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Morning News: Thursday August 1,2024 Aug 01, 2024

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Former President Donald Trump’s confrontational interview at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists got mixed reviews. Several Black Chicagoans made their way downtown in hopes of greeting the former president. Plus, local indie artist Adan Diaz is set to perform next to big names in Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival.

Afternoon News: Wednesday July 31, 2024 Jul 31, 2024

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Former President Donald Trump had a confrontational conversation with Black journalists in Chicago. Advocates say six more years under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s unpopular regime could have a long-term impact on cities like Chicago. Lollapalooza kicks off Thursday – along with the threat of severe weather.

Jojo Alsberry leads the return of Chicago’s annual dance showcase Jul 31, 2024

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Jonathan “Jojo” Alsberry – known by some in the dance community as “the Kevin Bacon of dance” – is taking the reins this year as the lead choreographer of the finale of Dance For Life. The annual Chicago dance showcase features performances from several local companies, including Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Trinity Irish Dance Company and Visceral Dance Chicago.

“I want the work to be a celebration of the beautiful, loving and diverse community that we have in Chicago around dance,” Alsberry said on the Rundown podcast. “There are many, many dance communities we have here and I want to celebrate that.”

Dance for Life was originally created in the early 1990s as a fundraiser for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Today, the organization that puts on the showcase – the Chicago Dance Health Fund – offers healthcare relief to anyone working in Chicago’s dance community.

“A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of the dancers don’t have health insurance,” said Michael Anderson, vice president of the Chicago Dance Health Fund board of directors. “So being able to offer them mental health, or co-pays for their doctor visits, or a lead for dental, all those things are really important to keep them healthy or active.”

Rundown podcast host Erin Allen sat down with Alsberry and Anderson to talk about this year’s Dance For Life and why the creative process is just as important – if not more so – than the final dance the audience sees.

This year’s Dance For Life takes place Aug. 10 at the Auditorium Theater.

Morning News: Wednesday July 31, 2024 Jul 31, 2024

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Former President Donald Trump will speak at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Many attendees aren’t happy about it. Civil rights leaders, who say the killing of Sonya Massey should prompt sweeping, national police reform. Illinois signs a law strengthening abortion protections the same day Iowa reduces abortion access.

Afternoon News: Tuesday July 30, 2024 Jul 30, 2024

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Sonya Massey’s family will be on Chicago’s West Side tonight for a rally hosted by Black clergy leaders. The son of imprisoned Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo Guzman pleaded not guilty today in a Chicago courtroom. WBEZ data analysis shows the number of traffic stops made by the Chicago Police Department has gone down this year.

Morning News: Tuesday July 30, 2024 Jul 30, 2024

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A listening session meant to heal relations between law enforcement and Black Springfield residents quickly devolved into a screaming match. Chicago police are pulling over fewer drivers than previous years, a new WBEZ data analysis shows. Illinoisans on Medicaid could soon get coverage for things like rental assistance and nutrition counseling.

Afternoon News: Monday July 29, 2024 Jul 29, 2024

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The U.S. Department of Justice will be in Springfield tonight for a listening session on healing relations between law enforcement and Black communities following the shooting death of Sonya Massey by then-sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. Insurance plans in Illinois will have to cover pregnancy, postpartum and newborn care from doulas and midwives as part of the state’s so-called “Birth Equity Initiative” signed into law today. The new CTA Damen Green Line station will open August 5th just in time for the Democratic National Convention.

Go ahead… let Sugar Hole puppets serve you ice cream. Jul 29, 2024

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The Sugar Hole is a walk-up, soft-serve ice cream window in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, not exceptionally unique but for one significant factor: the staff are puppets.

“That’s gonna be $10,” said Puddles, a blue alien, to his first two customers on a hot Saturday afternoon in July. “And I don’t have arms so can you put it between my eyeballs?”

Josh Dihle and Abby Monroe are the husband and wife co-owners of both The Sugar Hole and Color Club, an adjacent arts and events space they opened in 2021. Dihle said they wanted to add some kind of walk-up food window for years, and the idea of staffing one with puppets was mostly inspired by their 2-year-old daughter's puppet-heavy toy bin.

"One day at dinner we were talking about like, 'Oh, well, The Sugar Hole, what if it was a little puppet hand that came out and took your change or took your money when you paid?' And then my wife Abby was like, 'Oh, well, maybe just: puppets should work there.' And I was like, 'Oh my God, you're right.'"

On this episode of the Rundown podcast, host Erin Allen talked with several folks in and around The Sugar Hole – including Dihle, a few ice cream patrons, as well as puppets Puddles and Aurora Bearialis and their human operators Camille Mitchell and Emilie Wingate – to get a grasp of what a puppet ice cream shop is all about.

"For me personally, I get a big kick out of standing across the street and looking over and seeing this absurd thing occurring that grew out of literally a joke," Dihle added. "I like that moment where you can see something that had lived inside of your head literally abutting with reality, and that people are catching the ball and going with it."

The Sugar Hole is open weekends from 3-8pm and is located at 4146 N. Elston Ave.

Morning News: Monday July 29, 2024 Jul 29, 2024

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The U.S. DOJ is looking into the employment history of the police officer who shot and killed Sonya Massey, the Illinois hemp industry tries to work with Republicans and what to do if you see a black bear in Illinois

Afternoon News: Friday July 26, 2024 Jul 26, 2024

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County officials in Springfield released the autopsy report of Sonya Massey, who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy earlier this month. The autopsy report shows that 36-year-old Massey died from a gunshot wound under her left eye. Student groups in Chicago are reacting to Vice President Kamala Harris' sudden run for the presidential election. Chicago’s largest improv festival, iO Fest, continues this weekend.

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