In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

On Nov. 8, voters are expected to cast a “yes” or “no” vote for judges seeking retention in their county. But what do you know about county judges? And why do we vote for them at all? President of the Chicago Bar Association Daniel Kotin joins the Morning Shift to break down everything voters need to know about the judicial election before casting their ballot on Tuesday.

What image pops into your head when you think of architecture in Chicago? Chances are it’s of buildings’ exteriors--impossibly tall skyscrapers with countless windows.  Chicago is famous the world over for its architecture but what about the interiors? Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “the space within becomes the reality of the building.” It was with this view that author Patrick Cannon and photographer James Caulfield went about creating the book The Space Within: Inside Great Chicago Buildings, a visual tour of the city’s most stunning interiors in private, public, commercial, and religious structures. 

The Chicago Transportation Authority announced this fall that it will expand the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street, a move that will bring train transit to tens of thousands of Chicago residents for the first time. The build-out is estimated to take 10 years to complete and cost $2.3 billion.  Morning Shift talks to LaRisa Lynch, a journalist covering transportation, jobs and the economy for the Chicago Reporter, about Tuesday night’s public hearing on the project, which was held in Roseland on the far South Side. 

The open enrollment period for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act starts today and runs through the end of January. Morning Shift talks to Kathleen Falk, regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about what Illinois residents need to know about the sign-up process, rates, coverage and more. 

In just one week people across the nation will cast their votes for everything from President of the United States to county officials. Morning Shift talks with the people behind Ballot Ready about their site and what will be on Illinois ballots on Election Day.

During the Cubs’ run to the World Series, you’ve probably noticed your friends, family or co-workers displaying some unusual behavior: wearing the same article of clothing for every game, watching the games from the same chair or with the same people. It’s called superstition. And maybe you're the one showing signs of strangeness!  Susan Whitbourne, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studies superstition and the psychology of sports fans, and she tells us why we do what we do, and if there’s any method to our madness.

The Cubs avoided elimination with a 3-2 win Sunday over the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who trail three games to two, will turn to starting pitcher Jake Arrieta for Game 6 Tuesday in Cleveland. WBEZ sports contributor Cheryl Raye-Stout joined Morning Shift to explain what it will take for the Cubs to win their first World Series since 1908.

Morning Shift talks the director and producer of Frontline's "The Choice: 2016," a documentary airing on PBS that dives into the personal stories of Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, providing insights into what motivates them. 

'Morning Shift' tests reporters Lauren Chooljian and Tony Arnold to see if they can guess a costume after receiving a short description.

If there’s one thing that defines Chicago Cubs fans, it’s that Cubs fans do not give up. At least that was the motto for one Cubs family, taught to them by their grandfather. WBEZ reporter Sarah Karp’s Grandpa Earl loved the Chicago Cubs. So much so, that when he passed away in 2006, he left firm instructions that his ashes be scattered at Wrigley Field at the moment the Cubs ever win the World Series. Sarah Karp charts the Cubs fandom through her family to its roots in the first Daley administration.  Audio available after show airs.