City Cast Chicago

Across the U.S., big cities, including Chicago, are facing a small schools crisis as enrollment drops. Chalkbeat is out with a new story. ICE is finding new ways to target undocumented immigrants in Chicago. A new report from Block Club Chicago and Injustice Watch finds that Chicago police stop thousands more Black drivers in traffic stops than they report. Host Jacoby Cochran chats with Becky Vevea, bureau chief of Chalkbeat Chicago, and Alma Campos, immigration editor for South Side Weekly, about all that, plus some good news from a sales tax holiday to South Side Weekly’s literature issue. Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

From the indie flick “I Love My Dad” to Jordan Peele’s blockbuster “Nope,” there are a lot of films to check out in theaters right now. Host Jacoby Cochran chats with film critic Reggie Ponder about some of the films playing in and around Chicago this weekend. Update: An earlier version of this podcast misidentified one of the actor's roles in "I Love My Dad."Films and Showtimes:NopeI Love My DadPioneers of Queer Cinema at Gene Siskel Film CenterFresh Hell at Music Box TheatreFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

When Joe Bergantino and Ricky Gonzalez put an offer on a new house in January, the Rogers Park couple wrote the owner a letter, promising to keep the house’s funky aesthetic. The house is what’s known to many North Siders as the “Candyland House” or “Barbie House” for its pink, yellow, teal, and white striped exterior. That color scheme extends to the interior, too. Bergantino and Gonzalez have been renovating the house mostly on their own and documenting the process on their Instagram feed, Homos With Hammers. They gave City Cast Chicago’s Carrie Shepherd a tour of the house and explained why it’s important to show others that you can DIY renovate on a budget.Some Good News:The Hegewisch Fest THERE'S STILL TIME TO DO THE SUMMER BUCKET LIST CHALLENGEFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

With gas prices off the charts lately, some people are considering making the switch to electric vehicles. But for many, buying an electric vehicle isn’t exactly affordable — with the average price hitting $66,000 last month. So how can the EV market become more accessible to the average person? In Illinois, EV buyers can get a rebate up to $4,000 for their purchase. Host Jacoby Cochran speaks to Megha Lakhchaura, Electric Vehicle Coordinator of Illinois, about that, plus the role of EVs in addressing the climate crisis. If you want to get an EV rebate, submit an application within 90 days of purchasing an electric vehicle through through the state's EV Rebate Program. August line-up of performances at the Salt ShedSome Good News:"The Best Summer of My Life" film screening at Kilbourn ParkFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

If you have a vacant lot on your block, then you know what it’s like to constantly pass by the overgrown weeds and the trash. The city owns more than 10,000 of these lots alone. City Cast listener Makema Adkins has one of these city-owned lots behind her condo on the Near West Side, where she’s lived for over a decade. Two years ago she started the process of buying the lot to build a bigger home for her growing family. And she’s still trying to buy it. Makema walks us through the process and explains why she thinks the city should make it easier for residents like her to build on these lots.Makema texted us with her story idea, and you can too! Reach out or leave a voicemail at (773) 780-0246Some Good News:Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Google’s coming to the Thompson Center, two Chicago Public School teachers keep their jobs after allegedly being fired for encouraging students’ activism, and some Lake Michigan love! Lead Producer Carrie Shepherd talks about all that and more with WBEZ reporter Susie An and Block Club Chicago reporter Mina Bloom as part of City Cast Chicago’s weekly roundup. Don't forget...it's still summer! Take our Summertime Chi Bucket List Challenge!Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

On Wednesday, officials announced Google will be moving into the Thompson Center in The Loop. The state closed on its sale of the famed building to JRTC Holdings, LLC for $105 million, and Google will move in. The company will “entirely redevelop” the building into an office suite for Google employees. The Thompson Center, designed by the late architect Helmut Jahn and opened in 1985, has long been a source of controversy. Some praise the post-modern building while others deride its retro colors and its spaceship-like facade among neo-classical architecture. All agree that it needed major renovations to fix its inefficient heating and cooling system and years of disrepair. But Jahn’s designs were integral in ushering a new era of design known as post-modernism. Jacoby Cochran speaks to Lee Bey, photographer, Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic, and author of “Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago's South Side,” about the Thompson Center’s legacy. This interview was originally published May 10, 2021, after the sudden death of Helmut Jahn.Some Good News: While you can now get texts from the likes of former first lady Michelle Obama, we want to know what famous Chicagoans YOU'D want to get texts from. Let us know by texting US (or leaving a voicemail) at (773) 780-0246Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Lollapalooza is back in Chicago this weekend. Since it landed in the city in 2005, Lollapalooza has gone from a smaller, two-day fest in Grant Park to a full-on, multi-day takeover of the Loop, the CTA, and other neighborhoods. New reporting from the Chicago Tribune shows the festival is not leaving anytime soon because of a contract extension negotiated in secret. Host Jacoby Cochran talks to Tribune reporters Tracy Swartz and A.D. Quig.We reached out to the park district to ask if there was any public involvement in the contract extension negotiations. They sent us this statement:"The Chicago Park District’s new leadership is committed to expanding community engagement. We plan to continue our discussions with local elected officials and the neighboring community regarding the future of Lollapalooza. For weeks we have worked with the city, community stakeholders, and Lollapalooza organizers to address issues and concerns raised by the community such as noise levels and site conditions.Celebrating its 18th year in our city, the festival has become a Chicago tradition. The Chicago Park District and C3 Presents, the organizers of Lollapalooza, are engaged in negotiations and we are hopeful that we will have an agreement in the near future that takes Lollapalooza well beyond 2022."Some Good News:Fiesta Del SolFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Since the monkeypox outbreak started this spring, there have been more than 200 cases in Illinois, according to the CDC, and 197 in Chicago, according to the Chicago Dept. of Public Health. Vaccines are being rolled out, but it’s a slow and confusing process for patients — and health professionals worry the city isn’t doing enough. Host Jacoby Cochran speaks to Dr. Daniel Berger, who runs Northstar Medical Center in Lincoln Park, which is focused on Chicago’s gay community. Dr. Berger is seeing scary similarities to the start of the AIDS crisis in terms of lack of information, stigmatization, and access to treatment. He explains. Plus, we from Aaron Gettinger about his experience with monkeypox. Register for CDPH's Get the Fax: MonkeypoxChicago monkeypox update: July 22, 2022Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Yes, everyone has their Chicago critiques about “The Bear,” the FX on Hulu show about a celebrated chef who returns to his hometown to run his family’s Italian beef joint in River North. One thing that stood out was in episode two when the Chicago Health Department awards The Original Beef of Chicagoland a “C” grade for various health violations in the kitchen. Well, that’s not really how it works here. Host Jacoby Cochran talks to longtime health reporter Monica Eng from Axios Chicago about how it does work. Monica has gone on health inspections with sanitarians, investigated some shady behavior by sanitarians, and reported on how even the most well-regarded restaurants in the world break the rules.Today is the last day to enter to win school supplies for an entire school!The Chicago Underground Film Festival is back at Logan Theatre (Wed-Sun) .Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246