Stay ConnectedChicago’s daily news podcast, fresh every weekday morning. Host Jacoby Cochran brings you timely conversations with news and culture makers; activists and artists; bus drivers and students; those who love and hate this place. City Cast Chicago is a smart and delightful new way to connect with the city we share. Learn more and subscribe to our newsletter at chicago.citycast.fm.
Named Best Podcast by Chicago Reader 2022
Whether you’re for or against, a casino is coming to Chicago. The mayor and City Council have both approved a proposal from Bally’s to build a casino at the old Tribune publishing site in River West. Pending approval from the Illinois Gaming Board, the city’s first casino is projected to begin operating by 2026. Chicago leaders say the casino will be good for the city — especially for filling city coffers — but what do neighbors think?
River West resident Sean Cogan tells Jacoby why he’s excited about the casino, and Streeterville resident Darren Monroe in explains why he thinks it’s a bad idea.
Some Good News:
Puerto Rican Festival in Humboldt Park starts Thursday. The four day fest will feature a carnival, food and drinks, live music, a Domino tournament and, of course, the parade Saturday at 2 p.m.
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The reversal of Roe v. Wade won’t end abortion — it will make access to safe abortion much more difficult. Before the Supreme Court’s landmark abortion rights decision women had to take dangerous measures to end a pregnancy. Seeing the need, a group of women based in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood created a service that provided everything from counseling to rides to appointments. You called a number, and you asked for Jane. Laura Kaplan was part of the group, and she’s the author of “The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service.” She spoke with lead producer Carrie Shepherd.
“The Janes,” a new documentary featuring Kaplan and other former members, premieres Tuesday on HBO.
Some good news: See the pod team at Chi Hack Night at 7 p.m. tonight in person and online.
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A tweet by 20th Ward Ald. Jeanette Taylor went viral last week. Taylor tweeted: “I first applied for an affordable housing voucher in 1993….Today in 2022 I finally got a letter telling me I made it to the top of the waiting list. I have no words.” Taylor talks to host Jacoby Cochran about how she thinks the Chicago Housing Authority is failing people in Chicago looking for affordable housing and what needs to change.
Taylor’s Accountable Housing and Transparency Ordinance
How to apply for CHA housing
Some good news: Pride Arts Summer Film Fest
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Every song has a story — that’s the idea behind Karaoke Storytellers. Performers get up, tell a story, and then sing a song related to that story. The event is hosted by host Jacoby Cochran. At the April event, we heard stories about finding love, finding yourself, and finding your home. Today, we’re telling you some of those stories.
The next Karaoke Storytellers is on June 19 at Schuba's Tavern. Check back here for a chance to win tickets!
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Yesterday, we explored the history of disinvestment and displacement at Cabrini-Green, Chicago’s infamous public housing complex on the Near North Side. The city began demolishing the high-rises in the 1990s, and the last one went down in 2011. But former Cabrini-Green residents are still fighting for what the city promised them: a chance to return to their community. Host Jacoby Cochran led a panel in January with journalists who investigated these broken promises, local historians, and others connected with Cabrini-Green to talk about where the community is now.
This episode was originally published Feb. 1, 2022.
Guests:
Carol Steele — Cabrini-Green resident and public housing advocate
Charles Price — Housing activist and former resident liaison at Cabrini-Green
Alejandra Cancino — Reporter, “Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises”
This panel was put on in partnership with the Better Government Association. You can find the full conversation on their website.
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Last week, City Council approved the plans for a Bally’s Casino at the old Tribune publishing site in River West. The location at Chicago and Halsted is a couple blocks away from Cabrini-Green, a public housing development where thousands of residents were displaced beginning in the late 1990s. Promises were made that Black residents would be able to return with access to new homes, jobs, and opportunities. Most of those promises were broken. Host Jacoby Cochran looks back on the history of Cabrini-Green public housing with reporter Natalie Moore and talks to former resident J.R. Fleming.
This episode was originally published on Jan. 27, 2022.
Read the Better Government Associations series, "Cabrini-Green, A History of Broken Promises."
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After 30 years, residents in the 1st Congressional District are preparing to elect a new Representative. Bobby Rush —co-founder of the Illinois Black Panther Party, a Chicago alderman, Civil Rights activist, and only politician to ever beat Barack Obama in an election — announced earlier this year he’s retiring. The 1st District stretches from the near South Side south to Bourbannais, and it’s long been a center of Black and Democratic political power. That means the next leader is inheriting a powerful history, but also faces challenges around economic development, housing, and public safety. Host Jacoby Cochran and The Triibe’s Tonia Hill meet up in Bronzeville to talk about the race, and the trouble of standing out when 17 Democrats and 4 Republicans are on the ballot. Early voting begins in Chicago Tuesday.
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Earlier this week, after 19 children and 2 adults were gunned down at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded, “I hate to say this — there are more people that are shot every weekend in Chicago than there are in schools in Texas.” This repugnant, racist, and unempathetic response was met with quick scrutiny. Co-hosts of the movement building podcast AirGo, Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger join host Jacoby Cochran to offer their own criticisms of using Chicago as a political scapegoat for politicians unwilling to offer common sense solutions to gun violence. The trio also break down Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 10 p.m. curfew for minors, the environmental justice fight to end “sacrifice zones,” and we’ve got some more book-themed good news you definitely want to stick around for!
Want to know more about AirGo? The hosts recommend these episodes:
Damon: Angela Davis
Daniel: The Abolition Suite Vol. 2: Mariame Kaba
Some Good News:
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The El Milagro tortilla brand is strong in Chicago. You can find it in almost every grocery store, and you can often see people line up around the block of El Milagro factories, waiting to get hot, fresh tortillas. But in recent months, we all paid a little more attention to the workers in those factories as they became more vocal on calling out unsafe work conditions and low pay. Host Jacoby Cochran talks to Pedro Manzanares, a 52 year old who’s been working at El Milagro for 18 years, and City Bureau reporter Sarah Conway about labor organizing in food production companies across Chicago.
A little bit of news: Early voting has been moved again, now to Tuesday, May 31. Check out our episode with the Chicago Board of Elections for everything you need to know about primary voting.
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In 1961, Abraham Bolden became the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail. Bolden says when he left Chicago and moved to D.C., it was like going from “heaven to hell,” and he faced constant racism from other agents. He says he also heard other agents say they wouldn’t protect President John F. Kennedy if there was an assassination attempt on his life because of Kennedy’s work on integration. Bolden spoke up, but ended up setting off a 50-year fight for justice. From his Auburn Gresham home, the 87-year-old tells host Jacoby Cochran what happened and how he got clemency from President Joe Biden last month.
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