In the Loop

Susana Mendoza talks about why she wants to switch jobs, from Illinois State Comptroller to Chicago Mayor.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off her book tour in Chicago. A black security guard was shot and killed by a white Midlothian police officer. And as one more person joins the Chicago mayor’s race, another drops out. Those are just a few of the stories we dive into with our top-notch panel on the Friday News Roundup. 

Once a booming suburban town, the Village of Dolton has experienced a decline in industry followed by white flight, job loss and economic turmoil. Longtime residents left the area and were replaced by African-Americans who left the city for cheaper housing opportunities and instead found themselves in a deteriorating community. The decline of Dolton mirrors a disturbing nationwide trend — for the first time in U.S. history, poverty in the suburbs has eclipsed urban poverty, according to the Brookings Institution. WBEZ reporter Miles Bryan, Chicago-based photographer Sebastian Hidalgo and Better Government Association reporter Casey Toner join the Morning Shift to discuss the history of south suburban Dolton.

When most people think of Chicago-style pizza, they mean deep dish. Food critic Steve Dolinsky is out to change that. He joins the Morning Shift to talk about his new book, Pizza City USA: 101 Reasons Why Chicago Is America’s Greatest Pizza Town, and gives recommendations on where to find the best pizza in town. GUEST: Steve Dolinsky, blogger, podcaster, and food critic for ABC 7 Chicago LEARN MORE: Pizza City USA: 101 Reasons Why Chicago Is America’s Greatest Pizza Town

A 14-year-old student at Oak Park and River Forest High School faces criminal charges after allegedly “air dropping” an image of a swastika to classmates’ iPhones last week. The incident was just the latest in a slew of anti-semitic and racist incidents to crop up in schools in Chicago. Morning Shift talks to Anthony Clark, a community activist and special education teacher at OPRF, about how the school plans to respond to this trend. Lonnie Nasatir, Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, also joins the conversation to talk about the factors driving this spike in racist incidents. 

Illinois has a new governor: Democrat J.B. Pritzker. His win was part of a blue wave that swept over Illinois this week. Democrats won every statewide seat, locked in a supermajority in the General Assembly, and picked up seats on both the Cook County Board, and in Congress—including in the 14th District, where political novice Lauren Underwood upset sitting Republican Congressman Randy Hultgren.  The 32-year-old Underwood is one of the winners making the next Congress younger, more diverse, and more female than ever before. What could all these wins by Dems  mean for local and state politics going forward? Morning Shift dives right in to all this and more during the Friday News Roundup. GUESTS: Mick Dumke, ProPublica Illinois reporter and columnist  Mary Mitchell, Sun-Times columnist  Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ political reporter LEARN MORE: [MIDTERMS] Midterm Coverage: Chicago Tribune, WBEZ, Sun-Times Kwame Raoul Gave Voters A Chance To Weigh Options (Sun-Times 11/6/18) Gov.-elect Pritzker Picks State Budget Team Led By Former Comptroller Dan Hynes (Chicago Tribune 11/8/18) Chicago Voters Weigh In On Straws, Pot, And Maybe Mayoral Term Limits (WBEZ 11/7/18) [OTHER POLITICS] WBEZ Sues Cook County For Commissioner’s Emails Regarding Political Fund (WBEZ 11/6/18) Senators Call For Resignation As Quincy Criminal Subpoena Surfaces (WBEZ 11/5/18)  [BUSINESS] Amazon Plans To Split HQ2 Between Long Island City, N.Y, And Arlington Va. (New York Times 11/5/18) Target Says South Side Stores Will Close, Despite City’s Push To Reconsider (Chicago Tribune 11/7/18)

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx talks about the changes she's made in the office since being elected two years ago today.

Morning Shift moved out of the friendly confines of WBEZ's Navy Pier studios this morning, and did our post-election special live in front of an audience at Robert Morris University in Chicago's Loop. We were joined by a wide array of guests, from Illinois' senior senator Dick Durbin to former chair of the Illinois Republican Party Pat Brady. Plus WBEZ political reporters Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney were on hand to add questions and offer analysis. 

Morning Shift talks with Rich Moskal, the outgoing Director of the Chicago Film Office, the government agency that helps to bring Hollywood to the streets of Chicago.

We answer questions from listeners about voting in Illinois.