City Cast Chicago

You can now apply to get a free bicycle next month through the Bike Chicago program, and the city is adding concrete barriers around miles of bike lanes. While bike and pedestrian advocates applaud these moves, the deaths of four children on bikes and scooters this year show more needs to be done. In addition to pushing for more protections, one way to stay safer on a bike could be a lesson to learn the rules of the road. We’re revisiting our bike lesson from last summer with Shameka Turner, who manages Chicago’s SAFE (Streets Are For Everybody) Ambassadors program. Turner tells host Jacoby Cochran about the importance of bike safety, what it means to break down cycling stereotypes, and why she wants everyone to grab a helmet and take a ride.This episode was originally published Aug. 30, 2021.Bike lessons are available again this summer through mid-September.Need something to try this weekend? Check out our Summertime Chi Bucket List.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

The Art Institute of Chicago lions went away recently to get a cleaning, but they’re back this week at their usual perch in front of the museum. The lions, plus the summer heat, had City Cast Chicago thinking about some ways to stay cool and enjoy some art. Host Jacoby Cochran and lead producer Carrie Shepherd have some recommendations in the city and the suburbs.Jacoby’s Picks: Remaking the Exceptional: Tea, Torture, and Reparations | Chicago to Guantánamo at DePaul Museum of Art through Aug. 7 The Art of the Brick  at the Museum of Science and Industry through Sep. 22 Roman Villareal: South Chicago Legacies at Intuit: The Center of Intuitive and Outsider Art through Jan. 8 Carrie’s Picks: Rirkrit Tiravanija: (who’s afraid of red, yellow, and green) at Wrightwood 659 through July 30 Raul Ortiz: More is More at Elmhurst Art Museum through Aug. 14 Beyond the Frame at the Museum of Contemporary Photography through Oct. 30 Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

The Chicago Red Stars are ranked third in the NWSL, and the team’s been rebuilding after some players and the coach left last season following allegations of abuse across the league. It’s a young team and Claire Watkins says this season’s success is a “pleasant surprise” and that they're looking to the future. Watkins hosts a podcast about the Red Stars and writes for Just Women Sports. She breaks down the Chicago Red Stars with host Jacoby Cochran.Take our Summertime Chi Bucket List ChallengeFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

If you’re not following our professional women’s sports teams here in Chicago, we feel a little sorry for you. The Sky are ranked No. 1 in the WNBA and have won nine of their last ten games. And the Red Stars just came off a nine-match unbeaten streak and are third in the NWSL. Remember, both teams played for their respective championships last season with the Sky bringing home the team’s first ever WNBA title. Now, both are on track for another deep playoff run. Each team has battled hurdles off the field, including fighting for equal pay as the men’s teams and leadership changes after accusations of abuse and harassment. And women players continue to speak out against social injustice. Today, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile takes us inside this season of the Sky, and Wednesday Claire Watkins from CHGO and Just Women Sports talks Red Stars. Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Ecologists have been warning about Asian Carp for decades. The invasive species has infiltrated our waterways and threatens the Great Lakes ecosystem. One way to get them out? Eat them. That’s why Illinois officials have renamed the fish “Copi,” which comes from its copious numbers. The goal is to make it more palatable, but does the fish actually taste good? The City Cast team cooks up some Copi burgers, and producer Simone Alicea talks with Lincoln Park fishmonger Dirk Fucik about whether he thinks the name change will make a difference in our ecology.Here are some other places you can find Copi to eat. Did you know eating Copi is on our Summertime Chi Bucket List challenge? If you do it, let us know by filling out the form and tagging us on social media using #CityCastSummer. Plus, if you do the most items this summer, you could win some City Cast swag!Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Chicago’s $31 million dollar basic income pilot will 5,000 families $500 a month for the next year. The first checks started arriving this week. We talk with freelance journalist Natalie Frazier and Xavier Ramey, CEO of social impact consulting firm Justice Informed, about the impact this program will have for participants. We also discuss a report outlining how the public wants the city to make Chicago safer, ongoing problems at the Department of Children and Family Services, Mohawk Johnson’s two years on electronic monitoring, and how Chicago was voted second-best city in the world by Time Out. Stick around for Some Gooood Newwsss to get you through the weekend!It’s a good weekend to get out and try something on our Summertime Chi bucket list. Complete the most items this summer, and you could win City Cast swag! Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

City Cast loves talking about things to do in and around Chicago. I mean have you seen our great Summertime Chi bucket list? But sometimes it’s nice to get out of the city and get a quick change in scenery to rest and reset. Luckily, we have plenty of options for day and weekend trips around the Midwest. So where should you go? Thrillist’s Meredith Heil gives host Jacoby Cochran a few recommendations, and we hear some suggestions from City Cast readers.And remember to keep tagging us on social media in your bucket list adventures #CityCastSummer @CityCastChicago. Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

In the new film “Tagged,” a local street artist is accused of murder and searches for clues in Chicago’s murals with the help of an unlikely source. But the film is not just a murder mystery. It’s a love letter to the city’s street art and the artists on the fringes of mainstream recognition. It’s streaming now on Amazon. Host Jacoby Cochran spoke with filmmaker Grant Troyer about “Tagged,” Chicago’s street art scene, and more. Troyer is also founder of local production company Kernel Productions.“Tagged” is available to stream on Amazon and Google Play.A little bit of news: Here's where you can apply to get a free bike, lock, and helmet from the city starting Monday. Plus, Tacos y Tamales is back in Pilsen this weekend.Are you doing our Summertime Chi Bucket List challenge? You could win some City Cast swag! As you complete your adventures, remember to tag us on social media #CityCastSummer @CityCastChicago. Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

We’re all feeling inflation at the grocery store. Food prices are up 10% compared to this time last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And those increases are a double whammy for food pantries, resulting in more people who need food and fewer donations from grocery stores and big distribution centers. Lead Producer Carrie Shepherd takes us to Care for Real, a food pantry in Edgewater, to get a sense of what inflation actually looks like.Are you doing our Summertime Chi Bucket List challenge? You could win some City Cast swag! Fill out the form, and be sure to tag us on social media using #CityCastSummer @CityCastChicago. Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

One week after the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in north suburban Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens injured, details continue to emerge about the alleged shooter. Robert Crimo III, 21, has been charged with seven counts of first degree murder, and prosecutors say more charges are coming. Questions immediately surfaced about how the suspect was able to legally get the semi-automatic rifle he allegedly used to fire into the crowd, especially because police had previously visited Crimo and his family’s home after he had made threats of violence. We break down Illinois gun laws with WBEZ criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith.A Look Ahead to the Week:Millennium Park Summer Film SeriesJune CPI report dropsSome Good News:Chicago Sky guard Allie Quigley wins fourth 3-point shooting contest during the All-Star weekend, which means she’s won the most 3-point contests of anyone in the WNBA or NBA. Do the City Cast Summertime Chi Bucket List challenge! And tag your bucket list #citycastsummerFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246