City Cast Chicago

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Comedian Abby McEnany Says Chicago Improv Saved Her Life Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Abby McEnany has been on Chicago’s improv scene for more than 20 years but is new to the TV world. Her show, "Work in Progress" on Showtime, started as part of a storytelling performance at iO. It's loosely based on McEnany’s life, but the star is clear there are many ways she and the character are different (though she won’t tell you how). The second season of "Work in Progress" premieres Aug. 22, and just like the first season, it is filmed in Chicago and features many Chicago actors and friends of McEnany. Lead Producer Carrie Shepherd talks to McEnany about working through the improv scene and why she knew the show had to be based here.

Guest: Abby McEnany — Writer, comedian, and actress

**UPDATE**

Work In Progress: A Comedic Showcase of Chicago from Chicago Humanities Festival has been postponed until Wednesday, Aug. 18, because of inclement weather. Details here.

Should Chicago End Its Contract with ShotSpotter? Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

ShotSpotter is a technology that’s meant to detect the sound of gunfire and deploy police to that location. But reports from Northwestern University’s MacArthur Justice Center and Vice found errors in the technology’s reporting. Journalist and author Jamie Kalven also has reported that the location of the technology in the city reveals racial bias. Chicago’s contract with ShotSpotter was scheduled to expire this month, sparking activists to call on city officials to end the contract and stop using it in Chicago. But City Cast Chicago has learned something new about that contract. We talk to journalist Jamie Kalven about how ShotSpotter works, and activist Alyx Goodwin from Action Center on Race and the Economy.

Guests:

Jamie Kalven, Journalist, Author, Founder, The Invisible Institute

Alyx Goodwin, Senior Organizer, Action Center on Race and the Economy

City of Chicago's contract with ShotSpotter

A Community Fridge in Englewood Was Just the Beginning Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Last year, Dion Dawson’s friend asked him what he wanted to do to help his Englewood community. Dion responded that he wanted to feed 100 families. Fast forward a year and Dion’s Chicago Dream is running a community fridge that the organization keeps full of fresh produce, and delivering groceries to families from Maywood to Evanston. Dion tells host Jacoby Cochran it was his own food insecurity growing up that made him want to help feed his neighbors and give back to the neighborhood he loves.

Get involved with Dion's Chicago Dream

Mask Mandate(ish) Is Back, Bulls Could Be Good Again, and Top Doc Goes Incognito Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

Governor JB Pritzker issued a mask mandate for students across the state, and employees at state facilities, which already has some Republicans complaining about this “unilateral” response to an uptick in COVID numbers. City officials promised that Lollapalooza was checking vax status at the gates. How do they know? Public Health Director Allison Arwady went to the fest in disguise to see if they’d ask for her card. And, the Cubs lost some big stars, but the Bulls picked some up. Journalists Justin Kaufmann and Monica Eng break down the week’s news with Lead Producer Carrie Shepherd.

How to Move a 1000-Ton Historic Building Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

The Chicago Transit Authority has a been working on the $2.1 billion Red-Purple Modernization Project to unclog congestion at the Belmont stop. The plan is to straighten the tracks, and build a flyover for Brown line trains. Part of that project would have included demolishing the Vautravers Building in the landmarked Newport Avenue historic district. When the CTA built the tracks in the early 1900s, the building’s owner refused to sell it. So the CTA built the tracks AROUND the Vautravers Building. When historic preservationists heard the building could be demolished, they fought it. The compromise was to move the building 30 feet, which happened this week. We talk about how that happens and more about the history

Guests: Ward Miller, Executive Director, Preservation Chicago (@Pres_Chicago)

Stephanie Cavazos, Spokeswoman, CTA

Teens Take Back the Block’s Story Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

Too many young people in Chicago see stories about their neighborhoods on the news that don’t reflect the neighborhood THEY know. The headlines aren't about their favorite parks or corner stores, the community gardens, and block parties. Chicago Stories on the Block is changing that. Young people 15-24 years old from Englewood, Back of the Yards, South Shore, and Lawndale gather to tell THEIR stories and also start to learn about the communities around them. Then, those stories become part of a mural and music. We talk to David Gonzalez from the program.

Guest: David Gonzalez-Executive Director, Port Ministries which runs Chicago Stories on the Block

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A Therapist’s Take on This Mental Health Moment Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

There have been a lot of conversations recently about the importance of speaking up about mental health. Gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka have both taken steps back from their sports in the last month because they didn’t feel they were in the right head space to perform the sports they dominate. For clinical psychologist and Northwestern University professor Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler these conversations aren’t new. Her work as a therapist and researcher is focused on the mental health needs and pressures put on Black women to be strong. Burnett-Zeigler’s new book, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women is based on her own experience, and other women in Chicago and offers guidance on how to best care for our mental health needs.

Guest:

Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler-Clinical Psychologist and Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University

[More possible notes]

Cubs Fans Are Mad As Hell After Huge Trade Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

Cubs fans had a rough weekend. Trade rumors started Thursday about who the team would be losing, and who they would be getting as the deadline loomed. By Friday, The Chicago Cubs front office had broken up the stars of their 2016 World Series, including Anthony Rizzo who went to the New York Yankees, Kris Bryant who headed to the San Francisco Giants, and Javier Baez to the New York Mets. They also sent closer Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox. We’ll see how that goes this weekend when the Cubs and Sox face off in the Crosstown Classic. In the end, the Cubs traded nine players and added 12 players to their roster. Cubs’ Head of Operations Jed Hoyer said it was all necessary in order to rebuild the team that’s currently hovering on the bottom of the National League Central. But, fans are pissed and sad to say goodbye to the crew that made the “lovable losers” champs in 2016 and gave fans new hope. Sports reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout talks to host Jacoby Cochran about how the Cubs made history in 2016, and what’s happened since.

Guest: Cheryl Raye-Stout, WBEZ (@Crayestout)

Baseball Champs, Botched Raids, and Bring Back the Masks Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

The CDC had advised that masks be worn indoors again, especially in states that are seeing COVID cases surge again. Host Jacoby Cochran and South Side Weekly editor-in-chief Jackie Serrato talk about how it feels like we're moving back into the pandemic, especially when Black and brown communities still have low vaccination rates. They also talk about how residents on the Southwest Side are saying "no" to a new Target warehouse, and the joy that Chicago's only all-girls baseball team is bringing to the city after becoming national champions.

Guest:

Jackie Serrato-South Side Weekly

"CPD’s Pattern and Practice of Home Invasions"

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Sailing, Judo and 3-on-3: Chi Olympics Update Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

It has been a week since the 2021 Summer Olympics kicked off in Tokyo, Japan. Already we’ve seen a couple of Chicago-area athletes' medals, a Tsunami scare, and the biggest gymnast in the world make an unprecedented decision to step back. Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair has been everywhere in Tokyo from the pools to the basketball courts, to an emotional softball field covering her fourth Olympics. Well, she hasn’t been everywhere. The veteran journalist says due to COVID protocols she still can’t visit greater Tokyo or even the restaurant next door to her cozy hotel. We check back in with Stacy to hear how the Chicago-area athletes are doing, how the vibes are different without fans, and how the Olympic’s biggest star is speaking up for mental health on the world stage.

Guest: Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune

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