In the Loop

Morning Shift speaks with journalist Dan Epstein, an uber Cubs fan and author of several baseball books, including Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s and Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of '76. 

Morning Shift asks Cubs fans: What was your favorite moment from the 2016 season or post-season? How are you celebrating with friends and family?

When Theo Epstein came in as Cubs president in 2011, he said he had a plan for rebuilding this team. Now the city is reaping the benefits. Morning Shift speaks with Steven Goldman, columnist for Vice Sports and Today's Knuckleball, for a deeper dive into the Epstein era.

The Chicago Cubs came out with a lot of energy and big bats Tuesday night to beat the Cleveland Indians 9-3 and force a Game 7 in the World Series.  Morning Shift recaps the highlights and takes a look at what’s likely to be a pitcher’s duel Wednesday night with WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye Stout. We also speak with Crain’s Chicago Business sports business reporter Danny Ecker, a lifelong Indians fan. 

On Nov. 8, voters are expected to cast a “yes” or “no” vote for judges seeking retention in their county. But what do you know about county judges? And why do we vote for them at all? President of the Chicago Bar Association Daniel Kotin joins the Morning Shift to break down everything voters need to know about the judicial election before casting their ballot on Tuesday.

What image pops into your head when you think of architecture in Chicago? Chances are it’s of buildings’ exteriors--impossibly tall skyscrapers with countless windows.  Chicago is famous the world over for its architecture but what about the interiors? Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “the space within becomes the reality of the building.” It was with this view that author Patrick Cannon and photographer James Caulfield went about creating the book The Space Within: Inside Great Chicago Buildings, a visual tour of the city’s most stunning interiors in private, public, commercial, and religious structures. 

The Chicago Transportation Authority announced this fall that it will expand the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street, a move that will bring train transit to tens of thousands of Chicago residents for the first time. The build-out is estimated to take 10 years to complete and cost $2.3 billion.  Morning Shift talks to LaRisa Lynch, a journalist covering transportation, jobs and the economy for the Chicago Reporter, about Tuesday night’s public hearing on the project, which was held in Roseland on the far South Side. 

During the Cubs’ run to the World Series, you’ve probably noticed your friends, family or co-workers displaying some unusual behavior: wearing the same article of clothing for every game, watching the games from the same chair or with the same people. It’s called superstition. And maybe you're the one showing signs of strangeness!  Susan Whitbourne, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studies superstition and the psychology of sports fans, and she tells us why we do what we do, and if there’s any method to our madness.

The open enrollment period for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act starts today and runs through the end of January. Morning Shift talks to Kathleen Falk, regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about what Illinois residents need to know about the sign-up process, rates, coverage and more. 

In just one week people across the nation will cast their votes for everything from President of the United States to county officials. Morning Shift talks with the people behind Ballot Ready about their site and what will be on Illinois ballots on Election Day.