The Rundown | Chicago News

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Afternoon News: Monday December 4, 2023 Dec 04, 2023

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A spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker said construction of a base camp to shelter migrants in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood is temporarily paused. The C.E.O. of Chicago Public Media, the parent organization of WBEZ, is stepping down. A “clipper” weather system is expected to bring another period of snow to the Chicago region starting this evening.

Blacks In Green imagines more ‘sustainable square miles’ in Chicago Dec 04, 2023

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Naomi Davis grew up in St. Albans, Queens. She recalls it as a walkable neighborhood where neighbors invested back into their community. Now, Davis helms Blacks In Green, a Chicago organization taking an environmental justice approach to Black community development. That includes BIG’s “Sustainable Square Mile” initiative. They want to help Black neighborhoods become self-sustaining in their local economy and energy grid. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Davis about what it would take to see more sustainable neighborhoods in Chicago and beyond.

Morning News: December 4, 2023 Dec 04, 2023

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A study commissioned by the city of Chicago found traces of contamination in the soil of the site selected to house a winterized camp for migrants. The Illinois State Police launched an online portal that lets residents submit anonymous tips about local, county or state officials they suspect of wrongdoing. Leaders of the Muslim Civic Coalition are revealing plans to introduce an act that would honor the legacy of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy who was stabbed to death.

Afternoon News: Friday December 1, 2023 Dec 01, 2023

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Chicago has finished its fifth month in a row with a drop in murders compared to last year. A consultant's report finds Illinois prisons at Pontiac, Logan County, and Stateville at Joliet are nearly inoperable. Beer enthusiasts from around Chicago descended on Bronzeville last night for the opening of the Turner Haus Brewery's flagship taproom, the only Black-owned brewery taproom currently operating in Chicago.

Candace Hunter takes you inside the speculative worlds of Octavia Butler Dec 01, 2023

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Octavia Butler loved science fiction as a child, but she never saw any versions of herself depicted in the traditionally white, male genre.

“So at about 14 she said, ‘Well, I guess I have to write myself in,’” said Candace Hunter, the creator of a new Butler exhibit at the Hyde Park Art Center. “And she did. And she did it to much applause and much fanfare.”

Butler became one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of her generation, winning two Hugo awards, two Nebula awards and a MacArthur Fellowship before her death in 2006.

Hunter, who developed the exhibit, is a distinguished artist in her own right. She’s a longtime artist-in-residence at HPAC who creates collages, paintings, installations and performance art to tell stories about the nuance of injustice and human experience.

In her new exhibit, “Candace Hunter: The Alien-Nations and Sovereign States of Octavia E. Butler,” Hunter invites people into some of the worlds that Butler created. She explores themes like forced displacement – central to Butler’s “Parable” series – and racial integration – a key element of Butler’s “Xenogenesis” series.

“She takes so many heady topics and bends them into science fiction,” Hunter said. “She is giving you truth in palatable ways in which you can then start examining yourself.”

Hunter explained how sci-fi both shows us to ourselves and offers possibilities of what we can be. She also gave host Erin Allen a tour of the exhibit, which is open through March 3 at the Hyde Park Art Center.

Morning News: December 1, 2023 Dec 01, 2023

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U.S. Steel is laying off workers at its downstate Granite City, Illinois plant, but there are no such downsizing plans for its steel mill in Gary. Home care and child care workers are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker for increased wages and a pathway to retirement. An AI chatbot is helping local renters address housing issues.

Afternoon News: Thursday November 30, 2023 Nov 30, 2023

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A lawsuit seeks to block Northwestern University from hosting concerts at its stadium. New seating protocols for Chicago City Council meetings spark backlash from good government and civil rights advocates. The Illinois Air National Guard will name its first Black general in the organization's history.

Anna DeShawn is making the queer radio she never heard growing up Nov 30, 2023

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Anna DeShawn grew up in a religious household on the South Side, where she says she “had no connection to queerness.” Once she reached adulthood, she saw a need for more coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. And in 2009, she founded E3 Radio to start telling those stories. She was ready to be a radio personality. “Black women in radio from Chicago, it's a pretty lit lineup,” DeShawn said. “I didn't grow up thinking that this was something I could not do.” And earlier this year, she was inducted into Chicago’s LGBTQ Hall of Fame. In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to DeShawn about E3 Radio, the Queer News Podcast and why it’s important for LGBTQ+ people to be the ones telling queer stories.

Morning News: November 30, 2023 Nov 30, 2023

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Jurors heard some of the most infamous secret recordings of former Chicago alderman Ed Burke. A new online tool provides a complete look at kids in each community area in Chicago. Meta officially opens its new data center in DeKalb.

Afternoon News: Wednesday November 29, 2023 Nov 29, 2023

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United and American Airlines are asking Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to scale back expansion plans at O'Hare Airport. The Chicago City Council is tightening public access amid a slew of chaotic meetings. Faculty at Second City Chicago may soon go on strike.

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