In the Loop

Bethany Pickens is the daughter of one of the great pianists in Chicago jazz. Willie Pickens was legendary as a sideman, a leader, and a teacher. Bethany has been following in her dad’s footsteps as a wonderful instrumentalist and a much-loved music educator. She and young pianist Alexis Lombre will pay tribute to 3 other great Chicago pianists-who all happen to be women-in a concert at Garfield Park Conservatory on March 8th.

Stratton is spearheading an effort to reform the criminal justice system in Illinois. We talk to her about her plans.

Tahman Bradley of WGN, Paris Schutz of WTTW, and NPR’s Cheryl Corley break down the mayor’s race, some potentially big aldermanic shifts, Gov. Pritzker’s first budget address, and more.

WBEZ’s Dave McKinney dives into Gov. Pritzker’s first budget address. And Julie Justice, director of the Hate Crimes Project at the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights talks about the difficult legal realities around the reporting and prosecuting of hate crimes

New Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delivered his first budget address Wednesday. Not everyone can listen to a governor's budget address at noon. That's why we're bringing it to you complete and unedited in podcast form. 

Springfield kept kicking the can down the road. That can is payments into the pension system for city workers.  Now that can is more than 10 times the size it used to be. And there are few options besides raising property taxes to fund the system.  Ralph Martire of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability lays out exactly how we got here, and some suggestions for getting us out.  Plus Mayor Emanuel recently unveiled a new project that would make the city more energy efficient.   We discuss it with Karen Weigert, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, vice president at Slipstream and former chief sustainability officer for the City of Chicago

Attorneys for Jason Van Dyke say their client may appeal his second degree murder conviction if his sentence is increased. Morning Shift digs into the defense’s strategy. Plus, the municipal election one week away. We’ve got a break down of everything you need to know before you head into the voting booth.

Chicagoan Ken Nordine's voice graced some of the best-known ad campaigns in history. He was also the mad genius behind Word Jazz, a series of albums-cum-radio program that blended soundscapes, music, and effects with Nordine's poetry and free form musings. Ken Nordine passed away last weekend. He was 98. We remember Ken through archival conversations, chunks of sound from his discography, and insights from WBEZ's Steve Edwards, one of many in the radio biz who has been profoundly influenced by Nordine and his work. 

Illinois has many sites that were part of the Underground Railroad. That Underground Railroad was a network of safe places for black people escaping slavery. Wheaton College, in DuPage County, is one of those sites. In this week’s What’s That Building, we examine the architecture and history of Blanchard Hall at Wheaton College. It was named for abolitionist and Wheaton College president Jonathan Blanchard.  

Campaign donations and endorsements are rolling in for some mayoral candidates in upcoming Feb. 26 municipal election. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul starts his term with a challenge to former Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke’s prison sentence. Amazon ditches plans to build New York headquarters, and the Cubs are partnering with Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch a new TV network. Those are just a few of the big local stories Morning Shift tackles in this week’s Friday News Roundup with host Jenn White.