In the Loop

Drivers looking for affordable car insurance can do a number of things to keep rates down: keep an accident-free driving record, avoid speeding, and maintain good credit, to name a few. But one factor that you might not think of that could affect what you pay for car insurance? Your neighborhood. A recent investigation by Consumer Reports and ProPublica examined insurance premiums and payouts in California, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas, and found that some insurers were charging up to 30 percent more for coverage in predominantly minority neighborhoods compared to whiter neighborhoods with similar accident costs. Are car insurers charging drivers more based on race?

Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia sits down with State Rep. Sonya Harper to discuss what passing the bill would mean for food deserts in Chicago.

Steppenwolf Theater is presenting the world premiere of a new comedy by award-winning playwright Tracy Letts. Letts won a Pulitzer and a Tony in 2008 for his play August: Osage County. And in the meantime, he’s continued to practice his craft. His latest play, Linda Vista, tells the story of a middle-aged man who’s finally trying to grow up. Morning Shift talks to Letts and the play’s director Dexter Bullard about Linda Vista and the current moment in American theater.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning kicked off a series of panel discussions Thursday about our city’s future and what we need to prepare for 2050. The first conversation centered on how climate change will affect the region’s infrastructure and neighborhoods and what we need to do to not only survive but to thrive. It’s all part of CMAP’s development of ON TO 2050, a comprehensive plan for the region’s future.  Morning Shift talks to two people involved in the climate change panel. Michael Hawthorne is an investigative reporter with the Chicago Tribune where he focuses on environmental and public health issues. He was the panel’s moderator. Kristin Ihnchak is a principal planner at CMAP where she leads the organization’s climate planning efforts.

Steppenwolf Theater is presenting the world premiere of a new comedy by award-winning playwright Tracy Letts. Letts won a Pulitzer and a Tony in 2008 for his play August: Osage County. And in the meantime, he’s continued to practice his craft. His latest play, Linda Vista, tells the story of a middle-aged man who’s finally trying to grow up. Morning Shift talks to Letts and the play’s director Dexter Bullard about Linda Vista and the current moment in American theater.

Today on Morning Shift: A celebration of Mexican cuisine in Chicago with chef Rick Bayless. He’s traveled all around Mexico learning about that country’s rich food culture. And for the past 30 years, he’s been dishing out some of that food at his Frontera Grill. Audio available after show airs. Watch live on our Facebook Page.

Today on Morning Shift: A celebration of Mexican cuisine in Chicago with chef Rick Bayless. He’s traveled all around Mexico learning about that country’s rich food culture. And for the past 30 years, he’s been dishing out some of that food at his Frontera Grill. Audio available after show airs. Watch live on our Facebook Page.

Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis started to make a name for himself in 1950s Chicago and hit the big time in 1965 with his recording of the song “The In Crowd,” which earned him his first Grammy. For decades, he’s been a prolific musician and composer, with more than 80 albums and seven gold records to his name.

Voters in suburbs around Chicago cast their ballots in Tuesday's municipal elections, weighing in on everything from mayor to school board members. Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia talks to Kerry Lester, a columnist and senior writer at the Daily Herald, about the results in key races across the suburbs, including Palatine, where transgender rights dominated the local school board race, and Bolingbrook, where the normally sleepy race for mayor drew national attention after the incumbent held a fundraiser last year for Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis started to make a name for himself in 1950s Chicago and hit the big time in 1965 with his recording of the song “The In Crowd,” which earned him his first Grammy. For decades, he’s been a prolific musician and composer, with more than 80 albums and seven gold records to his name.