In the Loop

Morning Shift talks to State Senator Heather Steans about the proposed bill and answers listeners’ questions about marijuana in Illinois.

When the Chicago Housing Authority launched its ambitious Plan for Transformation in 2000, it started tearing down public housing complexes in earnest and offering residents a “right to return,” basically a right to end up back in public housing in a mixed-income community. According to a new WBEZ investigative report, 17 years and $3 billion later, less than eight percent of the households promised mixed-income housing actually got it. Morning Shift talks to WBEZ’s Natalie Moore about the report.

Introduced to Chess Records through his pal and fellow musician Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry’s collaboration with the record label would solidify his impact on music and his connection to Chicago. Morning Shift talks to Chicago Tribune music critic and Sound Opinions co-host Greg Kot about Chuck Berry’s ties to Chicago.

One out of every five gallons of freshwater on the planet comes from the five Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario and our own Lake Michigan. That makes them a precious resource, but we haven’t always treated them with the care they deserve. As a result, these vast inland seas face an array of ecological threats from invasive species to pollution to climate change, not to mention cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency that appear to be in the pipeline. So, what does the future hold for the Great Lakes? Morning Shift talks to Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter and author of the new book The Death And Life Of The Great Lakes, where he explores the past, present and future of the lakes and man’s influence on them.

According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Cook County has lost more people than any other county in the U.S. for the second year in a row. More than 21,000 residents have left Cook County in 2016, marking the largest decline of any county in the last 10 years. Though the decline is significant, it’s not too alarming -- the loss represents just a fraction (0.4 percent) of the county’s more than 5 million residents. The rate of decline is also consistent with other cities in the Midwest region, including Cleveland and Milwaukee. WBEZ’s Chris Hagan joins the Morning Shift to break down the numbers of who is leaving and where they’re going.According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Cook County has lost more people than any other county in the U.S. for the second year in a row. More than 21,000 residents have left Cook County in 2016, marking the largest decline of any county in the last 10 years. Though the decline is significant, it’s not too alarming -- the loss represents just a fraction (0.4 percent) of the county’s more than 5 million residents. The rate of decline is also consistent with other cities in the Midwest region, including Cleveland and Milwaukee. WBEZ’s Chris Hagan joins the Morning Shift to break down the numbers of who is leaving and where they’re going.

Fifteen years ago, the Sinai Urban Health Institute released a report comparing health disparities in different Chicago neighborhoods. Now SUHI is out with its latest survey on health and well-being, which covers nine neighborhoods on the Northwest, West and Southwest sides. The participants in the survey answered some 500 questions about everything from mental health to smoking to their interaction with the criminal justice system. The answers provide a micro-level view of health outcomes and factors that could be missed or overlooked in the city-wide data that’s available. Morning Shift talks to Jana Hirschtick, an epidemiologist with the Sinai Urban Health Institute who was one of the principal investigators in the research.

Written Inside is a new WBEZ podcast about what life is like for those incarcerated inside a maximum-security prison. Inmates at the Stateville Correctional Center about 35 miles outside of Chicago wrote essays about their experiences living in small cells for long stretches. Each inmate’s story was voiced by a Chicago actor.  Northwestern philosophy professor Jennifer Lackey and guest lecturer Alex Kotlowitz, a journalist who also helped launch the podcast, taught a mass incarceration class at Stateville. Morning Shift’s Jenn White sat down with Lackey and Kotlowitz to learn more about the project.

Morning Shift talks with two law professors from the University of Chicago Law School. William Baude is the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Law at the school. He clerked for Chief Judge John Roberts on the Supreme Court. Dan Hemel is also an Assistant Professor of law at the University of Chicago. He clerked for Assistant Justice Elena Kagan.

NPR auto reporter Sonari Glinton talks about what would happen if the Obama-era rules went out the window, and if it’s even possible to roll many of them back.

Morning Shift talks to WTTW's Urban Nature producer Dan Protess about the benefits and drawbacks to living in big cities if you’re an animal.