In the Loop

Another long-serving alderman’s office raided by the feds. Mayor Lightfoot appears on Colbert. Country President Preckwinkle predicts no new county taxes in 2020. Those are just some of the stories tackled by our panel of journalists on our Friday News Roudup. This week, we have the Trib’s John Byrne, Kimberly Egonmwan of WVON, and WBEZ’s own Kristen Schorsch.

President Trump has seemingly made it a personal mission to rescind as many Obama-era policies as possible. Since his administration began, his skepticism about climate science has seen him roll back any number of environmental protections, which he sees as a hindrance to economic growth. Today, we discuss his retooling of carbon emission standards, paving a path to an extended timeline for coal-based energy. Plus the wet, cold, foggy weather has Chicagoans wondering if we’ll ever see summer. Meteorologist Jon Davis explains just what the heck is going on.

When President Trump imposed tariffs on millions of goods coming from China in January of 2018, he told us the trade war “would be over very soon”. It’s still going on. And Trump recently talked about adding more tariffs to more goods. We find out what effect those tariffs are having on Illinois manufacturers, farmers, and consumers from Cecile Shea of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. And writer and podcaster Luvvie Ajayi joins us for “The Movie That Made Me”. Her pick is The Color Purple.

The Great Lakes hold about 21% of the Earth’s fresh water. More than 40 million people in the region depend on that water for drinking. But from invasive species to agricultural runoff, that supply of water could be threatened. That’s why officials from the U.S. and Canada gather every 3 years-to figure out ways to work together to maintain the health of the lakes and surrounding ecosystems. We’ll hear what’s happening at the gathering, taking place now in Milwaukee. Plus Greta Johnson, host of WBEZ’s Nerdette podcast, has some great titles to add to your summer reading list.

The Chicago Teachers Union didn’t endorse Lori Lightfoot. But it seems like Mayor Lightfoot and the union have more in common than during the Emanuel days. With 2 weeks to go before the current contract runs out, how much will both sides be able to hammer out before it puts the start of the year in jeopardy? Plus, the Field and MacArthur Foundations have teamed up to give away $700,000 in grants to the “Leaders For a New Chicago”. From artists to activists, the foundation is saying “thank you” to folks making a difference in the city, and helping to fund their ideas and projects. We talk to 3 of the winners about their work and what the money means to them.

A kid growing up in a college town in central Massachusetts, Joanna Connor fell in love with the blues. Her dream was to come to Chicago and learn from the masters. She made that dream come true in her late teens, and she's been a visible part of the music scene here ever since. Connor talks about her early days sitting in with the the great Lonnie Brooks, backing Buddy Guy, eventually leading her own band, and being a mom in the blues world. You can hear Connor 3 nights a week at the famed Kingston Mines in Lincoln Park

Chicago Tribune reporter Lolly Bowean, ProPublica Illinois reporter and columnist Mick Dumke and Hannah Meisel from The Daily Line dive into the biggest local news stories of the week. They'll give their takes on Mayor Lightfoot vs. the Chicago Police Dept., Gov. Pritzker vs. anti-abortion forces, supporters of open parks in Chicago vs. the Obama Center, and much more. 

In Chicago, the suicide rate for police officers is significantly higher than for officers in departments across the country. In less than one year, seven CPD officers have died by suicide, including 3 who took their own lives while on duty or on department property. Plus Chicago’s Black food culture often plays second fiddle to the North Side’s celebrity-chef run restaurants. But there’s a whole world of Black food waiting to be eaten on the South Side.

When people say there are “two Chicagos”, they’re talking about inequities: the way resources are distributed among schools, the way neighborhoods are policed, grants and other monies given to help small businesses flourish, a difference in city services. A new study documenting many of those inequities, and offering some solutions, has just arrived from the Chicago Urban League. Plus, the researchers and the money people looking to identify and erase inequity are often subject to the very biases they’re trying to eliminate. We’ll talk to one woman who’s recognized it, and is doing something about it.

Illinois has expanded how and where people can gamble. But are enough resources going to help the uptick in gambling addicts we may see when you can place a bet on virtually anything virtually anywhere? Plus what the city is doing to tamp down the overzealous ticketing in Black and Brown parts of Chicago.