In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

What are the changes we’ll see in 2017 from the Affordable Care Act? 

Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli is calling for lawmakers to end monetary bonds in Illinois.Campanelli says the Illinois legislature should pass a law that only gives judges two choices: let the defendant go, or lock him up with no chance of getting out before trial. One state lawmaker said he would support such a change, but he doesn’t think many other legislators would be willing to vote for something that made them look “soft” on crime. We talk to Campanelli of how this practice would work in Cook County, and how it works in other parts of the country.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that dog is man’s best friend. But how much do you know about your BFF? Would it be surprising to learn that your dog probably knows more about you than you know about yourself? With hundreds of millions of olfactory receptor cells, your dog learns everything he needs to know through one sniff of his nose. Alexandra Horowitz, researcher in dog cognition and author of Being a Dog, takes us into the overlooked world of smell and the mind of a dog.

Five buildings to avoid (or seek out) this Halloween.

Cubs fans are known for their devotion to the team, no matter what heartbreaking pitches are thrown at them. But there are few fans as devoted as Carol Haddon of Glencoe, one of the longest season-ticket holders at Wrigley.  For 45 years, she’s had a pair of dedicated seats at the Friendly Confines.

One referendum on the ballot suggests consolidating county offices. If it garners the votes, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds would be abolished. That’s office’s duties would transfer to the Cook County Clerk’s Office. To be more informed about your vote, we get a quick explainer about what each office does. Chicago Tribune political reporter Hal Dardick covers the County and he has the answers. 

The band Tangleweed has been around for more than a decade, and over that time, their music has evolved. Heavily influenced by traditional American music, they’ve played bluegrass, old-timey, and jazz.  Several years ago, guitarist Scott Judd had a life-changing experience in the Sahara desert where he played with and learned from West African musicians. Now the “desert blues” is part of the band’s repertoire. They stopped by the Morning Shift to talk and play ahead of a CD release show at the Old Town School of Folk Music this Friday.

For months, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk said he would write-in former CIA Director David Petraeus for president. This week, Kirk backed off that stance during an interview on WBEZ's Morning Shift. Kirk remains in a tight race with U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth in his bid for reelection.

We speak to Hal Weitzman, the Chicago Booth Review's editor-in-chief, about the quarterly publication's December cover story. It’s called "Advice for the Next President: Fifteen of America’s Top Thinkers Offer Their Ideas For How America Can Grow Faster, Stay Safer and Work Better."

Nico Deportago-Cabrera is no stranger to the streets of Chicago. The bike messenger, and Logan Square resident has spent the last eight years clocking insane travel times around the city: 30 minutes from downtown to Evanston, 18 minutes from the Willis Tower to Wrigley Field. He’s even been named the fastest bike messenger on the continent.  In the latest installment in our Working Shift series, we talk to Deportago-Cabrera about why he became a bike messenger, his record times, the Chicago biking scene and more.