In the Loop

House Democrats have ended their almost 26-hour-long sit-in to push for gun control legislation, pledging on Thursday afternoon to continue their fight once Congress returns from the July Fourth recess. Illinois Representative Robin Kelly joins us to give us her take.

Theaster Gates’s unique training as both an artist and urban planner have allowed him to see opportunities for redevelopment where it otherwise went unnoticed.  Gates has been behind the push to take buildings in Chicago’s Grand Crossing neighborhood and redevelop them into spaces where the neighborhood and culture convene. But he says redevelopment has to be done based on a set of values and driven by mission.  Morning Shift talks to Gates about ethical redevelopment.

This week, Ayana Contreras brings us another sampling of soulful summer songs. In what’s turned into an annual tradition, Ayana will dig deep for songs perfect for your next pool party or barbecue.

For the guys on the field, becoming a major leaguer is a dream come true. The same can be said for the man up in the booth behind the organ. Gary Pressy dreamed of playing the organ for a big-time ball club since he was five years old. His dream became a reality 30 years ago when he was hired to be Wrigley Field’s organist, and as of Wednesday, he’s been the organist for 2,383 consecutive games. He’s as excited about his job today as he was the day he got the call. WBEZ’s sports contributor Cheryl Raye Stout talked to Pressy about his long-time love of the Cubs and the many celebrities he’s accompanied on “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the famed 7th Inning Stretch.

After 8 years, Chicago’s-own Derrick Rose is leaving the Bulls. The team Wednesday traded its franchise player to the New York Knicks. WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout has been on the sidelines -- and in the training rooms -- for every step and misstep of Rose’s career and gives some insight into the trade.

New Zealand journalist David Farrier has built a career telling stories about the fun and wacky side of the news. So when he learned about competitive tickling competitions, he knew he’d found his next assignment.  What unfolded next revealed a dark world centered around power and money, and eventually he became a subject in his own story. He documents it all in Tickled, which screens this weekend at Music Box Theatre.  Morning Shift talks to Farrier about the aggressive harassment and threats he received that pushed him to dig deeper into the world of competitive tickling.

Hamilton is likely the most hyped about musical of all time. Or is it?  To put Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical into context, we talk to Broadway historian Peter Filichia about other landmark plays and how they stand the test of time.

In the book world, you have your publishing behemoths like HarperCollins, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster at one end of the spectrum and folks who self-publish their works on Amazon on the other end. It’s somewhere in the middle where you’ll find Curbside Splendor Publishing, an independent publishing house founded in 2009 in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood that puts out a few dozen fiction and nonfiction titles a year. including The Empty Bottle Chicago: 21+ Years of Music / Friendly / Dancing, which is out this month.  Morning Shift talks to Curbside editor-in-chief Naomi Huffman about the small press biz.

We reminisce with John Dugan, editor of The Empty Bottle Chicago: 21+ Years of Music / Friendly / Dancing, due out this month.

Morning Shift gets a glimpse at life, rebuilding and the meaning of community one year after tornadoes tore apart Coal City.