WBEZ News

You followed up with a family you spent time with in August. They were on day twelve with no power. How are they holding up now?

In 2021, Illinois became the first state to require every public elementary and high school to teach a unit of Asian American history. That’s because of the passage of the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act. But five years later, it’s not clear how many schools are teaching the material. HOST: DEGMAN

That’s because of the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act. Today, advocates say there’s still a long way to go in putting the law into practice in schools. So why is it important for everyone… but especially young people... to learn this history? HOST: LANE

In Illinois, residents who are terminally ill with less than six months to live can now request a prescription for medication to end their lives. Illinois joins 12 other states and Washington D-C in legalizing medical aid in dying. It’s known as Deb’s Law. It was inspired by Deb Robertson. She lives in Lombard and has an aggressive form of cancer. She spent years advocating for the law. HOST: ALEX

Chaka Khan is an 11 time Grammy winner, Rock and Roll hall of fame inductee, and has a song preserved in the Library of Congress. The cultural icon got her start in Chicago’s Hyde Park and Auburn Gresham. This week, she's releasing a new album co-written with Sia. WBEZ producer Haley Blomquist and Sun-Times reporter Erica Thompson sat down with her ahead of the album drop to talk about her Chicago roots and the freedom of making music on her own terms.

Closing schools in Chicago became a political hot potato after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel shuttered 50 all at once in 2013. But as enrollment in the district continues to drop, there’s a growing chorus of people who say it's time to do another round. Yet the question will no longer be in the mayor’s hands. This year, for the first time ever, city voters will get to elect the whole school board. The four candidates for president were asked at a WTTW forum earlier this week how they would confront this issue. HOST: LANE

You may have heard about the controversy surrounding Flock cameras and their use – and abuse – by city and suburban police officers. But you may NOT have realized that lots of colleges use the A-I-powered surveillance tools, too. Including right here in Chicago, at one of Illinois’s largest campuses. It’s one of five public universities in the state that contract with Flock. HOST: LANE

Lawmakers passed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act – or the TEAACH Act – in 2021. And other states have since followed in Illinois’ footsteps. But as WBEZ’s Minju Park reports in part one of the “Teaching History” series… The promise of the TEAACH Act has not yet been fully delivered. HOST: LANE

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has officially launched his bid for reelection. And he wants his investments in the arts and culture scene in the city to, quote, “define” his administration. But how does Chicago’s spending on the arts compare to other major cities? HOST :ALEX

It’s the 25th anniversary of nine eleven attack. Many people remember where they were or what they were doing that day … BUT there’s a generation of people who only know life AFTER nine 11. WBEZ’s Somer Van Benton spoke with some of Chicago’s youth — those born after 2001 – about what they understand about the attack.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is painting this mayoral election season as a stark choice. Either give him another four years to fight for working class Chicagoans and people of color in long-neglected neighborhoods. Or return to the days of school closings, shuttered mental health clinics, and special interest influence on government. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel has more on Johnson’s campaign launch and strategy. HOST: DEGMAN

Birds are already flying through the Chicago area on their fall migration. So it’s a busy season for bird watchers. For one birder, it’s just one part of a more than three-year daily birding streak – rain or shine. HOST: LANE

Celebrations for Mexican Independence Day began this weekend. Thousands gathered in Grant Park for El Grito Chicago — a two day celebration of Mexican culture and independence. HOST: LANE

Twenty-five years ago today ... on September 12th, 2001 ... former WBEZ host Jerome McDonnell had his first "Worldview" show after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The show focused on what the attack could mean for the U-S HOST: PUENTE

25 years ago today the world stopped as the 9/11 terrorist attacks unfolded. As attacks continued beyond New York to the Pentagon, and another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania, apprehension grew in Chicago that we could be next. Former WBEZ reporter David Schaper was outside the Sears Tower that day, and he spoke with some who worked in the building to get a sense of what they were feeling, as Chicago nervously watched. HOST: DEGMAN

It’s the 25th anniversary of 911 attack. Many people remember where they were or what they were doing that day … BUT there’s a generation of people who only know life AFTER 911. WBEZ’s Somer Van Benton spoke with some of Chicago’s youth — those born after 2001 – about what they understand about the attack. Here’s what they shared. HOST: DEGMAN

Today people around the country are commemorating the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. 25 years ago, Sun-Times watchdogs reporter Frank Main followed Chicago first responders to New York City. He observed as they helped sift through the rubble at Ground Zero. Frank recently penned an essay about what he witnessed in the immediate aftermath. HOST: LANE

Illinois’ construction industry is poised to become more inclusive. A new state law requires construction job sites to make accommodations for workers who menstruate or lactate. HOST: LANE

The newly formed Northern Illinois Transit Authority held its first-ever public meeting today. It replaces the Regional Transit Authority, or RTA, in governing the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace. Sun-Times reporter David Struett was at the meeting, and is here to tell us how things are going so far for the new agency. HOST: DEGMAN

The coverage… and rhetoric around it… has left some of Chicago’s teens feeling discouraged and unwelcome in their own city. But they aren’t giving up. Last month (Aug 19), more than a hundred and fifty young Chicagoans threw a party at North Avenue Beach. The event was peaceful but it wasn’t without conflict. HOST: LANE