City Cast Chicago

During a public safety press conference Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced efforts to invest in the development and expansion of block clubs citywide. Lightfoot’s idea is that stronger block clubs will contribute to neighborhood security and morale. For a century, Chicago has had an enduring, complicated, and nostalgic relationship with these small volunteer-based community groups. They began to assist African-Americans moving to Chicago from the South, but they’ve also been used to foster white solidarity in support of segregation. Block clubs have also led beautification efforts, and block parties across Chicago neighborhoods. City Cast Chicago Host Jacoby Cochran talks with Dr. Amanda Seligman, author of Chicago’s Block Clubs: How Neighbors Shape The City, about the history of these clubs.Some Good News:Steppers' Night at etaFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

In 2018, three guards brutally beat Larry Earvin at Western Illinois Correctional Center, where Earvin was incarcerated. He died weeks later. One of the guards pleaded guilty, and the other two are on trial right now in Springfield. Earvin’s death was the beginning of WBEZ’s investigation into Illinois prisons, which is explored in this season of the podcast, “Motive.” City Cast Chicago's Jacoby Cochran talks to reporter and host Shannon Heffernan about what she uncovered, and what she hopes listeners will take away when talking about incarceration and punishment. Public meetings for Chicago casino finalistsFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter (and if you've been reading it for a while, it's not too late to take the survey, and enter to win a $100 Visa gift card in the process!): chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

This week, South Side Weekly’s Chima Ikoro and freelance journalist and professor Arionne Nettles break down the big stories of the week and the ones that need more hype, plus offer their moments of joy. We highlight the new season of WBEZ's podcast “Motive” investigating abuse in rural Illinois prisons, discuss the death of two Black transgender women, and reflect on separate incidents of police violence during the summer of 2020 and how recently obtained photos and videos challenge CPD’s official narratives. Chima and Arionne leave us with some poetic and sweet moments of joy!Check back on Monday when WBEZ reporter and Motive host Shannon Heffernan joins us.Take our newsletter survey and you could win $100Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-024

This week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot asserted the Christopher Columbus statue would eventually return to Grant Park. The city removed the statue in July 2020, a week after police clashed with protesters demanding its removal. While the Mayor has placed the blame on “vigilantes who attacked officers,” the Chicago Reader and South Side Weekly report that newly-obtained images reveal that police officers indiscriminately arrested and attacked protesters. Now, one of the police officers who was struck a protester is facing termination, despite the objections of CPD Superintendent David Brown. The Reader’s Jim Daley walks us through what happened back in 2020, and what's next.News:The city could have its new Inspector General. Listen to Jacoby's interview with former IG Joe Ferguson who retired last October.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Actor Chris Perfetti wasn’t a big basketball fan growing up. But he was a big Steppenwolf Theatre fan. So when he got the chance to star in the world premiere of “King James” at the famous Lincoln Park theater, he took it. The play is only partly about LeBron James and basketball; it’s more about friendship and the way sports help forge bonds. Perfetti also stars as Jacob in the hit ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” and talks with City Cast Chicago Host Jacoby Cochran about working on the play and the show."King James" is running through April 10. Find out more and get tickets at Steppenwolf.org.Some Good News: The National Museum of Mexican Art's exhibit “Frida Kahlo, Her Photos” opens on Friday.If you read our newsletter, make sure you head on over to chicago.citycast.fm/survey to give us your feedback and help make the newsletter even better (and be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card)!Not familiar with the newsletter? Check it out and sign up for those awesome daily emails at chicago.citycast.fm/newsletterYou can also follow us on Twitter @CityCastChicago

Recreational weed has been available in Illinois since 2020. Meanwhile, in Texas, a Democratic gubernatorial challenger is pushing to legalize cannabis while the Republican incumbent resists the idea. That may sound familiar to Illinois voters. Gov. JB Pritzker ran on legalizing marijuana four years ago, and while the rollout has been rocky, he’s counting it as a big win heading into this year’s election. City Cast Houston’s Lisa Gray and City Cast Chicago’s Jacoby Cochran talk about the status of legal weed in both states, and Jacoby offers his tips on what Texas should watch out for as they inch toward legalization. It’s a crossover episode!Some good news: Chicago Trans Visibility PageantFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Homicides this year in Chicago are on track to be similar to last year, one of the deadliest years in decades, and carjackings are up 50 percent. Some residents want more police on the streets, on the CTA, and in neighborhoods. But there’s also pressure to invest in mental health facilities, community development, and alternatives to police. In an attempt to address concerns, the city is hosting a series of town halls across Chicago. So far, there has been a virtual meeting for North and Northwest Side residents, and in-person events at Garfield Park on the West Side and Chicago State University on the South Side. These town halls aren’t new, so are residents really getting the answers they are looking for? Producer Simone Alicea has been covering the town halls and answers that question. Public Safety Town HallsSome Good News:Jacoby hosts "The Moth" at Evanston SPACEFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

This week the City Cast Chicago team is together in person bringing you the best podcast and newsletter in Chicago. Lead producer Carrie Shepherd, producer Simone Alicea, and host Jacoby Cochran talk about how they treat themselves. And they're sharing the stories that captured their attention this week, including the first Asian American woman to join the city council and the new casino set to come to the city. We've got some great moments of joy for you like Carrie's perfect parking job and Jacoby’s visit to the East Side neighborhood to check in with Stephen Walsh the director of the documentary, “Southeast: A city within a city.” Check out our September 2021 episode with Walsh. Stories discussed:Lightfoot's pick for 11th Ward Alder: Nicole LeeSports Betting Brings Tax Windfall — And a Surge in Problem GamblingIllinois' child welfare system remains troubled despite cash influxCouncil members ask for environmental reviews on city bidsFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm (where you can see a photo of Carrie's master parking)Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Frances Glessner Lee was from one of early Chicago’s most prominent families, living on one of the cities wealthiest blocks — Prairie Avenue, now a historic neighborhood in the South Loop. She also basically created forensic science. Lee created miniature death scenes that would help police better investigate crimes by considering all the different scenarios that could happen. And to say these recreations were detailed is an understatement. Lee would dress the corpses. The doorknobs and the keys for the doors actually worked. There was a tiny little mouse trap, and if a tiny little mouse had stepped on it, it would have actually gone off. In an unusual move for the time, Lee's parents educated her and her brother in the same way, preparing her to work in a male-dominated field. City Cast’s Simone Alicea learns more about Frances Glessner Lee from Glessner House executive director Bill Tyre ahead of a celebration of the mother of forensic science.Friday's celebration is sold out. But you can book tours at the Glessner House, where a recreation of one of Lee's models will now be available to see.Some Good News:Jurassic Park Concert at CSOTake our newsletter audience surveyFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

By 2030, Illinois could be home to 55,000 people over the age of 65 living without citizenship, according to a 2020 Rush University survey. Despite living in the country for decades and paying taxes, many undocumented seniors (two thirds of which are Mexican immigrants) lack access to federal social safety nets, public housing, and secure employment. According to the Chicago Tribune’s Laura Rodriguez Presa and Injustice Watch’s Carlos Ballesteros, “this generation of immigrants faces the prospect of having lived and died in the shadows.” We sit down with both journalists to understand the uphill battle for thousands of vulnerable older adults.Take our newsletter survey! (You could win $100)Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or text us: (773) 780-0246