The Rundown | Chicago News

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Affirmative action reaction, continued air quality concerns, top cop candidates Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down affirmative action, local professors and state officials react. Wildfires, NASCAR and Independence Day celebrations have experts wondering how Chicago’s air quality will be over the next several days. There are now six remaining candidates under consideration to be Chicago’s next police superintendent.

Unhealthy air lingers, questions about restraining students, NASCAR security Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

We could get a break from unhealthy levels of air quality soon. The Cook County Juvenile Detention Center is facing questions over its use of physical restraint in the facility’s school. Chicago emergency officials are setting up a new security system ahead of NASCAR this weekend.

How the Chicago city council became the gayest in the country Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Chicago now has nine city council members who identify as LGBTQ+, and they’re working together as the “LGBT Caucus.” It’s the largest of its kind in the country, according to Block Club Chicago reporter Jake Wittich. He spoke with all of them, and in this episode of The Rundown he explains the humble beginnings of Chicago city council’s LGBT Caucus and what it hopes to accomplish with its newfound strength in numbers.

Air quality concerns, CTA electric fleet upgrades, rising maternal mortality Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Chicago’s air quality Tuesday was among the worst in the world, and it’s not getting much better. The CTA received $25 million in federal money to advance its electric bus fleet. Local health officials want to bring attention to a rising rate of maternal mortality in Cook County.

Lead paint worries, budget town halls, dropped murder charges Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

A WBEZ analysis shows Chicago Public Schools still has ongoing lead paint remediation projects, despite saying the work is done. Chicago leaders are hosting budget town halls to get feedback from residents. Cook County prosecutors have dropped murder charges for Carlishia Hood and her son.

Why the Chicago Sun-Times now offers a “right to be forgotten” Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

The Chicago Sun-Times announced a new policy earlier this month that allows people who have appeared in its news coverage to ask for a review – and possibly have those stories removed from internet searches. Sun-Times executive editor Jennifer Kho says the policy is a response to the permanence of the internet and Chicago’s history of unjust arrests. “At the Sun-Times,” Kho wrote when the policy went public, “we don’t think it’s fair for stories about arrests to follow people around forever if they were never convicted or if charges were dropped or expunged.” Kho and Mary Mitchell, a Sun-Times columnist and the paper’s director of culture and community engagement, join The Rundown to explain the decisions behind “the right to be forgotten.”

Funding health care for kids, taxing music festivals, home sales in IL Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

An Illinois health care coverage program for kids loses millions in federal matching dollars due to clerical errors. An Illinois lawmaker wants a new ticket tax to help communities hosting major music festivals. Migrants in Chicago say they’re getting better treatment at police stations than they would at city shelters.

The definitive WBEZ guide to summertime in Chicago Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

The WBEZ Summer 250 is live! It’s our interactive guide to 250 (and counting) activities in the Chicago area this season. Stopping by to explain what’s inside the guide are WBEZ editor Cassie Walker Burke, who curated the content for the guide, and WBEZ visual producer Andjela Padejski, who designed the product experience.

Keeping Illinoisans on Medicaid, Metra upgrades, biking Lake Calumet Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

Illinois Medicaid providers are encouraging customers to renew their coverage plans. Three Metra stations on Chicago’s South Side are getting major upgrades that’ll make them more accessible to people with disabilities. Cook County is seeking resident input on ways to improve biking around Lake Calumet.

NASCAR worries, police in schools question, birthplace of House designation Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

As construction for NASCAR ramps up, O’Hare Airport concession workers warn severe understaffing could create havoc as the city braces for an influx of travelers for the race. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson won’t call for an end to police in schools — despite opposing the practice as a candidate. The so-called “birthplace of House Music” will be officially designated as a historical landmark.

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