City Cast Chicago

When Ariana Alejandra Gibson was growing up, she didn’t have an outlet for talking about her father who had schizophrenia. A boyfriend’s father even once said that his son couldn’t have children with Gibson because then their children would also have schizophrenia. She felt shamed and stigmatized for her father’s illness and figured others probably did too. So she created the STIGMA app, which allows users to share their personal struggles and stories and even ask for a message of hope. Gibson found sometimes just hearing, “You are not alone,” can help a lot. Gibson is also partnering with BRAVE, which can connect users with mental health professionals. Gibson talks to host Jacoby Cochran about the origin of the app and how a social experiment in her neighborhood helped her decide she needed to create it.Guest: Ariana Alejandra Gibson — Founder, STIGMA AppSome Good News:"Gem of the Ocean" at Goodman TheatreFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Chicago is the birthplace of many dance styles, like the polka hop, the cha-cha slide, and, of course, stepping. For Black Chicagoans, stepping is a rite of passage: You learn it when you’re young and you have to be ready to hit the moves at family picnics or at the club. Chicago transplant — and City Cast Producer — Simone Alicea wondered how stepping entered the dance vernacular. We talk to Kiana Moore, who comes from a family of stepping legends, and she and her husband, Mack McKinney gives Simone a lesson. Guests:Kiana Moore and Mack McKinney—City Cast Stepping InstructorsNews:How to get free N95 masks from the governmentSome Good News:Tentflix and Chill at Lottie's PubJoin Us!Join City Cast, the Better Government Association, and CatchLight Local on Saturday for a conversation about the examination of Cabrini-Green, the taxpayer-financed redevelopment of one of the only Black neighborhoods on the city’s North Side. Jacoby is the host! Get tickets now.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

We got a lot of COVID news this week. Some good, like maybe Chicago has passed its Omicron peak. Some decent, like free tests available online. And some very bad, like a massive COVID testing scandal. WTTW correspondent Angel Idowu and Chicago Sun-Times education reporter Nader Issa join host Jacoby Cochran to break down these stories and more. Here's the article Nader mentioned: "Murders of students amid the pandemic strain schools’ ability to cope, heal"Guests:Nader Issa— Education reporter, Chicago Sun-TimesAngel Idowu— Arts correspondent, WTTWBGA and City Cast Chicago Present:Navigating the Story of Cabrini-Green: Jan. 29 at 1:30 p.m. hosted by Jacoby CochranFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

The A.V. Club was founded as a sister publication of The Onion in 1993 for “people immersed in pop culture and entertainment media to an obsessive degree.” But the Chicago-based online publication is feeling a lot less Chicago after staffers here were told by their parent company, G/O Media, they had to move to LA or lose their jobs. All seven Chicago-based employees have decided to leave the company, saying the company left them little choice in asking them to relocate to a more expensive city without changing their salaries. A.V. Club film editor Alex Dowd, who writes under the byline A.A. Dowd, shares why he’s leaving the company and what he thinks the pop culture site will lose by pulling out of Chicago.Some good news: The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival begins Thursday.Remember to vote for City Cast Chicago as Best Podcast and Best Newsletter in the Chicago Reader’s “Best of Chicago 2021” poll under the “City Life” category.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Irving Naxon invented the Crock-Pot, originally called the Naxon Beanery, in the 1930s. He got the idea from his Orthodox Jewish mother who tossed ingredients in a pot to cook cholent overnight for Shabbat. Cooking on Shabbat was forbidden, but this method allowed her to still serve a hot meal. The Crock-Pot was sold at big Chicago department stores like Sears and Montgomery Ward, and it was marketed as an efficient and inexpensive way to make dinner, especially for working mothers. We talk to Irving Naxon’s daughter, Lenore, who has become the unofficial historian of the Crock-Pot.If you haven't yet, remember to vote for us as Best Podcast and Best Newsletter in the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2021" poll under the "City Life" category.Some Good News:Tomorrow Never Knows 2022 starts tonight! Find out more info and get tickets on their website.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Chicago’s proof of vaccine requirement at bars, restaurants, and live music venues has been in effect for two weeks. It’s been a welcome addition for some business, workers and customers, but some say enforcing it has been a headache. Chicago Tribune’s Joel Noel tells us the reaction depends on where you are in Chicago. We also hear from a concert coordinator at City Winery about the various responses to mask and vaccine proof mandates she’s heard from customers during the pandemic.Guests:Josh Noel, reporter for the Chicago Tribune and author of "Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out"Jessi Roti, concert coordinator at City Winery ChicagoThe City Cast Chicago hotline: (773) 780-0246Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

It was a long news week in Chicago, as the teachers union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot fought over whether kids and teachers should be in the classroom. That disagreement meant no class at all for a week before returning Wednesday. This week was also the end of the Bears’ disappointing season, which led the team to fire head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. WTTW’s Paris Schutz and City Cast Chicago’s Simone Alicea break down those stories, and more. Plus, the good news is City Cast Chicago is nominated for “Best Podcast” and “Best Newsletter” in the Chicago Reader, and host Jacoby Cochran has a story in the new anthology, “Storytellers' True Stories about Love.”Guests:Paris Schutz—Host and reporter, Chicago TonightSimone Alicea—Producer, City Cast ChicagoSome Good News:Vote for City Cast Chicago for “Best Podcast” and “Best Newsletter” in the Chicago Reader’s “Best of 2021” pollRead Jacoby’s story in the anthology, “Storytellers' True Stories about Love.” And tell us your Chicago skating stories by emailing chicago@citycast.fm or texting or calling (773) 780-0246.Other stories discussed:CPS students to walk out Friday Bears Chairman George McCaskey talks about the end of the seasonNew judicial subcircuits in Cook CountyAurora Mayor considering run for governor Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Chicago rapper Juice WRLD had a meteoric rise, going from dropping tracks on SoundCloud to becoming Billboard’s Top New Artist in less than four years. When the 21-year-old died in 2019 from a drug overdose, it sent shock waves across the city and world of music. A new album and documentary released in December continues to tell the story of the young artist and his music’s frank exploration of addiction and mental illness. We talk to Chicago music writer Mark Braboy about Juice WRLD’s impact and dig into what Braboy calls the artist’s darkest album. Guest: Mark Braboy — Freelance Music JournalistWatch “Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss” on HBOMax. Stream the album “Fighting Demons.” Check out Live Free 999, the foundation supporting mental health and addiction intervention programs started by Juice WRLD’s mom, Carmela Wallace.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

You may have heard host/producer Ayana Contreras on Vocalo or WBEZ, bringing soul music to the airwaves and diving into the stories behind the songs on the show, "Reclaimed Soul." Her first book, “Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism and Creativity in Chicago,” came out a few weeks ago, and takes those stories — and many others — to the next level by exploring the lasting impact of Chicago’s Black artists and entrepreneurs in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Ayana sits down with City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran to talk about cultural contributions like Ebony and Jet, Soul Train, and Afro Sheen, and the importance of the stories behind the music and art we love.On January 29, Ayana will be talking about her book and signing copies at the Woodson Regional Library on 95th and Halsted. Find out more and sign up here.Guest:Ayana Contreras, host of Reclaimed Soul and author of “Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism and Creativity in Chicago”Some Good News:Comedian Lisa Beasley is hosting a “Teachers’ Appreciation Comedy Show” at 8 p.m. tonight at the Laugh Factory. It’s also virtual. Plus, there are free tickets available for CPS teachers!Music clips in this episode from Frankie Knuckles (”Your Love,” “The Whistle Song”), Glenn Jones (”Oh Girl”), Lost Generation (”The Slick, Sly, and the Wicked”), and The Esquire (“Get on Up”).Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Chicago Public Schools students will return to classes Wednesday, now that the district and the Chicago Teachers Union have reached a tentative deal. Students went nearly a full week of no instruction while the union and the city clashed over COVID safety protocols. The deal promises increased COVID testing for students and school-based metrics for remote learning, but it fell short of the union's proposal to require opt-out testing for students and a district-wide remote learning metric. The agreement still needs to be approved by union members. The deal didn't keep Mayor Lori Lightfoot or union leaders from continuing to trade harsh words Monday night. And this is just the latest in a long and arduous line of fights between the mayor and CTU. Chicago Sun-Times education reporter Nader Issa explains the three major labor disputes between the Mayor and the union since since Lightfoot took office in 2019.Guest:Nader Issa—Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times Some Good News:Free days at the Shedd Aquarium.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm