In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

​Morning Shift talks to education writer Paul Tough about his new book Helping Children Succeed, where he uses the latest neuroscience and research to explain how kids can do well in school and life.

Earlier this week, designers, architects, furniture makers and other forces of the design world came to Chicago from all over the globe to the Merchandise Mart for this year's NeoCon. The tradeshow and conference aims to present new and effective ways to use the space around us. And one space where we spend a lot of time is the office. We talk to Shawn Green from Wisconsin-based designer firm KI about some of the ways the workplace looks different from past decades, and how the best ideas and decisions are not happening in conference rooms, but around the water cooler.

Plenty of families will be making their dads meals this Father's day, but at 27 locations around the country fathers will be cooking for their families and communities as part of the Real Men Cook celebration. The goal, aside from sharing some delicious food, is to show the positive side of urban families. Morning Shift talks to Yvette Moyo, one of the founders of the celebration, and Rael Jackson, president of Real Men Cook.

For some reason, dads, by their very nature, seem to be uncool. No matter what they do or how hard they try, they consistently fail the “coolness test” in the eyes of their kids.  Sometimes, though, dads manage to do something that makes them stand out, something you might even call “cool.”  In honor of Father’s Day, Morning Shift celebrates the “coolest” thing your dad has ever done and getting tips from real dads on trying and sometimes failing to be cool.

Everyone gets angry, but what allows some people to keep their anger in check while others seem to fly off the handle early and often?  We  talk with Chicago-based psychotherapist Dr. Bernard Golden, author of the new book Overcoming Destructive Anger: Strategies That Work.

A bill headed to Governor Bruce Rauner’s desk could inject some much-needed life into Illinois’ medical marijuana pilot program, which has been slow to get off the ground since it was first announced a few years ago. The legislation, which the Governor has indicated he will sign, would make marijuana for medicinal purposes more readily available and approve its use for PTSD and terminal illnesses.  Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia sits down with pilot program director Joseph Wright to discuss what passing the bill would mean for the future of medical marijuana in Illinois.

Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are in a Los Angeles courtroom this week defending their famous hit "Stairway to Heaven." They’re being sued by the estate of the founder of the niche 1960s rock band Spirit for alleged music plagiarism.  Music geek and author Tim English has taken a deep dive into music plagiarism with his book Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll. He provides examples of stolen riffs and how the Led Zep case fits into all of this.

The Chicago Fire has hired a brand new manager and retooled its squad in order to leave the bitter memories of last season behind. We talk to Guillermo Rivera from the blog Fire Confidential about why you should be following the Fire as well as taking a look at this exciting summer of soccer with the Copa America in town.

Illinois’ former governor has always been a proponent of what he calls direct democracy: the referendum and ballot initiative. Quinn joins the Morning Shift to talk about these efforts.

When we started to learn Monday who was murdered in the Orlando mass shooting, it quickly became evident which community had been hit the hardest. All you need to do is read the surnames: Fernandez, Vielma, Ocasio-Capo, Guerrero, Ortiz-Rivera. The list goes on.  The revelers at the Pulse nightclub were there for Latin night, dancing to salsa, bachata, and merengue, and many of the dead are Latino and Latina, many of them from Central Florida’s sizable Puerto Rican community. Morning Shift talks to WBEZ’s Yolanda Perdomo about how Chicago’s Latino LGBT community is processing the tragedy and honoring those who were lost. She also provides an update on how people in Boystown are feeling about their security and personal safety since Orlando.