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
Humorist Samantha Irby has made a career out of oversharing, from her start as a blogger in Chicago’s lit scene to becoming a New York Times bestselling essayist. Her new collection “Quietly Hostile” spins personal horrors like bathroom emergencies and mortifying dates into comedy gold that makes readers feel less alone. Irby talks with host Jacoby Cochran about why her stories resonate and her advice for younger writers looking to do the same.
Some Good News: Chicago Cabaret Week continues tonight at City Winery near Fulton Market.
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Brandon Johnson will be inaugurated as the 57th mayor of Chicago this morning, officially bringing a close to the Lori Lightfoot administration. City Hall reporters Mariah Woelfel from WBEZ and Heather Cherone from WTTW talk to host Jacoby Cochran about Lightfoot’s legacy, what grade they’re giving the one-term mayor, and what they’re expecting as Johnson makes his way to the fifth floor.
Chicago Writer Says WGA Strike Isn't Just a Hollywood Problem
Chicago Bears announce new schedule
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Earlier this week Mayor Lightfoot issued a state of emergency as hundreds of asylum seekers are arriving to Chicago daily. Block Club Chicago’s Quinn Myers and lead producer Carrie Shepherd discuss the latest on the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the city’s struggle securing money, and the scramble to provide resources. Plus, we are asking what the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration means for Illinois, previewing the future City Council hierarchy, and sending farewell wishes to one of City Cast Chicago’s founding members!
You know what Lincoln Park’s May Fest and Buckingham Fountain mean?
It’s almost Summer!
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Beginning in 2019, two names dominated headlines and became a love story Chicago could get behind. Monty and Rose were piping plovers who came to nest, and fell in love, at Montrose Beach. Piping plovers are an endangered species, but birders and other volunteers began protecting Monty and Rose, and eventually their offspring, while educating the public about the tiny birds. City Cast Chicago producer Simone Alicea went to Montrose Beach with bird monitor Ann Hetzel Gunkel to learn more about piping plovers, and asks: “Why should we care about about these birds?”
Some Good News: Check out the online auction for the Carole Robertson Center for Learning's annual gala
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Both the White Sox and Cubs are having disappointing seasons so far. Which means no Chicago baseball fan is happy right now. And, there are very few Chicagoans will admit they root for both the White Sox and Cubs. The tension between the two ball clubs may be Chicago’s most well-known rivalry. One person who has lived on both sides of the fence is Len Kasper. Kasper just began his third season as the radio voice of the Sox, but before that he was with the Cubs for 15 years. Host Jacoby Cochran sat down with Kasper during his first Sox season in 2021 to talk about the significance of the crosstown rivalry.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot began her final week in office with a farewell address Monday. She touted her accomplishments on spurring development on the city’s South and West sides and her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there were some things she left out of her speech, too. Lead producer Carrie Shepherd and producer Simone Alicea join host Jacoby Cochran to break down the speech and discuss what we think Lori Lightfoot’s legacy will be.
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson's committee leaders
Special Olympics Spring Games schedule
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More than 8,000 asylum-seekers, many from Venezuela, have arrived in Chicago since last fall. Unfortunately, the lack of coordination at every level of government has left many migrants without basic survival resources and services to make the transition once they get to Chicago. Plus, the city’s plan to open local shelters have run into pushback as residents across the city feel left out of the process. To better understand the nature of this crisis and what every day Chicagoans can do, host Jacoby Cochran talks to Block Club Chicago’s Madison Savedra and Little Village Community Council president Baltazar Enriquez about what newly-arrived asylum-seekers need.
Some news: Catch free tennis lessons at Chicago parks this month.
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The “ComEd Four” trial ended earlier this week when four former executives and lobbyists for the utility company were found guilty on all corruption and bribery charges. The case was billed as the biggest Illinois corruption trial in more than a decade. Now, that title and focus is likely to shift to next year’s corruption trial involving former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose voice, shadow, and legacy loomed large over these proceedings. WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky and WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos join host Jacoby Cochran to give their reactions on the trial’s outcome. The trio also discuss unionization efforts among state government staffers, PPP fraud allegations against one of Chicago’s most profitable restaurants, and some good news on the pitch and in the garden.
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After negotiations with studios stalled, the Writers Guild of America officially went on strike this week. The writers strike may be seen as something only affecting Hollywood or New York, but members of the WGA write shows we all watc, and they’re not writing new ones until studios meet some of their demands for better pay and job security. Plus, WGA East has about 80 members based in Chicago. Zayd Ayers Dohrn is one of them. Dohrn is a playwright and Director of the MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage at Northwestern University, and he tells host Jacoby Cochran why the union’s fight is so critical right now.
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All four defendants in the “ComEd Four” trial have been found guilty on corruption charges, including a nearly decade-long scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for legislation favorable to the utility giant. When the trial began in March, WBEZ politics reporter Dave McKinney explained why it was Illinois’ biggest corruption trial in over a decade and how the scheme affected anyone who gets an electricity bill.
This conversation originally aired March 20, 2023.
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