In the Loop

A new report commissioned by the mayor says that Chicago is falling short of its promises to create affordable housing. We’ll talk to Housing Commissioner Maria Novara about the report, how far we’ve come, and how much more we need to do.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot just announced a new contact tracing program to help stop the spread of coronavirus. We check in with the city’s top public health official to hear more about that, and all the latest on the local response to COVID-19 in our region.

Pre-recorded calls are reaching Illinois residents, warning them of the false consequences of mail-in voting. Reset learns more about robocalls spreading misinformation in an attempt to suppress the vote ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Nearly two dozen groups sue Illinois over its cannabis license lottery. Chicago Public Schools start the school year remotely. Plus, aldermen vote to protect affordable housing around the planned Obama Presidential Center. We break down the biggest news of the week in our Weekly News Roundup with guest host Kimberly Egonmwan.

Nearly two dozen groups are suing Illinois to keep new cannabis retail licenses from going to “politically connected” companies. Only 21 out of 700 groups qualified for the state’s lottery system to determine who will be allowed to open pot shops.

We’ll take a closer look at the state’s cannabis lottery system and why lawmakers say Black and brown business owners are being left behind.

Hulu is rolling out a new series called “Woke”, featuring a Black cast, writers, and producers. Chicago-based actor and comedian T. Murph co-stars, and we talk to him abut the roll, what this show means at this moment in time, and his background in Chicago’s comedy scene.

Nearly 16,000 in the CPS system don’t have a permanent home. That makes school difficult in the best of circumstances. In the middle of an unprecedented pandemic, where children need computers and internet access, it’s a real problem. We talk with a number of folks who are working to make remote learning available to these students.

Presidential candidates visiting Kenosha, the rise of Covid-19 in Illinois, and Chicago’s looming budget deficit. We take you deep inside those stories and more on WBEZ’s Weekly News Roundup

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to make this Labor Day weekend far less travel-packed than usual as people opt to stay at home. But famed travel writer Rick Steves urges you to keep a traveler’s mindset during the pandemic, and talks about ways of exploring the world and your neighborhood during while stuck at home.

Police officers have one of the most stressful jobs in America, and a recent survey found that the suicide rate in the CPD is 60% higher than the country’s average. We talk to 2 experts in police mental health, and unpack Mayor Lightfoot’s new initiatives and resources to help cops be the best they can be for themselves, their colleagues, and most important, the communities they're sworn to protect.