In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

EPA officials don’t usually become household names, but that’s exactly what happened with Miguel Del Toral, who many are hailing as a hero for his role in revealing dangerous levels of lead in the water in Flint, Michigan. Now Del Toral is bringing his message about water safety to Chicago. He’ll be in Pilsen Tuesday night at the invitation of P.E.R.R.O., the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, where he’ll take questions from community members concerned about the quality of their water.  We speak with P.E.R.R.O member Troy Hernandez about water issues in the area and why Del Toral’s visit is so important now.

Each year for more than a decade, the Third Coast International Audio Festival has asked established audio producers and newbies alike to create short audio documentaries around a specific theme. Last year, the curiosity of Studs Terkel was the prompt. This time around, Third Coast wants producers to use their microphones as cameras so to speak and to take inspiration from the mini-movies of Manual Cinema, a cinematic shadow puppet performance collective. We speak with Third Coast Executive Director and Founder Johanna Zorn about the annual contest known as the ShortDocs Challenge.  We speak with Third Coast Executive Director and Founder Johanna Zorn about the annual contest known as the ShortDocs Challenge.

Dr. Lonnie Smith is a master of the Hammond B3, an electric organ first featured in gospel music in the 1950s and later adopted by rock, R&B and jazz musicians. Known for his creative jazz, Smith has been called one of the forefathers of Acid jazz. But as his website says, “no genre is safe.” Smith has put his own spin on everything from the Beatles to the Stylistics to the Eurythmics to Beck. His new record is called Evolution. Morning Shift’s Tony Sarabia talks to Smith about his 50 years in jazz and hears a few tunes on the Hammond B3.

Chicago’s new Interim Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson rose steadily through the ranks for 27 years before being handpicked by Mayor Emanuel last week to lead the Chicago Police Department.His appointment to the position of top-cop-in-waiting comes at a tumultuous time for the CPD. Shootings and murders have skyrocketed in recent months. Arrests and street stops are down. And the city is still reeling from high-profile police-involved shootings that took the lives of Laquan McDonald and Quintonio LeGrier and led to the ouster of Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Morning Shift talks to Interim Police Superintendent Johnson about his plans to improve relations between communities and police, hold officers accountable for misconduct and reduce gang activity and crime. Listeners will also have a chance to ask Johnson questions live on the air.

The flowers are blooming and the bats are swinging. Last season the Cubs exceeded expectations when their hot young bats and Jake Arrieta’s pitching took them all the way to the NLCS. The White Sox made what they thought were key upgrades ahead of last season, but those moves didn’t pan out. Opening Day brings a lot of hope and a lot of questions. WBEZ’s Sports Contributor Cheryl Raye Stout looks at both teams, and we take calls from listeners about their opening day memories and traditions.

For the latest installment in our Working Shift series, we chat with a professional dog walker. After six years of drudgery as a debt collector, Jesus Perez started walking dogs with Urban Tailz.

Robyn Lynne Norris created 38 “fake” character profiles on OKCupid to try to find out if there’s really someone for everybody and turned the stories of what happened with those profiles into a play.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey joined the Morning Shift from the street where union members are engaged in a one-day strike. He discusses what effect he hopes the strike will have and more.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool has said he agrees with the CTU that Springfield needs to pass a budget. However, he’s opposed to the one-day walkout.

The Chicago Teachers Union is striking Friday to pressure Governor Rauner and lawmakers in Springfield to work out a budget deal that would help Chicago Public Schools address its financial woes. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp gives Morning Shift an update from the field on how the day of action is proceeding. We also take calls from teachers, parents and other taxpayers on what they think of the one-day walkout and who they blame for the precarious situation at the nation’s third-largest school district.