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
Last week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, and CTA President Dorval Carter to announce a $71 million plan to increase security on trains and buses. That's the city’s response to increased reports of violence, unsanitary conditions, and smoking on the CTA. Reporter John Greenfield from Streetsblog Chicago rode the Red and Blue lines last weekend for 12 hours straight to document whether the CTA really did feel dirtier and less safe. He tells us what he saw.
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If you need snow shoveled in your neighborhood, a pothole filled, or rats cleared in your alley, you call 311. Since 1999, Chicagoans have been able to call 311 for non-emergency complaints and requests, and they’ve been calling. Chicagoans dial 311 more often per capita than any other major city. While some of the reasons people call aren’t surprising, Axios Chicago’s Monica Eng says 311 operators can be like residents’ own Google — you can call about anything from how to track a flight to how to buy a home. Monica crunched the numbers and she shares what Chicagoans complain about most.
Axios Chicago's story about 311
There’s still time to tell us about the last normal thing you did in 2020 before COVID shutdowns. Leave us a voicemail at (773) 780-0246. Remember to tell us your name and neighborhood!
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The Chicago Academy for the Arts is not like all schools. Students are immersed in their art, whether it’s theater, dance, or visual arts. It gives them a special connection with their teachers because they spend three hours each day with the teacher in their chosen discipline. And because the fields are so interactive, it made remote learning extra difficult. We talk to 15-year-old Lea Gassner and her teacher, Margy Stover, about the challenges of practicing art during the pandemic.
We still want to hear your stories about what you were doing two years ago, as COVID shutdowns hit Chicago. Leave us a voicemail at (773) 780-0246. Remember to leave your name and neighborhood!
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Since the start of the pandemic, public health leaders have told us they’re following the data to make policy decisions, and that we should do the same. These decisions include everything from whether kids can do in-person learning, if we can eat indoors, and when or where we could travel. But for the average person, data can be confusing, or even misleading. Meet three Chicagoans who used their free time and skills to make public health data more accessible and understandable.
Guests:
Jakob Ondrey—CPS Covid Tracker
Cait Guerra — Businesses with Vax and Mask Mandates
Anthony Moser—Better Data Portal
Some Good News:
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Two first-time guests join us to look back on the week. Chicago Sun-Times reporter Cheyanne Daniels joins us from a march in Chatham honoring of the birthday and legacy of Harriet Tubman. And Block Club Chicago’s Quinn Myers joins us from Ukrainian Village, where he covers West Side neighborhoods. Together we discuss CTA increasing unarmed security and police officers patrolling locations, stories of Chicago’s Ukrainian community coming together, and some fun things to do this weekend!
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Jackowo used to be the heart of Chicago’s Polish community, in a city that once had the second highest population of Polish people in the world. Warsaw had the most. The neighborhood, which many Chicagoans know as Avondale on the Northwest Side, has changed from Polish to Latino in recent decades, and continues to change as residents get priced out of Logan Square and Wicker Park. That’s meant the stretch of Milwaukee Ave. once surrounded by Polish restaurants, clubs, bakeries is less retail and more condo buildings. We talk to Mary Wisniewski and Joanna Marszalek, who have both lived in Jackowo and wrote about it recently for Chicago magazine.
Guests:
Mary Wisniewski and Joanna Marszalek—Co-authors, "The Death (and Possible Rebirth) of Jackowo"
Call or text us at 773-780-0246 and tell us what you were doing right before the pandemic shutdown in 2020.
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Construction is underway on the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. But since the project launched, residents in nearby neighborhoods like Woodlawn and South Shore have worried the “transformation” the center is expected to bring to the South Side could push them out of their homes. They’ve fought for a community benefits agreement to ensure protections, but project leaders — and the former president, himself — have rejected calls to sign one. So what is a CBA? And without one, how else are housing activists fighting displacement?
Guests:
Dixon Romeo — Organizer, Not Me We
Sarah Conway — Senior Reporter, City Bureau
Here’s City Bureau’s guide on community benefits agreements and alternatives.
Check out the Women's L Project, which celebrates women of Chicago's past and present.
Call or text us at 773-780-0246 and tell us what you were doing right before the pandemic shutdown in 2020.
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Netflix’s reality dating show “Love Is Blind” has captivated global audiences. The show follows 30 strangers on a series of blind dates, as they get to know one another through a wall with no idea of what the other looks like. If two people connect, one of them can propose marriage, and they finally see each other in person. Season two of the show features a cast from Chicago, and one of this season’s biggest stars was Deepti Vempati. The 31-year-old IT analyst captured the world’s attention when she ultimately chose herself in the reality dating show. Host Jacoby Cochran sits down with Vempati to discuss her experience on the show, and how she feels about finding true love. (In case it’s not clear, SPOILERS ahead).
Guest:
Deepti Vempati—Season 2 participant, Love is Blind
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This past weekend was the first since the city and state lifted indoor mask mandates. Businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues will set their own rules moving forward. The City Cast team checked in to see how places across Chicago are managing. They report from a gym in Uptown, a small concert in Ukrainian Village, a restaurant in Humboldt Park, and theaters in Lakeview and the Loop.
How are you feeling about the end of the mask mandate? Call or text us at (773) 780-0246. And remember to leave your name and neighborhood!
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It was another busy week across the city of Chicago. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel and Axios Chicago’s Justin Kaufmann stopped by to break down the 22-count federal indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, once Illinois’ most powerful politician. The group also tackles Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s latest communication snafu, an investigation into yet another Covid testing company, and the fate of CPS’ mask mandate.
Guests:
Mariah Woelfel—Politics Reporter, WBEZ
Justin Kaufmann—Newsletter Writer, Axios Chicago
PS: If you haven’t heard, City Cast Chicago was named the "Best Podcast" in Chicago Reader’s Best of 2021 list, so thank you! You can see the full list of winners here.
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