In the Loop

It was a busy meeting for the Chicago City Council on Wednesday. Aldermen discussed everything from street performers to violence prevention to food carts, with the council voting to reduce fees for vendors. The most heated debate came on the topic of property taxes. Many Chicagoans did not claim their property tax rebates last year, leaving the city to decide how to spend $14.7 million in funds. And there were a lot of ideas on what to do with that money. WBEZ city politics reporter Lauren Chooljian was at the meeting and joins the Morning Shift for an update.

The beginning of the New Year is often the ideal time for people to start making changes in their lives by setting resolutions. The first two weeks start off well, but around February research has shown half of those people have not achieved their resolutions. So how do we stick to our goals beyond the first couple weeks? Morning Shift talks to Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science Hal Weitzman about setting realistic goals and successful motivational tips to complete any goals.

For the first 100 days of the Trump administration, WNYC Radio is producing a national call-in show called Indivisible that’s airing on public radio stations across the country, including WBEZ. The host on Wednesday nights is Charlie Sykes, a long time voice on conservative radio who calls himself a “contrarian conservative.” He is anti-Trump and worried about the direction the country and his Republican party are headed. Morning Shift spoke with Sykes about what he’s hoping to accomplish with the program and his take on the current state of American discourse.

The good news: The forecast indicates it could be a 70 degree Wednesday in Chicago in February.  The bad news: The forecast indicates it could be a 70 degree Wednesday in Chicago in February. We speak with Jon Davis, chief meteorologist for Riskpulse, about the temperature shift. We also take listener calls to gauge their reaction to the weather.

 A memorandum from President Trump last month helped restart construction on the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. And while you may know that the project starts in North Dakota, did you know that this 1,172-mile pipeline ends in Illinois? WBEZ’s Monica Eng recently took on a question from a listener about what exactly Illinois’ role has been in the pipeline. She’s here now to talk to us about what she found.

Since the inception of the NCAA basketball tournament in 1939, the Northwestern men’s team has never received an invitation. Not once. But after a strong season last year and a stronger start this year, the Wildcats are hoping it’s finally their time to play on college basketball’s biggest stage. Last week, WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout sat down with Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips to discuss the basketball program’s recent success -- and its chances.

Morning Shift talks to Saunders about the debut novel he’s published at the age of 58 as well as his take on the Trump administration and how it came to be. 

Bird of An Iron Feather was popular with critics and viewers but it only lasted one season. Critic and Chicago cultural historian Lee Bey is putting the show back on the radar. He joins us to tell us more about the show’s history and why it resonates today.

Four years ago, the world was introduced to a special new voice. Valerie June busted out of her native Tennessee in a huge way, knocking people out with her unique brand of music that incorporates soul and country, folk and blues, R&B and spirituals. Her upcoming album The Order Of Time explores just that -- the one constant in life, the one thing humans can’t stop, the one thing that heals all wounds. June joins us to talk about the new album and her life in music ahead of her show at Chicago’s Park West.

Morning Shift talks to Reuters reporter Dave McKinney, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times, about Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s backstory and his important role in some of the most significant decisions in Illinois state history, including how the state deals with pensions. His recent deep dive on Madigan and his influence is called The Man Behind The Fiscal Fiasco In Illinois.