In the Loop

In Mexican culture the taco is the most basic of foods; take a tortilla, fill it with just about anything and you’ve got a meal. But what makes the perfect taco? Well, that answer is as varied as the fillings themselves.  Chicago Tribune reporter Nick Kindelsperger spent the month of May on a taco challenge. He was on the hunt for not only the best taco in Chicago but also the suburbs. His challenge also included trying to determine where to find the best al pastor taco, a pork filling that has Lebanese roots. Kindelsperger joins Morning Shift to share his findings.

It's becoming a very viable way to make a living, with colleges offering varsity scholarships to the more talented gamers and tournament prize pools at over a million dollars. Traditional sport outlets can no longer ignore it, with Turner Sports dedicating a three hour block on Friday nights to its own eLeague and ESPN launching an eSports web vertical.  We talk to Kurt Melcher, eSports coordinator at Robert Morris University, about the incredible rise of electronic sports.

The City of Chicago has settled a lawsuit brought by two CPD whistleblowers for $2 million. The trial would have compelled Mayor Rahm Emanuel to testify about remarks made before the City Council in December, in which he confirmed the existence of a “code of silence” in the CPD. WBEZ’s Patrick Smith joins us to discuss the settlement, the mayor, and what the future holds for his “code of silence” remarks.

After more than two years of construction Navy Pier is unveiling its new attractions. WBEZ’s Monica Eng reports on the $26.5 million Centennial ferris Wheel.

As the unofficial start to summer, Memorial Day weekend gives many of us our first chance to gather with friends and family and heat up the grill.  But who wants burgers that turn out like hockey pucks? Or dry, flavorless chicken? Dan Marguerite of Backyard Barbecue in Wilmette answers your questions from the basics to pro tips on the whole range of foods you can cook on the grill.

Season Six of the HBO drama Game of Thrones is only half over, but so far it has featured several major plot twists, including life-or-death moments for beloved characters.  When is it OK to talk about Jon Snow without whispering? Today, we debate “spoiler etiquette” when it comes to talking about addictive serialized dramas with friends, family and co-workers.  We talk with Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, co-hosts of the WBEZ podcast Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones With Peter Sagal. (Caution: This segment contains spoilers!)

When Mel Brooks released his film The Producers back in 1968, the satirical comedy was met with mixed reviews. It was only when he reimagined the film as a stage musical more than 30 years later that he struck gold. The story follows two men as they cook the books to cash in on a musical play about Adolf Hitler which was destined to be a flop. After previews in Chicago in early 2001, the musical went to Broadway where it was an instant hit. The original cast featured Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the main roles, and in recent years, the show has toured the country with different actors. The latest production here in town runs through June 26 at the Mercury Theater Chicago. Bill Larkin, Allison Sill and Matt Crowle, three actors in the current cast, join the Morning Shift to belt out some tunes. We also talk with director Walter Stearns.

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and sadly, in Chicago, it sometimes marks the start to an uptick in violence that comes with the warmer weather. Morning Shift talks to John Escalante, First Deputy Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, about what the department is doing to keep shootings and other criminal activity in check this upcoming weekend and beyond.

For our latest installment of What’s That Building, Morning Shift contributor and Crain’s Chicago Business real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin answers a few questions from WBEZ listeners. Special thanks to our friends at Curious City for sharing some of their building-related questions.

One major touchstone for Chicagoans when they talk about the history of East Garfield Park is the riots that took place there following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In some ways, the riots seem to have overshadowed other, brighter moments in the neighborhood’s past. So, what stories aren’t being told about the neighborhood and where it’s been? A new oral history project seeks to answer that question. The local social service agency Breakthrough has teamed up with the Chicago History Museum to record oral histories of longtime East Garfield Park residents. The interviewers are a group of local middle and high school students. Morning Shift talks about some of the stories the students have dug up with Peter Alter of the Chicago History Museum and Nakia Smith, a middle schooler at Beidler Elementary in East Garfield Park who is one the project’s oral historians.