In the Loop

Next week, the National Committee on Pay Equity celebrates Equal Pay Day. It’s common knowledge that, on average, men make more than their female colleagues.So it’s probably no surprise that in a new survey of best places for women to work from Crain’s Chicago Business, respondents listed pay as the number one reason they leave a job. Flexibility and resources are also listed as reasons. We talk with Crain’s Cassie Walker Burke and Kate Benson the CEO of The Chicago Network about the study.about the findings.

There’s a long-held belief that the way to get materials back on time to a public library, you have to charge late fees. But libraries across the country are bucking that trend and doing away with overdue fines. We talk with Catherine Savage from the library to learn more about why they made the move, and how it’s affected library use.

Now in its tenth month, the state budget stalemate has lasted so long, it may have an effect on enrollment numbers for the Class of 2020 at universities in Illinois that rely on state funding. Some would-be students at schools like Western Illinois, Chicago State and even the University of Illinois are thinking twice about enrolling in colleges whose futures seem shakier than in years past. Morning Shift talks with Dawn Rhodes and Jodi Cohen of the Chicago Tribune about their report on how much parents and prospective students are thinking about the gridlock in Springfield as they prepare to choose a college or university. We also take calls from listeners with their thoughts.

EPA officials don’t usually become household names, but that’s exactly what happened with Miguel Del Toral, who many are hailing as a hero for his role in revealing dangerous levels of lead in the water in Flint, Michigan. Now Del Toral is bringing his message about water safety to Chicago. He’ll be in Pilsen Tuesday night at the invitation of P.E.R.R.O., the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, where he’ll take questions from community members concerned about the quality of their water.  We speak with P.E.R.R.O member Troy Hernandez about water issues in the area and why Del Toral’s visit is so important now.

Each year for more than a decade, the Third Coast International Audio Festival has asked established audio producers and newbies alike to create short audio documentaries around a specific theme. Last year, the curiosity of Studs Terkel was the prompt. This time around, Third Coast wants producers to use their microphones as cameras so to speak and to take inspiration from the mini-movies of Manual Cinema, a cinematic shadow puppet performance collective. We speak with Third Coast Executive Director and Founder Johanna Zorn about the annual contest known as the ShortDocs Challenge.  We speak with Third Coast Executive Director and Founder Johanna Zorn about the annual contest known as the ShortDocs Challenge.

Dr. Lonnie Smith is a master of the Hammond B3, an electric organ first featured in gospel music in the 1950s and later adopted by rock, R&B and jazz musicians. Known for his creative jazz, Smith has been called one of the forefathers of Acid jazz. But as his website says, “no genre is safe.” Smith has put his own spin on everything from the Beatles to the Stylistics to the Eurythmics to Beck. His new record is called Evolution. Morning Shift’s Tony Sarabia talks to Smith about his 50 years in jazz and hears a few tunes on the Hammond B3.

Chicago’s new Interim Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson rose steadily through the ranks for 27 years before being handpicked by Mayor Emanuel last week to lead the Chicago Police Department.His appointment to the position of top-cop-in-waiting comes at a tumultuous time for the CPD. Shootings and murders have skyrocketed in recent months. Arrests and street stops are down. And the city is still reeling from high-profile police-involved shootings that took the lives of Laquan McDonald and Quintonio LeGrier and led to the ouster of Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Morning Shift talks to Interim Police Superintendent Johnson about his plans to improve relations between communities and police, hold officers accountable for misconduct and reduce gang activity and crime. Listeners will also have a chance to ask Johnson questions live on the air.

The flowers are blooming and the bats are swinging. Last season the Cubs exceeded expectations when their hot young bats and Jake Arrieta’s pitching took them all the way to the NLCS. The White Sox made what they thought were key upgrades ahead of last season, but those moves didn’t pan out. Opening Day brings a lot of hope and a lot of questions. WBEZ’s Sports Contributor Cheryl Raye Stout looks at both teams, and we take calls from listeners about their opening day memories and traditions.

For the latest installment in our Working Shift series, we chat with a professional dog walker. After six years of drudgery as a debt collector, Jesus Perez started walking dogs with Urban Tailz.

Robyn Lynne Norris created 38 “fake” character profiles on OKCupid to try to find out if there’s really someone for everybody and turned the stories of what happened with those profiles into a play.