In the Loop

As of Jan. 1, more than 200 new laws took effect in Illinois. They include everything from a politically controversial abortion bill to the designation of a new state holiday dedicated to former President Barack Obama.  Which will most likely affect you? For a round-up of what to know, Morning Shift turns to WTTW correspondent Amanda Vinicky.

Over the next two-plus months, Morning Shift will sit down with all 10 candidates who want to replace Lisa Madigan as Illinois Attorney General to hear about their backgrounds, their platforms and their aspirations for the office.  Today, Morning Shift talks to Aaron Goldstein about why he thinks he should be the next Attorney General for the state of Illinois.

Over the next two-plus months, Morning Shift will sit down with all 10 candidates who want to replace Lisa Madigan as Illinois Attorney General to hear about their backgrounds, their platforms and their aspirations for the office.  Today, Morning Shift talks to Aaron Goldstein about why he thinks he should be the next Attorney General for the state of Illinois.

“Artists are finally writing good protest music again,” Vocalo Morning Amp co-host Jill Hopkins told Morning Shift. Hopkins joined music critics Althea Legaspi and Jim Kopeny to discuss the year in music and their favorite songs, including the following: Kendrick Lamar - “Humble”Carly Rae Jepsen - “Cut to the Feeling”Fever Ray - “To The Moon And Back”Queens of the Stone Age - “Domesticated Animals”SZA - “Normal Girl”Taylor Swift - “Getaway Car”  Read more from the conversation here.

“Artists are finally writing good protest music again,” Vocalo Morning Amp co-host Jill Hopkins told Morning Shift. Hopkins joined music critics Althea Legaspi and Jim Kopeny to discuss the year in music and their favorite songs, including the following: Kendrick Lamar - “Humble”Carly Rae Jepsen - “Cut to the Feeling”Fever Ray - “To The Moon And Back”Queens of the Stone Age - “Domesticated Animals”SZA - “Normal Girl”Taylor Swift - “Getaway Car”  Read more from the conversation here.

Although improv comedy methods vary in locations across the country and the world, the idea of people standing up on a stage and making something out of nothing started right here in the Windy City.  Sam Wasson is the author of Improv Nation: How We Made A Great American Art, and joins the Morning Shift to talk about the wide-ranging impact of improv and how it got its start in Chicago’s Hull House.

Although improv comedy methods vary in locations across the country and the world, the idea of people standing up on a stage and making something out of nothing started right here in the Windy City.  Sam Wasson is the author of Improv Nation: How We Made A Great American Art, and joins the Morning Shift to talk about the wide-ranging impact of improv and how it got its start in Chicago’s Hull House.

Author Danny Wallace says that rudeness is like a virus — once you’re exposed, you’re more likely to pass it on. In his new book, F You Very Much: Understanding the Culture of Rudeness — and What We Can Do About It, Wallace identifies the virus, brings it into the sunlight, then helps us seek solutions to curb the surrounding rudeness. 

Author Danny Wallace says that rudeness is like a virus — once you’re exposed, you’re more likely to pass it on. In his new book, F You Very Much: Understanding the Culture of Rudeness — and What We Can Do About It, Wallace identifies the virus, brings it into the sunlight, then helps us seek solutions to curb the surrounding rudeness. 

The Trump administration has named the former head of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources as the new administrator in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s office in Chicago, which oversees air and water pollution and more in six of the states that border the Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.