City Cast Chicago

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After Turbulent Year, United Airlines is Back Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

As the pandemic shut down travel, United Airlines-and its employees-took a big hit. The Chicago-based company had to furlough more than 10,000 workers. They brought them back in December, but the airline warned that could be temporary. There’s good news for employees and travelers. United has added 400 flights starting next month so those furloughs aren’t so imminent after all. Host Jacoby Cochran talks with Jay Singh, who covers airlines for the website Simple Flying. Singh also answers the big question for travelers: “How much hand sanitizer can I bring on board?”

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A Look At 40 Years of Gay Media Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

Tracy Baim has been covering Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community for more than 40 years, but it hasn’t always been easy. Back then, she says you couldn’t be openly gay in Chicago media, which is why so many LGBTQ+ journalists like herself had to create their own queer press. In 1984, fresh out of college, Baim started part-time at Gay Life Newspaper, before co-founding the LGBTQ+ newspaper, Windy City Times. Fast forward to 2018, and she’s the publisher of the Chicago Reader, the iconic alt-weekly. Chicago Reader’s “Pride” issue this week documents the evolution of gay activism in Chicago. The issue includes an interview with Dr. Fauci about the AIDS epidemic, and a profile of a '80’s zine that explored Chicago’s House music scene, among other stories. Baim spoke with host Jacoby Cochran about her decades-long career in the gay press and about what it’s like seeing Chicago media’s journey from sidelining the queer community to finally embracing it.

Guest: Tracy Baim, Publisher, Chicago Reader (@TracyBaimWCMG)

After Tension, Black and Brown Unity in Chicago Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

Chicago has a long history of Black and brown communities coming together to advance equal education, immigrant rights, and affordable housing. But last year, as looting and unrest rocked the city, tensions rose between the communities on the South and West sides, with reports that gang members were trying to protect businesses. Activists Tanya Lozano and Bella BAHHS organized a rally to remind people that Black and brown Chicagoans have similar goals. The event didn’t go as planned, which is why they’re trying again this year with an all-day concert instead. The event hopes to bring Black and brown communities together by offering free resources like COVID and HIV testing, vaccinations, exercise classes, and of course, live music.

Guests: Tanya Lozano, Co-founder, Healthy Hood Chicago (@_tanyalozano)

Heavy Crownz, artist and rapper, @heavycrownz

TikTok, Selfie Mirrors and Other Restaurant Gimmicks That Work Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

Restaurants, especially after a year of being partially or completely closed, need all the tools in their arsenal to get customers back. Social media is one of those critical tools, but a Facebook page is not going to cut it. Restaurants, cafes and stores across Chicago have tapped into the influence of TikTok to stand out. At Wake ‘n Bacon in Lakeview there’s a “selfie mirror” when you walk in, just one of the opportunities to document your experience under a ceiling of colorful hanging flowers while drinking a Purple Haze iced latte. Host Jacoby Cochran heads to Wake n’ Bacon to see it for himself. But first, the sisters behind the popular Explore Chicago account offer some ideas on how to reach many followers.

Guests: Leen and Yasmeen Alqaissi, TikTokers, @explorechicago

Gabriel Ayala, Co-Owner, Wake ‘n Bacon (@eatwakenbacon)

The Historic Effort to Count Chicago’s Trans Population Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Research is woefully lacking on the lives of transgender people, especially when it comes to Chicago’s local trans community. But having that data is extremely important in getting resources and services to trans people. The Chicago Area Trans Survey seeks to reach 30,000 trans people in Cook County to learn about their lives. The project is being led by the Brave Space Alliance, a Black- and trans-led LGBTQ center in Hyde Park, and Northwestern University. Jacoby talks with the survey organizers about how this research can help Chicago’s trans community.

Guests:

Stephanie Sorka, Associate Executive Director, Brave Space Alliance

Dylan Felt, Research Coordinator, NU’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing

The Fight to Replace the Irreplaceable Jesse White Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

When producer Simone Alicea moved to Chicago this year, she had a burning question: Why is Secretary of State Jesse White, who runs the much reviled DMV office, so popular? White has been non-controversial during his 20 years in the state office, and plus, he founded the Jesse White Tumblers! White is retiring so we break down who is trying to replace him, and what the job actually entails.

Guest: Rachel Hinton, Chief Political Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times (@rrhinton)

The Jesse White Tumblers

Conflict Can Be Healthy. ‘High Conflict’ Can Be Deadly. Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Journalist and author Amanda Ripley followed a mediator turned politician, environmental activists, religious figures, and a former gang leader turned violence preventer in Chicago to unravel how we elevate from healthy, everyday conflict to dangerous, often inescapable “high conflict.” Ripley tells those stories in her latest book High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out. The writer outlines some solutions from the book, and shares a personal tale of what triggered some of her interest in the topic.

Guest: Amanda Ripley, Author, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out (@amandaripley)

Frida Kahlo's 'Most Personal Work' Comes to Town Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

It’s the first time in more than 40 years that works by Mexico’s most well-known artist are on display in the Chicago area. And you won’t see “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” at one of the major museums in the city. It’s actually at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art at the College of DuPage in suburban Glen Ellyn. The process of securing some of Kahlo’s “most personal work” was a long one, starting with a well-connected donor of the community college, and a willingness to do what had to be done to make sure the museum was up to snuff to show works that are literally considered national treasures in Mexico.

Guests:

Diana Martinez, Director, McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage

Adriana Jaramillo, Communications Director, Museo Dolores Olmedo

Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibit

Chicago’s Famous Comedy Scene Can Also be Toxic Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

Chicago’s comedy scene is legendary. But it’s not always welcoming. Some of the city’s biggest comedy players — from The Second City to iO — have recently been reckoning with accusations of sexism and racism, prompting apologies and new leadership. In the new podcast, “Comedy Has an Ouchie,” Chicago comedians share how they’ve tried to navigate toxic situations in the scene. We talk with hosts Steve Han, Phylicia McLeod, and Ashley Whitehurst.

“Comedy Has an Ouchie” on Twitter: @comedyhasouchie

An End to ‘Quiet Rooms’ in Illinois? Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Illinois lawmakers are cracking down on the practice of secluding and restraining students. A new bill passed this week by the General Assembly bars the use of so-called “quiet rooms.” It will also phase out the use of facedown restraints, which can make it hard for children to breathe. These new regulations come 18 months after a joint investigation by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois showed that school staff were secluding and restraining students at astonishingly high rates, especially kids with disabilities. Host Jacoby Cochran talks with two of the reporters who have been shedding light on the practice.

Guests:

Jennifer Smith Richards, Reporter, Chicago Tribune

Jodi Cohen, Reporter, ProPublica Illinois

Read the "Quiet Rooms" investigation

More on legislation that aims to ban seclusion

Keeping All Students Safe Act