In the Loop

Chicago’s winter overnight parking ban goes into effect December 1. For the next four months, cars can be towed if they are parked on certain main thoroughfares between 3 and 7 a.m. The practice has been in effect for 36 years, but new reporting and data analysis from WBEZ shows some major flaws with the program. For one thing, cars are more likely to be towed on days when it does not snow.  Huh?  In addition, the city has had no problem plowing the streets during major snowstorms that have fallen outside of the four-month period. Morning Shift talks to WBEZ digital producer and reporter Chris Hagan about the parking ban and its flaws.

Compared to our fellow Americans in Birmingham, Brooklyn, Boston, or even Bakersfield, we don’t have accents, right?  We’re Midwesterners. Like the geography, our speech patterns are pretty flat. Or are they? Writer Edward McClelland dives deep into the origins of our accents in the new book How To Speak Midwestern.

The first message that Ohio State students and staff received during Monday’s campus attack was simple: Run, Hide, Fight. That mantra is a security protocol developed in part by the Department of Homeland Security to help people deal with active shooter situations. It’s now used in schools and workplaces across the country despite criticism that it oversimplifies the reality of shootings.  Morning Shift talks with Matthew Doherty, Senior Vice President of Security Risk Management at Chicago-based security consulting firm Hillard Heintze, about Run, Hide, Fight, its possible pitfalls and how you should deal with an active shooter situation.

With the stopgap spending plan that’s keeping Illinois afloat set to expire at the end of the year, Illinois’s Republican governor Bruce Rauner is whittling down his wish list from 44 items to just five. Morning Shift talks to Chicago Tribune Statehouse Bureau reporter Monique Garcia about what’s on the list and which priorities Rauner is leaving by the wayside. 

Ever since Donald Trump won the election earlier this month, many of the marginalized groups he targeted during his campaign have wondered what his presidency will mean for them. One group, in particular, is using this time to organize. The Council of American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says it’s beefing up its legal team, promoting self-defense classes and encouraging Muslim Americans to learn their rights in the face of a Trump presidency. During his campaign, Trump vowed to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, promised to spy on mosques and said he would consider requiring a Muslim registry in America. More recently, his stance on these issues has blurred a bit, but many Muslim Americans are still preparing for the worst.  Morning Shift talks to Hoda Katebi, communications director of CAIR-Chicago, about how she and her organization are preparing for the next four years.  

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday took to Twitter to condemn people who burn the American flag, an issue that hasn't been in the spotlight of national politics for some time. In 140 characters or less, Trump has used Twitter to rally supporters or enrage critics, making headlines along the way. During the weekend, Trump used Twitter to claim millions of people voted illegally but offered no evidence. So what should the media do when covering an incoming president who wields a Twitter account that generates some controversy? To help answer that question and more, Morning Shift talks to NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik.

What do fast food cooks, baggage handlers, Uber drivers and hospital workers have in common? They’re all protesting for higher wages Tuesday in Chicago as part of the nationwide Fight for $15 campaign. The action kicks off in the early morning at a McDonald’s in West Town before moving to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in River North and finally to O’Hare International Airport where hundreds of baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, janitors, wheelchair attendants and other airport workers will strike in favor of a $15 an hour wage and union rights.  Morning Shift talks to SEIU president Mary Kay Henry about Tuesday’s strike, the impact of the four-year-old Fight for $15 movement and the future of the labor movement under a Donald J. Trump administration. 

Critics of identity politics says it distracts from a broader conversation to voters; proponents say identity politics are civil rights. As Democrats look to the future, who will they attempt to appeal to? Morning Shift talks to Slate columnist Michelle Goldberg on why she thinks the Democratic Party shouldn’t be so quick to turn away from identity politics.

Fans of the hit series Gilmore Girls most likely spent their Thanksgiving weekend binge-watching their favorite show and reconnecting with Lorelai and Rory. Thanks to Netflix, the series got a reboot after nine years of being off the air. From 200 Luke’s Diner pop-ups around the country to viewers dressing up as their favorite characters, the show’s fandom is strong and, in fact, is what made the showrunners confident in reviving the Stars Hollow world with a four-part series released last Friday on Netflix. Speaking of fans, the Morning Shift talks to Kevin Porter, ultimate fan of the series and host of the podcast Gilmore Guys. 

We speak with WBEZ Northwest Indiana reporter Michael Puente and vice presidential historian Joel Goldstein, author of The White House Vice Presidency: The Path To Significance, Mondale to Biden, about what could be in store for Mike Pence when he returns to Washington as Vice President.