In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration says it’s working with aldermen to refine a police-oversight proposal. The final draft might leave out something crucial to many civil-rights groups. WBEZ's Chip Mitchell reports.

Hillary Clinton took a couple of sick days from the campaign trail, and everyone's still talking about it.  Even though she was diagnosed last Friday with pneumonia, the 68-year-old presidential candidate continued to campaign through the weekend, before nearly fainting at a 9/11 memorial. That got us wondering: How sick do you have to be before you tell your boss you’re not going to make it to work? 

Some nuns pray and live a quiet life. Other nuns lobby, fight and push for the types of social justice they deem fit, flying in the face of Catholic orthodoxy or hierarchy.  The new documentary Radical Grace concerns itself with that second group of religious women, who eschew the black and white habit and head out to work directly with the people.  Morning Shift talks with filmmaker Rebecca Parrish about the nuns who have pushed for what they believe in, including restorative justice and health care for all, bishops be damned. 

Southside resident Trishaun Coleman knows all too well what it feels like to lose a loved one to gun violence. The 21-year-old became known as a funeral singer after performing for several of her friends’ memorials.  But losing her boyfriend in 2012, and her cousin just this summer, pushed her to make a change. She ditched her dream of becoming a singer to pursue a career as a Chicago police officer.  We talk to Trishaun about the loss she’s endured and what she hopes to bring to the Chicago Police Department and her community

Getting a college education is expensive.  But for undocumented students, however, a college education can seem like the impossible. While most students in the US just have to choose which college to go to, even an undocumented young adult with dozens of acceptance letters has to face whether or not college is even an option, due to extremely limited financial aid options. Lisseth Perez and the Chicago Reporter’s Melissa Sanchez tell Perez’s story of one young undocumented student’s efforts to get a college education—a story that thousands of people across the country share.

When most of us close your eyes and picture a “classic” summer scene, we see sunlight, kids running through fields of wildflowers, and...butterflies. Unfortunately, we’ve seen fewer and fewer Monarch butterflies in the area recently, despite it being the state insect. Ann Holtrop from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Monarch expert Dr. Doug Taron of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum talk about the importance of the butterfly to our ecosystems and what the state can do to try to bring the species’ numbers back up.

When you think circus, you might think acrobats, trapeze artists, clowns. Maybe even bearded ladies.  Some of that's still around, but the contemporary circus features well-trained artists who perform choreographed moves through the air on silk ropes, balance on each other’s bodies and fly through the air from trampolines. In Chicago, circus artists can hone those skills and keep them sharp at Aloft Circus Arts, which now has a new location in Chicago’s Logan Square. The new space offers some of the necessary requirements such as high ceilings and good light--it’s an old church. Aloft Circus Arts founder and artist director Shayna Swanson gave us a tour (and even got Tony to conquer his fear of the trampoline.)

Yesterday, a group of protesters went to a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in the southwest suburbs and lined one side of the street while holding giant American flags, including one that said "America: Love it, live it or leave it."  Residents say that they think the protesters came to intimidate locals with their presence. It made us wonder: What has changed in 15 years? What is it like to be Muslim in America on 9/11, especially when one of the presidential candidates is calling for an ideological test for Muslims who want to immigrate to America, if not an outright ban? 

Eleven hundred residents of a public housing complex in East Chicago, Indiana are being forced to move because soil surrounding their homes is contaminated with lead. Some of the residents have lived in the West Calumet complex for decades. There’s fear among some of those moving, with the city providing little answers. Some also say the city could have handled the issue better since the lead issue is not a new one. In fact, it’s been around for years and years. Morning Shift talks to WBEZ’s Michael Puente, who’s been covering the issue, and Thomas Frank, an activist with Calumet Lives Matter, a group formed to assist residents of the town.

Ever give a nickname to the barista to write on your latte, because maybe people have a hard time pronouncing your name? Or have cringe-worthy memories of teachers just butchering your name in front of the entire class? The Morning Shift talks with journalist Tasbeeh Herwees to discuss the lasting impact mispronouncing children’s names has on their perceptions of culture and identity.