WBEZ spoke with the relatives of 50 Chicago COVID-19 victims to understand the systemic conditions behind the pandemic’s disproportionate impact. All week we’ll bring stories from communities with the highest death rates.
Host: Greta Johnsen
Reporter:...
Even though they’re meeting remotely, Illinois Democrats are facing a lot of questions about the future of their leader due to a sprawling corruption investigation.
Host: Greta Johnsen, Mary Dixon
Reporter: Tony Arnold
Author and longtime Knox College Professor Robert Hellenga spoke from hospice to his former student, Joseph Lennon, about literature, death and grades.
Producer: Bill Healy
All across Illinois, local election authorities have been mailing out applications for voters to request a mailed ballot. It’s part of a temporary vote by mail expansion in the state ahead of the November election.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Claudia ...
Instead of Milwaukee sight-seeing, parties, and balloon drops, Illinois delegates to the DNC will be delegating from their couches. But these first-time delegates say they’ll still push for their platforms.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Tony Arnold
Englewood residents are still grappling with the aftermath of another police shooting of a Black man on Sunday. Some contradict the police version of events. They want authorities to release any video of the shooting.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Maria ...
Cabrini-Green came together following the shooting death of a child this summer, just as they did after a similar tragedy in the ‘90s. As the community grieves, residents share how they are coping and responding to turmoil.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: ...
Between COVID-19, social unrest, violence and burgeoning budget deficits, the first-term Chicago mayor has been tested like no other.
Host: Melba Lara
Reporter: Becky Vevea
As Harris is chosen as the first Black woman to be nominated vice president of a major party, Illinois Black women leaders say there’s more than one reason to celebrate.
Host: Melba Lara
Reporter: Mariah Woelfel
A citizen scientist extraordinaire is on a quest to document 2,500 living things this year in the wilds of the Chicago and its suburbs. Jeff Skrenty recently visited suburban South Holland to see what he could find.
Host: Becky Vevea
Reporter: Jerome ...
In Chicago many Black teens have been at the forefront of recent marches. They are part of a movement for social justice that began long before this summer’s wave of demonstrations.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Adriana Cardona Maguigad
Chicago resident Jeff Skrentny is spending 2020 listing insects, plants, birds and other natural things.
Host: Becky Vevea
Reporter: Jerome McDonnell
As COVID-19 cases climb in Illinois, some businesses are becoming virus trackers of sorts. They’re collecting information from customers that would normally be something public health officials would do.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Kristen Schorsch
Chicago rapper FBG Duck was fatally shot in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood Tuesday. On social media many are mourning his death, while rival rappers are celebrating and mocking his murder.
Host: Becky Vevea
Guest: Lance Williams
With COVID-19 cases rising and pressure building, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS drop preliminary plans for both remote and in-person school.
Host: Becky Vevea, Mariah Woelfel
Reporter: Sarah Karp
Chicago’s first jury trial in months is underway at the federal courthouse downtown. It looks a lot different because of the pandemic. Jon Seidel covers the federal courts for the Chicago Sun-Times and shares what court proceedings look like in the tim...
Some parents say in-person school isn’t realistic during a pandemic. Others say they can’t revisit poor e-learning plans.
Host: Mary Dixon
Reporter: Susie An