening and one minute for closing.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
For the first time, when the EPA is considering new limits on air pollution, it will no longer estimate the monetary cost of lives saved from regulations. Instead it will only calculate the cost of the rules for companies. The Trump administration says this will rectify “misleading” data about the benefit of regulations, but experts warn this could make it easier to roll back gains made from the Clean Air Act of 1970. In the Loop discusses how this move could impact our health with Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs at the Respiratory Health Association, Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Anthony Moser, board president Neighbors 4 Environmental Justice.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Why did Chicago just agree to ban some hemp products? Who is falling behind in the race to replace Sen. Dick Durbin? And did a Chicago landlord tip off ICE?
In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with Tahman Bradley, WGN political editor, Bob Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times investigative reporter, and Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago reporter.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Chicago Restaurant Week is back starting Friday, Jan. 23 until Feb. 8. In the Loop sits down with WBEZ food and drink writer Maggie Hennessy and moderator of local food subreddit group Mitch Gropman, to discuss all things Chicago food. We also get tips to make snagging your next reservation a breeze.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
This month marks 60 years since the start of the Chicago Freedom Movement, when Martin Luther King Jr. moved to North Lawndale on the West Side to protest discriminatory housing practices and high rents. Pamela Stalling, VP of Housing and Financial Empowerment, Chicago Urban League, Alden Loury, WBEZ data projects senior editor and David Stovall, Professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago join In the Loop, to examine what’s changed for Black Chicagoans six decades later.
College used to be a reliable path to a professional career. Now, facing an increase in layoffs and a difficult job market, some workers say it’s not enough.
In The Loop learns more about why this is happening and what it means for both workers and the economy. We sat down with New York Times reporter Noam Scheiber, and Sarah Rand, a strategic communications consultant.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Chicago Bears gear up for a freezing playoff game against L.A. Rams, while state politicians warm up to an Arlington Heights stadium. Former DePaul basketball players are accused in a gambling scandal. Chicago joins Illinois in a lawsuit against White House over federal immigration enforcement.
In the Loop breaks down those stories and more in the Weekly News Recap with Jacoby Cochran, host of City Cast Chicago, A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune Cook County and Chicago government reporter and Mariah Woelfel, WBEZ city government and politics reporter.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
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