In the Loop

How do you know if your anxiety-linked habits are compulsive? And what can be done about it? Morning Shift talks to Sharon Begley, senior science writer for the Boston Globe and author of Can’t Just Stop: An Investigation of Compulsions, as she breaks down the neuroscience behind OCD and why it's more common than ever.

During the high pressure 2016 presidential election, we watched as rallies went from name calling into something more dangerous: physical violence. This sense of unrest and uncertainty got us thinking: what does fear to do the body?

One hundred years after the birth of Gwendolyn Brooks, Sandra Jackson-Opuku and Quraysh Ali Lansana have put together a collection of essays, poetry and artwork inspired by the Chicago poet.  The two co-editors are also both poets-- Jackson Opoku also writes novels and Lansana is a faculty member of the writing program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They join Morning Shift to talk about the book and how Brooks influenced their own lives.

Morning Shift checks in with WBEZ reporter Michael Puente about the latest from the Indiana Statehouse.

Beth Kobliner, author of the new book Make Your Kid a Money Genius, stops by the Morning Shift to share her tips on giving kids their best chance to be financial experts for life.

You’ve probably heard that this week the Chicago Auto Show but did you know that just a few blocks west of the convention center sits what was once the heart of Chicago car culture? 

Unbroken Glass starts a weeklong run at the Gene Siskel Film Center on February 17. Morning Shift talks to Dinesh Sabu about his documentary.

The long-running war over education funding between the Rauner administration and the Chicago Public Schools ramped up Tuesday afternoon when the Chicago School Board, acting on behalf of CPS families, sued the Republican governor, alleging the state’s system of funding teacher pensions is discriminatory. The suit hinges on the fact that CPS makes up roughly 20 percent of the state’s school children but only receives 15 percent of the state’s education funding. In a statement, the Rauner administration said it was still reviewing the lawsuit. Morning Shift talks to Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool about the state of school funding in Illinois and takes calls from listeners.

Governor Bruce Rauner delivers his third budget address Wednesday in Springfield. Rauner and legislators have not agreed on a budget since he’s been in office, based on his pledge that he wouldn’t sign an unbalanced budget. But as Senate leaders try to hash out a compromise, Rauner hasn’t been at the table. WBEZ Statehouse reporter Tony Arnold has some background on main points of contention, and what we can expect to hear Wednesday afternoon.

In 2014, Chicago approved a plan to increase the minimum wage from $10 to $10.50 per hour, despite this ordinance being in effect thousands of workers have not received their increase. According to an investigation by The Chicago Reporter the city has only investigated a minimal amount of the 454 wage complaints and recovered lost pay for only a few dozen employees. The investigation also estimates that thousands of workers have been left behind because of exceptions in the law including 1,300 crossing guards.