Connected to Chicago with Bill Cameron

David Greising President of the Better Government Association joins Connected to Chicago with Bill Cameron. Download the show, and listen live Sunday night at 7pm on WLS-AM 890

Tom Demmer is a State Representative for the 90th District in Illinois. He joins this week's episode of Connected to Chicago on WLS-AM 890. Download the episode right here.

Congresswoman Robin Kelly joins Connected to Chicago this week with Bill Cameron. Listen to the podcast now, or live on WLS-AM 890 Sunday night at 7pm

Joining the show this week is Mayor Lori Lightfoot

The Round Table welcomes in Ray Long, Heather Cherone, Lynn Sweet, and Cheryl Rae Stout. We start with covid vaccination rollout, Cheryl Stout gives an update, and preview of the upcoming baseball season. When can we see fans back in the seats? Just how miserable will the bears be?

Kim talks with JOSEPH P. SCHWIETERMAN, Ph.D. Professor, School of Public Service, DePaul University. How has Covid affected city traffic and commuting?

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi joins the show this week as President Biden gets the trillion-dollar stimulus bill passed, what to expect with a potential Infrastructure bill, heavy metals have been found in baby food, and details on improving cyber security.

This week's round table segment we’re joined by Greg Hinz, Lynn Sweet, Heather Cherone, and Ray Long. The gang talks about the mass vaccination sites, how the city should improve by improving the CTA, as Greg describes it as a beacon for inappropriate behavior, How will Chicago benefit from the trillion-dollar stimulus bill.

Lauren Cohn talks with IDES Director Kristin Richards.

Former Independent alderman and author of the new book “The Good Fight: Life Lessons from a Chicago progressive” Dick Simpson joins the show to discuss the primary elections. Bill and Dick inquire into the discussion which include the effects of Joe Berrios being defeated, Chuy Garcia’s campaign and victory, the alderman elections, and Dick’s new book “The Good Fight: Life Lessons from a Chicago Progressive”.

In this week’s round table segment, Bill Cameron is joined by Ray Long of the Chicago Tribune, Greg Hinz of Crain’s, Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times, and Franz Spielman of the Chicago Sun Times. Topics include the race for mayor, expansion at o’hare airport, and the citizenship question on the next census.

In this week’s Community Spotlight Jennifer Keiper talks with Kathy Welch. Discussed is Kathy Welch’s decision, after 20 years of raising kids at home, to re-enter the workforce. The Michigan resident took on-line courses at DePaul University in Chicago to see if IT security was really what she wanted to do and when she confirmed that it was, she took advantage of a career re-entry program being offered by Ford Motor company. After six months of training, an internship, and work with mentors, she is now involved in the security program, at Ford, making sure that company secrets are not compromised. I also discuss the career re-entry programs available in Illinois and the Chicago area as well as where to find more information on them.

Connected to Chicago with Bill Cameron guest former Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department Garry McCarthy joins the show to discuss the upcoming mayoral election, and how he could defeat Rahm Emanuel. McCarthy discusses topics including ways to cut down on crime, Improving CPS, and Pension Reform.

In this week's round table segment, Bill Cameron is joined by Ray Long of the Chicago Tribune, Greg Hinz of Crain's, and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times. Topics of discussion include this weeks primary election results, Fritz Kaegi’s win over Joe Berrios, the upcoming Mayoral race, and the recent visit from Amazon Executives to Chicago to see if the city could potentially be the new home for Amazon’s new warehouse.

This week's community spotlight segment with Joseph L Schofer, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University. He discusses how the City of Chicago is accepting two private companies as finalists to bid on the city's plan to build an express train between downtown and O'Hare. One of those companies is led by billionaire developer Elon Musk, who uses hi-tech tools to build underground tunnels. His plan could have what he calls hyperloop technology, which reportedly involves propelling people in pods via an underground vacuum-type tube.

Host Bill Cameron sits down with Democratic candidate for Governor Chris Kennedy. Kennedy explains how too many young people are leaving Illinois, ethical and tax reform, and his his plans to fix Illinois finances if elected.

In this week's round table segment, Bill Cameron is joined by Ray Long of the Chicago Tribune, Greg Hinz of Crain's, and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times. Topics include the upcoming election, overall voter turnout, Campaign Ad's, and who will win in local district elections.

This week's community spotlight segment with John Challenger, CEO of the Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas. He breaks down the unemployment numbers and explains what contributed to one of the stronger reports we've seen lately. Challenger talks about what sectors have been strongest and what we should look for in the next report, coming out in April. He also offers tips for college students who are now trying to get into the job market.

Bill Cameron sits down with State Senator Daniel Biss, who is running for Governor of Illinois. They discuss the Gubernatorial race, and other candidates, Biss’ progressive values, and working with both Democrats and Republicans. Biss also talks about school shootings, as well as gun violence. They discuss property taxes, pensions, sexual harassment, and the legalization of recreational marijuana.

In this week's round table segment, Bill Cameron is joined by John Byrne of the Chicago Tribune, Greg Hinz of Crain's, and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times. Topics include Daniel Biss’ comments in the first segment of the show, the Michael Madigan stigma among candidates, and Bernie Sanders supporting Marie Newman, over Dan Lipinski.  

This week's community spotlight segment with Nick Gale focuses on Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s recent announcement of her office’s list of Top 10 consumer complaints for 2017\. Since taking office in 2003, Madigan’s office has mediated nearly 400,000 formal complaints from consumers across Illinois, fielded hundreds of thousands of phone calls and inquiries every year and recovered billions in direct relief to Illinois consumers through litigation and mediation. Last year, Madigan’s office received 24,669 complaints, and identity theft ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2007, with 2,511 complaints. The jump, in part, is due to the massive data breach sustained by Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies that compromised information for nearly 148 million Americans. In addition, education-related complaints made another big increase, jumping to No. 2 on the list with 2,399 complaints, further reflecting the country’s persistent student loan debt crisis. Joining Madigan today to discuss this year’s Top 10 list were Todd Kossow, Director of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Midwest Region, Steve Bernas, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Chicago and Northern Illinois and Bill Hedrick, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. “Every year, my Top 10 list shows that scam artists, predatory companies and cyber criminals devise schemes to steal peoples’ money,” Madigan said. “This year’s Top 10 list confirms that contending with financial challenges such as identity theft, student loans and other personal debt are the major issues confronting Illinois residents. My office will continue to aggressively pursue consumer fraud and provide people with the help they need.” Attorney General Madigan has fought aggressively to protect consumers from identity theft amid a series of unprecedented data breaches at some of the country’s largest companies and retailers. Madigan’s Identity Theft Unit at 1-866-999-5630 (TTY: 1-877-844-5461) provides one-on-one assistance to victims of identity theft and data breaches and has helped over 44,000 people remove over $29 million worth of fraudulent charges from their credit. Madigan’s annual Top 10 list of consumer complaints ranks every complaint her office receives on a range of topics. Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Bureau returned more than $46 million in savings through litigation and mediation to Illinois consumers in 2017\. In addition to identity theft and education-related complaints, Madigan noted other categories that topped her list of complaints involved consumer debt and home repair.

Bill Cameron sits down this week with Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Eddie Johnson. They discuss the Criminal Justice System, including specific crimes in Chicago, and what is being done to help stop them. Johnson also talks about gun control, including gun sale restrictions, the NRA, bump stock issues, and surveillance systems. Johnson talks about accountability within the CPD, ending the “cone of silence,” and sexual harassment. He also touches on the new movie set in Chicago “Death Wish.”

In this week's round table segment, Bill Cameron is joined by Fran Spielman of the Chicago Sun Times and Hal Dardick of the Chicago Tribune. They discuss the O’Hare expansion, the March primaries, property tax, and the Gubernatorial race.  

This week's community spotlight segment with John Dempsey focuses on Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. They recently announced the new Safe and Secure program, a multi-faceted effort to increase safety across the CTA system and provide a more secure, comfortable traveling experience. “In Chicago we are investing in a world-class public transportation system that provides a comfortable, safe and secure experience for transit riders,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Chicago is the first city in the nation to create a ride-hailing fee dedicated to transit, making it possible to continue to invest in the latest technology and improvements that enhance commuting and improve the quality of life in our city.” Beginning later this year CTA will add 1,000 new cameras and upgrade more than 3,800 older-model cameras throughout the system. Additionally, new lighting, repairs and other improvements will enhance safety at all 146 CTA rail stations. New cameras will also be installed at more than 100 CTA bus turnaround locations and video monitors will be added to all CTA rail stations to aid personnel in monitoring station and customer activity. CTA’s security camera network has doubled in size since 2011\. The cameras, found at every rail station and on every bus and train, have been an important tool to help Chicago Police identify crime suspects and detect crime patterns. All of CTA’s buses and trains have multiple cameras. The newest buses have 10-14 cameras per vehicle depending on size. Additionally, CTA has worked closely with the Chicago Police Department’s Public Transportation Unit to strengthen and deploy strategies to fight crime that include expanded police patrols, rail saturation missions and undercover operations. Since June 2011, CTA cameras have aided Police in the investigation, arrest and charging of more than 1,300 individuals.