Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Dan Schaefer are joined by Ellie Krug, transgender activist, author, lawyer, and host of “The Illegal Trans Woman” on KTNF AM950, the Progressive Voice of Minnesota. Her new book is “Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life.”

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Dan Schaefer are joined by Veronica Garcia-Martinez, Democratic candidate for Illinois state representative in District 70. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Kris Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence.

Brown spoke about the new phase of Pause to Heal, a public-private partnership that was piloted in 2024 to raise awareness of Firearm Restraining Orders (FROs), also known as "red flag laws." Brady partners with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the AdCouncil on the campaign. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Thelma Young Lutunatabua, senior manager of Narrative Strategies at The Solutions Project.

Lutunatabua discussed her work on climate change and equitable access to clean energy, air, water, and soil. She highlighted the impact of climate change in Fiji (her current location) and the U.S., emphasizing the need for community-led solutions. She also spoke about "Stronger Together: Solidarity Summer," which aims to uplift stories of resilience and preparedness from frontline communities. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Ariel Julie, founder and artistic director of the Windy City Comedy Fest, August 7-10.

Julie discussed the festival's inception, which began with a fundraising show at the Den Theater last August. Festival events include stand-up shows at various venues, workshops on the business of comedy, storytelling, social media branding, and physical comedy, and an after-party. Comedians from across the U.S. and Canada will participate. Workshops are free but require registration and include a suggested donation. The festival aims to foster a collaborative, educational, and entertaining atmosphere for comedians and fans alike.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Rita Vaughan Frost, forest advocate for of the Natural Resources Defense Council. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Heidi Stevens, nationally syndicated columnist, director of External Affairs at the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health, and fellowship coach at The OpEd Project.

Stevens talked about her running routine, saying that in the hot weather she gets out "early, early in the morning" and jumps into Lake Michigan for a swim.

The conversation shifted to the environment and Stevens's July 25 column, "As our land literally burns, we don’t owe the president quiet subservience." She highlighted the recent landmark climate opinion of the World Court (also known as the International Court of Justice). 

"They ruled ruled that it's the obligation, under international law, of countries to work to get their greenhouse gas emissions under control and do their part to curb climate change," Stevens told WCPT. "Unfortunately, at the exact same time, we have an administration that's working to undermine the science and whatever small amount of progress we have made around combating climate change. I was reading about that World Court ruling a minute after finishing The New York Times story about the new Trump administration EPA releasing this plan to rescind what's called the endangerment filing from 2009, which is what proves that greenhouse gases do, in fact, contribute to climate change. So they want to get rid of that finding, get rid of the science that proves what we know and what we're living through about climate change, go back to letting tail pipe emissions go through the roof, and sort of make pollution great again. Why? I guess so corporations don't have to be regulated and can put profits over people, and all the things. But it just such a shame. It's such an abdication of our responsibility to our children, to other nations, to humanity. It's depressing."

Stevens also touched on the decline of print journalism, talking about her 2021 departure from The Chicago Tribune, and the subsequent layoffs that have gutted the paper's newsroom. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez is joined by Lookingglass Theatre Company's Kareem Bandealy and J. Nicole Brooks, ensemble members in "Sunset 1919," which was first curated and coordinated in 2020 by Bandealy and Brooks; the performance offers a communal moment to acknowledge our Indigenous roots and for Black artists to merge Movement, Music, and Word in a free, spirit-guided ritual. 

The event takes place Sunday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Eugene Williams Memorial Marker, 125 Fort Dearborn Drive, 1/4 mile north of 31st Street Beach.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Jesse Rojo are joined by Tennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Democrat running for Congress in a 7th District special election (the primary is October 7).

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Jesse Rojo are joined by Mike Cobbs, chair of the Kankakee Democratic Party.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.