In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

The baseball season is officially upon us and one person keeping a close eye on all Cubs games is NPR’s Scott Simon, host of Weekend Edition Saturday.  Morning Shift talks to Simon about how his fandom developed and intensified over decades. His new book, My Cubs: A Love Story, comes out April 11.

Valerie Jarrett is one of Barack and Michelle Obama’s closest confidantes. She’s sticking close by their side, as she’s expected to play a key role at the Obama Foundation. Jarrett stopped by WBEZ to talk with Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia about her life during the Obama administration, Supreme court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch, the Obama Presidential Center and more.

Morning Shift talks to WBEZ Education reporter Linda Lutton about how the locker room in a Palatine high school became a battleground in the national fight over transgender rights.

Morning Shift talks to Antigone Sharris, Instructor for Triton College’s Engineering Technology Department about the school’s efforts to train students for specialty jobs and problem-solving while working with machines.

This week Congress voted to roll back internet privacy regulations passed by the Obama administration that would have taken effect later this year. If the bill is signed by the president it would preserve the status quo, which allows internet service providers (ISPs) to sell their customers data to advertisers. Although ISPs are currently allowed to sell this information most are choosing not to but, the bill could open the door for ISPs to sell consumer information in the future. Morning Shift talks with Jon Brodkin, senior IT reporter for Ars Technica, about the rollback on privacy rules and how consumers can protect themselves. 

On the Far Northwest Side, rising out of a landscape of strip malls and suburban homes, stands a structure that truly makes you wonder: what’s that building? It's a church that was the centerpiece of a 1950s plan to move Chicago’s Ukrainian community to the Far Northwest Side. Morning Shift talks to Crain's Chicago Business real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin and WBEZ's Julian Hayda, whose father was a pastor at St. Joseph the Betrothed church. 

Many comedy fans saw Dave Chappelle’s two-show special on Netflix as a comeback. Did he deliver and meet expectations? Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia talked to Lisa Beasley, a comedian with Second City, and Tim Barnes, host of the comedy podcast It's All True.

Morning Shift talks to State Senator Don Harmon, the sponsor of SB 1657 “The Gun Dealer Licensing Act,” and Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, for their takes on statewide licensing of gun sellers. 

Morning Shift talks to Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, about the various pieces of public sculpture and art that could be on the chopping block.

Morning Shift talks with the president of the new Chicago blues museum, Terry Stewart, about its opening, what visitors can expect, and community outreach.