In the Loop

From infectious diseases to mental trauma caused by violence, the state of public health-where it’s been and where it’s going-has been one of the least talked-about areas of Rahm Emanuel’s legacy as mayor. Today we look at the state of public health over course of the Emanuel administration But up first, a study that began more than 5 decades ago shows the incredible benefits of early childhood education. Young kids in the 1960’s are now in their mid to late 50’s, and researchers have found amazing outcomes even after all these years.

When Rahm Emanuel became mayor 8 years ago, he pledged to make his administration the most arts-friendly in the city’s history. Smaller music venues did come on line during his tenure, and some schools got art education they didn’t have before. But what does the overall picture look like? Plus, ProPublica Illinois’ Mick Dumpke says that Mayor Lightfoot will have a tough time following through with one of her main campaign promises-reforming the way the city council does business

There are certainly more bike lanes in Chicago than their were 8 years ago. Many crumbing El stations have been refurbished. More busses are emitting less pollution. But the Red Line hasn’t been extended past 95th street. Getting downtown from many parts of the city can be a slog, and the roads are clogged with rideshare vehicles. We look at the whole picture when it comes to Mayor Emanuel’s transportation legacy. Plus, a wave of new alderman are set to take their seats in the city council. They, along with Mayor Elect Lightfoot, are calling for changes in the way the council does business. They want a more holistic approach to the way decisions are made in Chicago, and less of the “fiefdom” system that’s been in place for generations. But plenty of incumbents retained their seats, and we want to know what they think of all this talk of change.

There’s no question that the city was in deep financial trouble when Rahm Emanuel took over as mayor 8 years ago. And while there’s a lot of work left to do, most experts agree that he made a series of good decisions-some of them not very politically popular-that have stabilized things for the time being. Laurence Msall from the Civic Federation, and Ralph Martire from Center for Tax and Budget Accountability join us to break down Emanuel’s legacy, and what Mayor Lightfoot should emulate, and avoid. Plus one of Emanuel’s most obvious accomplishments is the riverwalk. Michelle Woods has been working on the project for 17 years, so she’s as excited as she’s ever been as the summer season opens on Chicago’s “linear park”.

Statistics show Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. We talk to a reporter, a midwife, and a doula who are working to inform and guide women through healthy pregnancies and motherhood.

Mayor-elect Lightfoot goes to D.C. and meets with everyone from Ivanka Trump to Nancy Pelosi. Gov. Pritzker lays out details for legalization of marijuana. And a fan is banned from Wrigley for making what some consider a white supremacist hand gesture. Those are just some of the stories we’ll hit with our panel of journalists for this week’s Friday News Roundup.

3 years ago reports showed that Chicago was doing a terrible job at recycling. The mayor got angry and made changes. But nobody ever followed up, and we’re now officially the worst recyclers of all major American cities. Only 9% of our potential recyclable material gets recycled. We talk to an investigative reporter from the Better Government Association about what she found-and didn’t find-when it comes to recycling in the city. Plus after a long fight, American Indian youth have procured 3 adjacent lots in Albany Park for a garden and a safe space for indigenous youth. We talk to one of the young people who spearheaded that battle, and the Executive Director of the American Indian Center.

In less than 2 weeks, Rahm Emanuel will no longer be mayor of Chicago. Some decisions that he made over the last 8 years can and will be judged immediately. Other decisions can’t and won’t fully be judged for years to come. The Mayor gave The Morning Shift 30 minutes, and we covered a range of issues and incidents that took place during his tenure: neighborhood development, the economy, schools and education, violence and policing, the Laquan McDonald shooting.

With about 3 weeks to go, allies of Gov. Pritzker are working hard to push a bill to legalize recreational marijuana. The bill is intended to raise revenue for the state, and reform a criminal justice system that’s jailed or saddled thousands with criminal records over minor marijuana offenses. WBEZ reporter Dave McKinney gets us caught up on the machinations in Springfield. And the summary of a U.N. report due out later this month says the planet may lose a million species by 2050, and man-made climate change is making things worse. 2 experts from the Morton Arboretum tell us what’s happening to the area’s trees, and how we might be able to stop the loss of additional habitat.

For years, the lack of access to grocery stores in certain Chicago neighborhoods, especially those carrying fresh fruits and vegetables, was referred to as “food deserts”. Now the same thing is happening with prescription drugs. As the major chains CVS and Walgreen's close stores on the South and West sides, “pharmacy deserts” are created, making the journey to get medication extremely difficult, especially for the elderly, those on a fixed income, and those without a car. Then, WBEZ Criminal Justice reporter Patrick Smith tells us about a lawsuit against Cook County and the Department of Corrections by guards and staff over sexual harassment by inmates at the jail.