In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

We spoke with Chicago's local Olympians Evan Jager, Kelsey Robinson and Kevin Cordes last week before they left for Brazil.  They discuss their road to Rio and what it will take to be successful for themselves, their teams, and their country.

Photo courtesy of erwinhelfer.com For decades Erwin Helfer has faithfully continued the tradition of the old blues masters.  Now he's an old master himself, but the 80-year-old Helfer shows no sign of slowing down.  The title of his new album, Last Call, is less about his musical output and more about his love for a glass of Crown Royal. We listen to Helfer play from his new record ahead of its September release.

Legendary TV producer Norman Lear is responsible for some of the most iconic shows on the small screen over the last 40 years -All in the Family, Good Times, The Jeffersons. And at 94, he’s not done yet. We speak with Lear and two filmmakers behind the new documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.

The music of Motown is so famous that many of the artists can simply go by one name. Think Stevie, Smokey, Michael, Marvin, Diana. But there’s plenty more soul from Detroit. In the latest edition of Reclaimed Soul, we look beyond Motown for a fuller picture of the Dee-troit sound of the 1960s.

What if you knew the most populated route for a late night walk? Or which areas to avoid during bad weather?  Chicago’s new project Array of Things is hoping to provide residents with that information and more. The urban sensing project was scheduled to launch this summer. We talk with Brenna Berman, commissioner of the Department of Innovation and Technology, about the type of data collected and what’s in store for the future of this project.

This political campaign season has been long, hard-charging and a little tiring. That’s why Morning Shift took a break of sorts with a more lighthearted take on the presidential race. At our live event “Campaigns, Conventions, and Comedy,” we talked with comedy writers about what it’s like to satirize Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and all of the shenanigans we’ve seen over the last year. Note: Contains explicit language -- and silly music from the masterful Abraham Levitan.

When you watch TV or movies, you’re paying attention to more than the plot and the actors. Now regular Chicagoans can have a slice of some TV sets and wardrobes. Some of the furniture featured is the work of designers Christopher Guy and is now on sale at Chicago Luxury Furniture Center, which is owned by Chicago native Jim Denos. Denos explains why the pieces are so unique, and why set designers seek them out.

In the world of popular culture, the advent of MTV was as big as man landing on the moon. So the fledgling cable channel adopted that “Neil Armstrong moment”, albeit with an MTV logo supplanting the stars and stripes on the flag. MTV made artists like Madonna into global superstars, took us from synth-pop to hair metal, and introduced hip-hop to millions via “Yo! MTV Raps”. Somewhere along the way, someone took the M out of MTV.  But as the network turns 35 this week, could a change be on the way?

Governor Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan have made public swipes at one another since the Governor was inaugurated. We speak with Illinois Public Radio's Amanda Vinicky and WBBM's Craig Dellimore about their rare interview with Speaker Madigan last week at the Democratic National Convention.

As many Chicago homeowners know all too well, today is the deadline for the second installment of their Cook County property taxes. And thanks to a record-breaking property tax increase put in effect by the Emanuel administration, some people are paying a lot more this time around.  Morning Shift talks to Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s Chicago Business, and Tom Shaer, Deputy Assessor for Communications in the Cook County Assessor’s Office about how property taxes are assessed, how the city’s property tax increase is affecting homeowners and when and how homeowners can file an appeal if they do not agree with the assessed value of their home.