In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

WBEZ’s Sarah Karp uncovered that the Chicago Public Schools screening process for teachers discriminated against black candidates and helped explain why the number of black teachers in the district has dwindled in recent years. Morning Shift talks with two guests about what it’s like to be a black teacher today, and what districts like CPS can do to encourage and inspire that talent. Acasia Wilson Feinberg is executive director of Educators 4 Excellence Chicago, a teacher-led education policy organization. Aaron Talley is a public school teacher on Chicago’s far south side, who has penned a yet-to-be-published op-ed entitled “How can CPS nurture the type of school leadership that will retain teachers of color?” 

After months of protesting, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its supporters celebrated as the Obama Administration blocked construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on land held to be sacred by many Native Americans. The victory could be short-lived, as President-elect Trump recently said he supported the pipeline’s planned route. Morning Shift talks to Les Begaye, chairman of Chicago’s American Indian Center, on what the stand-off and victory mean for Native Americans in our area and across the country.

Writers, musicians, politicians, and even radio hosts are the types of guests you’ll find on the Portland-based variety show Live Wire Radio. Together with host Luke Burbank, and a live audience, the show has discussions on stage with a wide variety of creatives all in an effort to spark conversation and preserve the art of theater.  Live Wire Radio comes to Chicago for the first time Friday to tape with a special guest: our very own Jennifer White! Morning Shift sits down with Burbank to talk about Live Wire Radio and tonight’s show at Lincoln Hall.

As President-Elect Trump continues to fill out his cabinet and other important positions for his upcoming administration, those choices are under the microscope for a number of key reasons. Tevi Troy is a presidential historian, was a key member of President George W. Bush’s domestic policy team, and worked on the Romney transition team 4 years ago. Troy talks about what it’s like inside a presidential transition and compares what he’s seeing now to transitions of the past. 

Let’s talk about this huge energy bill that passed Thursday on the final day of the session. Democrats and Republicans actually came together for once in Springfield on this one. What’s in the bill, and why did both side get on board? Do we know how much extra ratepayers will have to fork over? WBEZ's Tony Arnold breaks it down.

More than 68,000 Illinois residents have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act since open enrollment started on November 1. That’s up from the same period last year despite the fact that Illinoisans have fewer plans to choose from this time around and that on average, premiums have increased. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Georgia Congressman Tom Price, a staunch critic of Obamacare, as his Health and Human Services Secretary, a strong signal that he wants to pursue his plan to dismantle the ACA.  Morning Shift talks to current Health and Human Services secretary Sylvia Burwell about ACA enrollment in Illinois and what the future may hold for one of President Obama’s biggest achievements.

Chicago’s winter overnight parking ban goes into effect December 1. For the next four months, cars can be towed if they are parked on certain main thoroughfares between 3 and 7 a.m. The practice has been in effect for 36 years, but new reporting and data analysis from WBEZ shows some major flaws with the program. For one thing, cars are more likely to be towed on days when it does not snow.  Huh?  In addition, the city has had no problem plowing the streets during major snowstorms that have fallen outside of the four-month period. Morning Shift talks to WBEZ digital producer and reporter Chris Hagan about the parking ban and its flaws.

Compared to our fellow Americans in Birmingham, Brooklyn, Boston, or even Bakersfield, we don’t have accents, right?  We’re Midwesterners. Like the geography, our speech patterns are pretty flat. Or are they? Writer Edward McClelland dives deep into the origins of our accents in the new book How To Speak Midwestern.

The first message that Ohio State students and staff received during Monday’s campus attack was simple: Run, Hide, Fight. That mantra is a security protocol developed in part by the Department of Homeland Security to help people deal with active shooter situations. It’s now used in schools and workplaces across the country despite criticism that it oversimplifies the reality of shootings.  Morning Shift talks with Matthew Doherty, Senior Vice President of Security Risk Management at Chicago-based security consulting firm Hillard Heintze, about Run, Hide, Fight, its possible pitfalls and how you should deal with an active shooter situation.

With the stopgap spending plan that’s keeping Illinois afloat set to expire at the end of the year, Illinois’s Republican governor Bruce Rauner is whittling down his wish list from 44 items to just five. Morning Shift talks to Chicago Tribune Statehouse Bureau reporter Monique Garcia about what’s on the list and which priorities Rauner is leaving by the wayside.