In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

The mayor had a lot to say about violence in Chicago and what can be done to face it head on. But one thing he didn’t mention was the Chicago Police Department’s high rate of unsolved murders. In fact, the murder clearance rate is less than half of the national average. CPD blames witnesses in communities who won’t cooperate; residents blame the police’s lack of motivation to solve the crime. Journalist Alex Kotlowitz joins us to talk about why there are so many unsolved cases in Chicago and what can be done about it.

The percentage of “nones” -- people not affiliated or involved with any organized faith -- continues to grow in the U.S.  Writer Katherine Ozment is one of them, and was faced with 2 questions: What do I tell my kids when they ask “what are we?”, and how do I bring what I see as the most positive aspects of religion-a sense of service, community, and deeper meaning-into a non-religious house? She tackles both questions head on in her new book Grace Without God: The Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging in a Secular Age. Ozment joins us to talk about what she found during her research. And we’ll be taking your calls.

From Milwaukee to Philly, cities around the country are updating their old and aging water systems, getting rid of the lead pipes that can put so many residents at risk. So why isn’t Chicago?  Mayor Rahm Emanuel has budgeted more than $400 million to water-related projects in an effort to modernize Chicago’s water system, but none of that money will be going to replacing the antiquated lead pipes. The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne is in the studio to delve into Chicago’s lead problem.

In 2005, a woman attempted to commit suicide by crashing her car. She walked away, but three members of Chicago’s tight-knit indie rock scene were killed. Two musicians closest to the tragedy turned their mourning into music by forming a band. That band, Pamphleteers, is releasing their first full-length album The Ghost That Follows. We hear their story and their sounds on Morning Shift. 

A new study has found many Chicagoans living on the South and West sides are struggling financially, while many living Downtown and in many North Side communities are not. Teresa Cordova, director of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said there isn’t the same access to jobs in many South and West side neighborhoods. Cordova said she believes investing in these communities is necessary to reverse the economic inequality.

The homeless population in Chicago is at a 10-year-low, according to the mayor’s office. That sounds like things are improving, right? Well, not for some in Uptown where a local shelter is closing. Just two days before Christmas, the Shelter at the People’s Church will be shutting its doors to the 72 men that it serves. Richard Ducatenzeiler, executive director of Northside Housing and Supportive Services, talks with us about what options are out there for those who depend on the shelter, especially with the winter months not too far away.

According to Reclaimed Soul host Ayana Contreras, 1966 was a banner year for the genre. Contreras plays some deep cuts from that year and tells the stories behind them as we go back exactly one-half century and explore the sounds of ‘66 on another edition of Reclaimed Soul.

Actors and directors are usually the first roles people think of when it comes to live productions. But what about the mastermind? The writer behind the scenes creating and piecing together the plot, setting, and characters is where the magic begins. In this installment of Working Shift, we talk to David Rabe, a seasoned playwright about his writing process and what it's like to see his words come to life on stage.

You’ve got ’em, you use them, and you probably have a favorite: is it the winking smiley face? The high-five? Or maybe it’s the Vulcan salute ala Star Trek? Of course we’re talking about Emojis. They’ve become part of our lexicon, helping us express our thoughts without words, but recently, Rayouf Alhumedhi, a 15-year-old Saudi girl in Germany submitted a proposal to the Unicode Consortium that would increase the diversity of these little characters by adding an emoji that wears hijab. That got us thinking: Who decides what becomes an official emoji?

Talk about the kindness of strangers! Fidencio Sanchez and his wife are about to receive $385,000—donations sent by friends, neighbors, and complete strangers. The 89-year-old man from Little Village was retired until financial circumstances forced him to return to work selling Mexican popsicles, or paletas, from a cart. When his story went viral, so did the GoFundMe campaign seeking to help him. DNAInfo reporter Kelly Bauer tells us about his story and what’s been called the largest GoFundMe campaign in Illinois.