In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Andrea Zopp left her position as president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League and her seat on the Chicago Board of Education to run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, a bid she lost to U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth. Starting Thursday, she has a new job in the Emanuel administration as Deputy Mayor and Chief Neighborhood Development Officer. Zopp joins Tony Sarabia in studio to talk about the newly created role and how she plans to transform some of the city's most struggling neighborhoods.

Ayana Contreras’ record collection seems to span both space and time, but she has a soft spot for homegrown singers, musicians and arrangers from right here in Chicago.  The host of Reclaimed Soul on our sister station Vocalo often plays cuts and describes the music as the “Chicago Sound.” But what does that mean? Ayana joins the Morning Shift to talk about the elements that sets the “Chicago Sound” apart from the soul scenes that were happening in other parts of the country.

David Isay is a legend in the radio business for his audio documentaries and for StoryCorps, the segment where regular people interview each other about their lives.  Isay’s new book collects some of his favorite moments from StoryCorps. It’s called Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, and he’ll be talking about it Sunday at the Chicago Humanities Festival. Isay sits down with Tony Sarabia to talk about the book.

Summer is fast approaching, but the new-and-improved Navy Pier is not quite as ready as it was supposed to be by this time.  Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Danny Ecker gives us an update on the cost overruns, new features and construction timetable going forward as Navy Pier undergoes its transformation to celebrate its centennial.

Walgreens has launched a new online portal aimed at getting people help for mental health conditions. Visitors to the site can take free screenings to test for illness and even video chat with a licensed therapist. The company says it wants to take this step to help de-stigmatize mental health issues and provide options for care. We talk to Walgreens representative Jim Cohn about the portal and how the idea came to fruition. We also check in with Alexa James from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) about what steps are needed to get people proper, affordable care.

With its prime location at Illinois and State, the Jazz Record Mart attracted jazz and blues fans from around the world. But prime location usually means very high rent.  After selling records for a decade at that address, owner Bob Koester shut the doors on the store. He moved most of his inventory to a storefront at his Delmark Records studios in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.  WBEZ’s Jenn White visited Koester at the Delmark Studios and learned how his time in the music business also allowed him to see the effects of the Civil Rights Movement up close.

As the General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, Michael Kelly has a pretty big job. The Chicago park system serves more than 41 million patrons annually and as the warmer months are swiftly approaching, that means more time at one of Chicago's 580 parks.  Tony Sarabia sits down with Superintendent Michael Kelly to talk about improvements that have been made since last year, and Kelly weighs in on the hard decisions on which parks get more care than others.

After it was announced that long-time White Sox play-by-play man Ken “Hawk” Harrelson would only do road games this season, Jason Benetti was named the new White Sox television play-by-man. Benetti may be the new guy in the booth, but he’s certainly not the new kid in town. He’s a life-long Sox fan who started his broadcast career at WHFH, south-suburban Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s station. We talk with Benetti about his rise to the majors, the hurdles he’s faced, and what he’d think of a subway series between the Sox and the Cubs come October.

Members of the so-called “Sandwich Generation” are middle-aged Americans who are caring for their aging Baby Boomer parents while raising kids of their own. The financial implications of senior care, school tuition, college savings and opening your home to a parent can be daunting. Washington Post syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary joins us to answer your questions about how taking care of aging parents can affect your finances.

We all know that an ambassador is the top diplomat the represents a nation’s interests abroad, but what exactly is a consul general? In the latest installment in our series Working Shift, Tony Sarabia sits down with Canadian Consul General Roy Norton. He’s Canada’s go-to-guy in Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. Morning Shift reveals what he does all day and takes questions from you. Want to know something about maple syrup, hockey, Canadian accents or Nunavut? This is your chance to ask your burning questions about Canada.