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
This week, neighbors gathered in Douglass Park to protest Riot Fest ahead of today’s Park District meeting considering permit approvals for the September music festival. We asked you what you thought about Riot Fest in our newsletter Hey Chicago. Lead Producer Simone Alicea and Host Jacoby Cochran catch you up on the conflict and read through some of your responses. Plus, we’re revisiting Chicago’s 75-year parking meter deal and discussing why Chicago and Illinois were ranked high for naked bike riding and romance.
For a clothed bike ride, check out the 4th Annual Juneteenth Black JoyRide happening this Monday.
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Better weather means more Chicagoans outside and more bikes on city streets. Unfortunately, infrastructure to keep cyclists safe is inconsistent across neighborhoods. We’re revisiting our conversation from December with Kyle Lucas and Michael Podgers from Better Streets Chicago to learn what city and state officials can do to keep cyclists safe and get some tips for the road. Plus, Kyle gives us an update on some ongoing bike projects.
The city’s Learn to Bike programs for kids and adults are underway. And check out host Jacoby Cochran’s guide to bike trails.
Some good news: The Garfield Park Conservatory is hosting 1865 Fest this weekend.
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One of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first announcements when he took office was to create a task force to solve Chicago’s so-called “pension crisis.” You’ve probably seen pensions come up in headlines a lot. It’s why the city says it’s building a new casino, and it comes up every time we talk about the city budget. But be honest with us, do you have any idea what’s going on with Chicago’s pensions? Well, host Jacoby Cochran definitely needed an explainer so we brought in Amanda Kass, a DePaul University professor who studies this. Kass breaks down exactly what Chicago’s pension obligations are and why the “crisis” narrative may be doing more harm than good.
Some news:
Movies in the parks begin this week
See Jacoby host Grown Folks Stories on Thursday
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Ten years ago, Chicago closed 50 schools in largely Black and brown neighborhoods. But what happened to those buildings after the doors were boarded up? A new WBEZ and Sun-Times report tracked the fate of each school and found more than half remain vacant. Host Jacoby Cochran is joined by freelance journalists Natalie Frazier and Maia McDonald to talk about that along with the cottonwood seeds blanketing neighborhoods, the importance of animal rescues, and a legendary roller skating reunion!
Hyde Park Summer Fest returns June 17th and 18th
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Every week this month, we’re bringing you our summer entertainment guide where we give you recommendations to make the most of summertime Chi. We’re kicking it off with a guide to Pride events with Block Club Chicago’s Jake Wittich. He tells host Jacoby Cochran about the best events for families, some lesser-known spots, and etiquette for Pride newcomers.
June 9th-11th: Andersonville Midsommarfest
June 10th: Pride Skate Party
June 15th Queer Elder History Panel
June 17th: Queer Fam Pride Jam
June 25th: Pride Parade
June 30th-July 2nd: Pride South Side
We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast Chicago an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 5 minutes long. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
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You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246
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The city is currently looking for volunteers to help map heat disparities in Chicago —neighborhoods where the temps are higher and potentially more dangerous. But that map won’t come out for months, so the Chicago Tribune decided to make its own. Reporter Sarah Macaraeg found that between neighborhood design and longstanding inequities, Chicago’s most vulnerable communities face even more danger in future heat waves. Macaraeg joins host Jacoby Cochran to talk about why it’s important to map the heat in Chicago and potential solutions.
We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast Chicago an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey — it’s only 5 minutes long. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
Follow us @citycastchicago
You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
An administrative judge ruled late last week that the city should have granted a permit to a metal scrapping facility looking to operate on the Southeast Side. Host Jacoby Cochran and lead producer Simone Alicea talk about how we got to this point. Plus, we get your advice for people moving to Chicago, and Simone and Jacoby talk parks vs. beaches.
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
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You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
As Chicago Public Schools let out for summer around this time a decade ago, 50 schools were closed for good. It was the largest mass school closure in the nation’s history, which sent shockwaves through the city’s Black and brown neighborhoods. Eve Ewing is a former CPS teacher and the author of “Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side.” She talks with host Jacoby Cochran about why it’s so important to remember how this happened.
Some news: Riot Fest organizers will host an online community meeting this Wednesday at 6pm.
We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast [City] an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 5 minutes long. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
Follow us @citycastchicago
You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
Alders on Wednesday approved $51 million in funding to help asylum-seekers in Chicago, but the City Council vote was contentious. Meanwhile, negotiations between Chicago and DuPage County over drinking water supply are also heating up as the west suburban county considers building its own pipeline to Lake Michigan. Chicago Tribune’s A.D. Quig and WCIU’s Brandon Pope join lead producer Simone Alicea to talk about those stories as well as a watchdog report on police officers who lied on the job and a new brewery coming to Bronzeville.
We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast Chicago an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey —it’s only 5 minutes long. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
Follow us @citycastchicago
You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
No list of classic Chicago movies is complete without “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” But is Ferris’ itinerary even possible to complete in a school day? Writer Leigh Giangreco decided to find out and recreate his day for the Washington Post. Ahead of June 5, the day some say Ferris took off, we are revisiting a conversation with Leigh from September, where host Jacoby Cochran got all details of how it all went down.
Some good news: Nominate an accomplished Illinoisan 65 years or older for the state’s Senior Hall of Fame.
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
Follow us @citycastchicago
You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
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