City Cast Chicago

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Pinball, Gyms, and now a Casino? Bally’s Chicago History May 11, 2022

Show notes

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tapped Bally’s to be the first and only casino operator in Chicago. The decision still needs full City Council approval. The Bally brand actually started here in Chicago 90 years ago as part of a company called Lion Manufacturing, and they created an early pinball game called Ballyhoo. The company expanded to slot machines, arcade games, and eventually even amusement parks and gyms (remember Bally’s Total Fitness?) Host Jacoby Cochran talks to Tommy Henry from the Chicago History Podcast about Bally’s start here, and its significant role in gaming.

There's a community town hall at 7 p.m. Thursday at the UIC Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum. It will also be livestreamed,

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Sky’s the Limit: The Quest for Back-to-Back Titles May 10, 2022

Show notes

The reigning WNBA Champion Chicago Sky began the 2022 season last Friday at home against the LA Sparks. Like most of the WNBA, the Sky are not yet at full strength with last season’s Finals MVP Kahleah Copper still playing overseas. The Sky were in a position to win the game but lost 98-91 in overtime. Don’t worry though it’s just one game with a long road ahead. Host Jacoby Cochran sat down with CHGO Sky Podcast co-host Janice Scurio to review the offseason and preview the 2022 season. And of course we ask Janice, can the Sky become the first back-to-back WNBA Champs in twenty years?

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

CPS Leader Pedro Martinez on Budget: ‘Equitable Doesn’t Mean Enough’ May 09, 2022

Show notes

Chicago Public Schools’ enrollment has dropped by more than 100,000 students in the last twenty years. And in Chicago, fewer students mean less money for a school. While the median school will see an increase of about $80,000 dollars next year, the 2022-2023 budget proposal has 40% of schools losing an average of $220,000 dollars, mostly in Black and brown neighborhoods. Despite cuts, district CEO Pedro Martinez calls this budget, “CPS’s most equitable ever,” claiming many schools will see investments in new teachers, smaller class sizes, and more support staff. As some parents, principals, and teachers say these cuts continue a vicious cycle of disinvestment in neighborhood schools, we sit down with Pedro Martinez to address ongoing concerns.

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Roe v. Wade Impact, Chi Casino is Really Coming, and the WNBA Champs are Back! May 06, 2022

Show notes

Earlier this week, a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court’s conservative majority signaled the end of Roe v. Wade. Even as Illinois has strengthened its access to abortion care, Chicago’s reproductive justice activists are scared of what the impending decision will mean for women here and across the country. Block Club Chicago reporter covering Logan Square, Humboldt Park and Avondale Mina Bloom, and WBEZ criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith join host Jacoby Cochran to react to that big news, as well as Bally’s getting closer to operating the city’s first casino, recent fires at homeless encampments in Avondale and Uptown, and Friday’s season opener at Wintrust Arena for the the reigning WNBA champion Chicago Sky.

Other stories discussed:

New research detects the most likely criminal ‘crews’ inside CPD

Logan Square farmers market opens Sunday

Jacoby will be on the Album Rebrews podcast to review Saba's latest album "Few Good Things"

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Modern Gospel Was Born on the South Side. Here’s Its Story. May 05, 2022

Show notes

Gospel music has roots in southern spirituals during slavery and migrated north during the Great Migration in the early 1900s. Chicago has staked its claim as the birthplace of modern gospel thanks to Bronzeville’s Pilgrim Baptist Church and Thomas Dorsey, its choir director for 50 years. In the 1930s, Dorsey blended the style and chords of blues music with the praise and worship of traditional gospel hymns, and iconic singers like Mahalia Jackson took the sound global. We talk with writer and producer Stacy Robinson about the new WTTW documentary “Birth of Gospel” and Chicago’s place in music history. It will premiere Friday at 8 p.m.

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Chi Abortion Rights Activists: ‘We Told You This was Going to Happen’ May 04, 2022

Show notes

Reproductive rights activists in Chicago are kicking into high gear after a draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked this week. In the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court’s conservative majority signals it will soon overturn Roe v. Wade. Chicago Abortion Fund head Megan Jeyifo says activists have been sounding the alarm and preparing for this for years. Even though Illinois has laws on the books to protect the right to get an abortion if/when Roe is overturned, Jeyifo tells host Jacoby Cochran how her organization is gearing up to help more people, especially those seeking abortion care from other states.

Chicago Abortion Fund-A-Thon

For more ways to support reproductive justice in Illinois, check out our daily newsletter .

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

From Naperville to Nepal: Lucy Westlake is Climbing Mount Everest May 03, 2022

Show notes

Lucy Westlake isn’t walking at graduation this spring with her class at Naperville North High School. That’s because the 18 year old is preparing to be the youngest American woman to summit Mount Everest. She graduated early last fall, and she previously broke the world record for youngest female to climb to the highest points in all 50 states. She’s also climbed the highest points on four of the seven continents. Westlake called City Cast producer Simone Alicea from a Mount Everest base camp.

Lucy’s GoFundMe

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Everything You Need to Know About Voting in Chi May 02, 2022

Show notes

Early voting in Illinois’ primaries begins in just a few weeks. After getting a new voter registration card in the mail, a City Cast listener reached out to us with several voting questions. Producer Simone Alicea, a Chicago transplant, also had questions about how to vote here. That’s why we reached out to Max Bever with the Chicago Board of Elections. He tells us everything you need to know about voting, including deadlines, what’s on the ballot, and all things vote-by-mail after the state expanded access to mail-in voting during the pandemic.

The primary is June 28. Check your voter registration in Chicago and Illinois, and read our primary guide.

Plus, we still want to know: What's something that's normal in Chicago that's weird elsewhere? Tell us in a voicemail at (773) 780-0246, and we might use it on the pod!

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Gas Cards Are Coming, Another Metal Shredder, and Big Union Wins! Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

This week, the Chicago Reader and its former co-owner ended a month-long stalemate that threatened the future of the beloved alt-weekly. Len Goodman, and three allied board members, agreed to step down, clearing the way for the Readerto transition to a nonprofit structure. Two of the paper's writers, Kelly Garcia and Katie Prout, explain what why there's been an impasse for the last five months and what the future of the Reader is. They also discuss with host Jacoby Cochran a controversial metal scrapper in Pilsen, a new study on the rise of carjacking, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $12.5 million transit relief plan.

And, make sure you stick around until the end, where our moments of joy will leave you smiling from ear to ear!

TELL US! What's a Chicago thing that is weird to people outside Chicago?

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246 or email us: chicago@citycast.fm

CPS School Ratings Are Going Away. What Will Replace Them? Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

This week, five of Chicago’s selective enrollment high schools ranked among the county’s top 100 high schools, according to U.S. News and World Report. But until recently, Chicago Public Schools had its own ranking system: the School Quality Rating Policy. It rated individual schools’ quality from best-performing (Level 1) to needing the most support (Level 3). But after critics said the system punished low-rated schools for factors outside of their control, the Chicago Board of Education voted Wednesday to direct CPS to create a new accountability system. WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp is here to break it down.

A little bit of news: City Council approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $12.5 million plan to give away free gas cards and CTA passes to eligible Chicagoans. Here’s where to apply.

Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

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