Chicago Newsroom

Ken Davis is joined by Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas. They discuss Vallas’ proposals for increasing the police force to about 14,000 officers, of whom 1,200 would be detectives. Vallas says his policy would begin to address the city’s serious issue with low clearance rates for shootings and murders. Vallas also expresses support for Mayor Emanuel’s proposal for a police training academy on Chicago’s West side. They also discuss education issues. Vallas says that he still has many supporters from his time as what he bills as a highly accomplished stint as the first CEO of Chicago Public Schools. He says that when he left Chicago had only fifteen charter schools, but that the proliferation of charters after his departure – in particular during the Renaissance 2010 program – introduced over-capacity to the system and permanently damaged many schools. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Cameron Davis spent the entire Obama Administration as the president’s Great Lakes guy. He coordinated the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 2012. He convened the Asian Carp Coordinating Committee, offshore wind energy policy and what was identified as “water quality and quantity policy” for the EPA. He’s our guest this week, and he tells us about the next phase of his life, in which he intends to be a Board member at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. It’s a seat vacated by the sudden death of a Board member, and because of the short time-line, a write-in election was needed. Davis got more than 50,000 write-in votes in the March 20 primary, although only 8,000 were needed. But there’s a big dispute about whether he can claim the seat since Governor Rauner appointed an ally to the seat at about the same time. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Dockless bike sharing is being introduced to Chicago. It’s a system in which customers can locate a bike through a smart-phone app, unlock it and ride it, then lock it in an approved location anywhere in the service area, all without the traditional Divvy “docks” Chicagoans are familiar with. Ken Davis discusses the new program with Deloris Lucas of the south side’s We’ll Keep You Rollin’ and John Greenfield of StreetsBlog Chicago and the Reader. They also talk about a parallel program to bring car sharing to large parts of Chicago that would work in a similar way, using smartphones to rent and return cars. Numerous aldermen have objected to the program, however, and have not allowed it in their wards. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Michael Hawthorne, who has written extensively on the issue of lead in Chicago’s water. The lead is not in the water as it leaves the filtration plants or gets distributed beneath the streets, but it’s introduced when the water passes through lead pipes that connect individual buildings to those water mains.

Until the mid-1980s, the City of Chicago mandated that these so-called service pipes be made of lead. Today, Chicago has the largest number of lead pipes of any large American city, and Hawthorne reports that when over 2,000 Chicagoans voluntarily had the City test their water, alarming numbers of homes reported elevated levels of lead in their drinking water. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by the Chicago Reader’s housing and criminal justice columnist Maya Dukmasova. They discuss a lawsuit being brought against the city by a developer who claims that the ago-old tradition of “aldermanic prerogative” is not lawful and should be declared illegal. The dispute stems from a plan to build a 300-unit apartment building in the 41st Ward, a project the Alderman approved but then rejected immediately before zoning approval.

They also talk about a dispute at Atrium Village, where developers say they’re planning to move all the low-income residents into a single building and deny them access to the amenities at neighboring buildings. And they talk about Mayor Emanuel’s plan to build a $95 million police academy in West Garfield Park, and the rigorous opposition it’s sparked in the community. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by Chicago Sun-Times Editor-in-Chief Chris Fusco. They discuss the radical redesign of the printed paper, the company’s digital presence and its public imaging, all of which went live on March 28. Fusco also talks about the challenge every news organization faces as newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio stations begin to compete with one another for space on the hand-held screen, and the constant vigil to combat fake news. He also talks about perceptions that the paper can’t be objective due to its partial ownership by labor unions, the future of beat reporting, and the existential advertising competition with Google, Facebook and Twitter. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by Lori Lightfoot, Chair of the Chicago Police Board. They discuss a recent memorandum of agreement between the city, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, a coalition of community and legal activists and the Chicago Police Department to jointly seek a consent decree that will outline an action plan for reform of the Chicago Police. They also discuss recent events related to the Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones police shootings. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability ruled that officer Robert Rialmo was at fault for the killings and should be fired, but Superintendent Johnson disagreed with the finding. This could trigger a complicated string of legal maneuvers that involve hearings before Lightfoot’s Police Board. And they discuss the need for improved training at CPD, especially in the proper and appropriate use of Tasers. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by Tribune investigative reporter Michael Hawthorne for a discussion about environmental issues in Chicago. They discuss recent efforts to regulate the storage of manganese in Chicago, and the recognition that, despite its ability to hold almost five billion gallons of storm-water, the Deep Tunnel and McCook Reservoir can be filled to capacity in a few hours after a two-inch rainfall. Hawthorne also reviews recent developments with Foxconn in Wisconsin, and its success in connecting to Lake Michigan water despite being technically outside the eligible boundaries – and the elevation of Wisconsin’s former Department of Natural Resources head Cathy Stepp to Director of the Great Lakes region of the EPA here in Chicago. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by three expert political journalists – WGN-TV’s Tahman Bradley, Chicago Magazine’s Carol Felsenthal and WBEZ’s Dave McKinney – to dissect the results of Tuesday’s Illinois primary. The panel discusses the near-loss for Bruce Rauner, the overwhelming win for JB Pritzker, Chuy Garcia’s rapidly-growing political influence in Chicago politics and the collapse of Joe Berrios’ County Assessor career. Also, the CTU’s apparent success in defeating the most outspoken proponent of the “soda tax,” and the likelihood that Pat Quinn may have run his final political race. And a little talk about Garry McCarthy’s run for Mayor. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by educator, political leader and author Dick Simpson for a conversation about his new book The Good Fight, which traces Simpson’s sixty years of activism for progressive causes. They discuss his City Council battles as an alderman in the 70s, his

time as an ordained minister and his participation in fights to

disband the Chicago Police Red Squad, end most patronage through the Shakman decrees and redistrict the City Council to provide Harold Washington a Council majority in his final year as Mayor. This

program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).