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Posts published in “Latest News”

Chicago Charter School Noble Admits A Racist Past

The Noble charter school network is one of many charters nationally backing away from punitive discipline policies aimed at students of color. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Sarah Karp

One Year Later, A New Perspective On What’s Important

WBEZ has been asking listeners to share stories about how this past pandemic year has impacted their lives. Chicago teacher Mel Georgiou remembers packing up at her South Side school for what most thought would be a few weeks of shutdown.

How Is Chicago Vaccinating People At Homeless Shelters?

According to Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health department is providing vaccine to homeless shelters around Chicago. The city funds more than 3,000 beds at 50 homeless shelters. Find all our coverage at WBEZ.org/Va...

Chicago’s Food Bank Head Reflects On Hunger In A Pandemic

The Greater Chicago Food Depository serves Cook County, stocking 450 food pantries in the city and the suburbs. CEO Kate Maehr believes it’ll be many years before hunger returns even to pre-pandemic levels. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Odette Yousef

After Recent Suicides, Chicago Police Hire Wellness Adviser

Alexa James, the CEO of the Chicago chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is joining the department after working for years in partnership with the Chicago Police. Host: Melba Lara; Reporter: Patrick Smith

Chicago Monuments Project Holds First Public Webinar

The city has established a Chicago Monuments Project to grapple with a complicated history and think of new ways to develop public art for the future. WBEZ’s race, class and communities team brings perspectives from the project's advisory committee. Ho...

What’s Expected For Federal COVID-19 Relief In Illinois

The U.S. House will vote today on $1.9 trillion in relief funding for extended unemployment benefits, direct payments for families and individuals, and help for local government and schools. Host: Mary Dixon; Guest: J. B. Pritzker, Raja Krishnamoorthi

Who’s Eligible For The COVID-19 Vaccine In Indiana

After first allowing front-line health care workers and long-term care facility residents access, the state of Indiana has been increasing who’s eligible based on their age. Find all of our coverage at WBEZ.org/VaccineFAQ

Immunocompromised Illinoisans Can Get Vaccinated

While people with serious underlying health conditions can get vaccinated in most of Illinois, those the most at-risk to any infection say life won’t get back to “normal.” Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Vivian McCall

Hunger Strike Ends, But Metal Shredder Protest Continues

Three people who took part in a one-month hunger strike are among the activists fighting to block a new shredding plant on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Reporter: Linda Lutton; Speakers: Yesenia Chavez, Oscar Sanchez, Chuck Stark

Do COVID-19 Vaccines Still Protect Against Variants?

All three of the vaccines available in the U.S. have good protection against all of the variants we know of, says Chicago Department of Public Health’s Dr. Allison Arwady. Find all our coverage at WBEZ.org/VaccineFAQ

How Does The COVID-19 Vaccine Affect Pregnant Women?

Pregnant women were not included in initial trials for vaccines, however they are at a higher risk of getting severe COVID-19. Dr. Lisa Green with Family Christian Health Center says expecting mothers should discuss their options with their doctor. Fin...

Mayor Lightfoot’s Time At City Hall, Halfway Into Term

While some aldermen may complain that her leadership style leaves them out of the discussion, some of Lightfoot's supporters see ongoing conflict as a sign of strength for the mayor. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Claudia Morell

VP Kamala Harris Urges Chicagoans To Get Vaccinated

In a WBEZ exclusive interview, Harris promoted the new United Center mass vaccination site and said: “Folks have to take this vaccine when it is their turn.” Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Natalie Moore

A History of Chicago in 10 Books

On March 4, 1837, Chicago was officially incorporated as a city. In the one hundred and eighty-four years since then, the city has grown and changed. On this anniversary of incorporation, we suggest ten books to get to know this complex city a little bit better. Sun Ra’s Chicago: Afrofuturism and the City In Sun Ra’s Chicago, William Sites brings this visionary musician back to earth—specifically to the city’s South Side, where from 1946 to 1961 he lived and relaunched his career. The postwar South Side was a hotbed of unorthodox religious and cultural activism: Afrocentric philosophies flourished, storefront prophets sold “dream-book bibles,” and Elijah Muhammad was building the Nation of Islam. It was also an unruly musical crossroads where the man then known as Sonny Blount drew from an array of intellectual and musical sources—from radical nationalism, revisionist Christianity, and science fiction to jazz, blues, Latin dance music, and pop exotica—to construct a philosophy and performance style that imagined a new identity and future for African Americans. Sun Ra’s Chicago shows that late-twentieth-century Afrofuturism emerged from a deep, utopian engagement with the city—and that by excavating the postwar black experience of Sun Ra’s South Side milieu, we can come to see the […]

The post A History of Chicago in 10 Books appeared first on The Chicago Blog.

Mercy Hospital In Bronzeville Could Avoid Closure

After months of intense opposition, Mercy’s parent company is in a deal to sell it to a Chicago non-profit affiliated with a Michigan-based biomedical technology company. Host: Odette Yousef; Reporter: Kristen Schorsch

Parents: Take Time For Your Own Mental Health

Counselor and Northwestern teacher Gideon Litherland says quarantining is especially hard on kids and their parents. Many parents tend to focus on their children’s mental health first, sometimes at the expense of their own. Reporter: Patrick Smith