In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

As a part of an independent study, a local teenager is using her love of books to help others. Sydney Steans-Gail is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep and the founder of BASICS: Books and Stories to Inspire Childhood Success. BASICS is a nonprofit project that looks to provide literacy materials and books to new mothers in order to promote childhood literacy and encourage reading.Along with Turning the Page and Mt. Sinai Hospital, which serves numerous economically challenged communities, Sydney plans to give these packages to each woman that gives birth in the hospital for an entire year.

The Chicago Police Board has announced its three finalists for Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, and now it’s up to Mayor Rahm Emanuel to decide who gets the job. Instead of choosing one of three finalists picked by the mayor-appointed police board, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has tapped 27-year veteran Eddie Johnson as CPD's new interim chief. WBEZ reporters Lauren Chooljian and Natalie Moore join us with reaction to the mayor's decision to chart a new course.

Chicago's next police superintendent faces considerable odds, even if that role is filled permanently by a department veteran like Eddie Johnson.  Expectations are high for the next chief to reduce crime, improve relations between police and communities, and mend fences inside the department. Today, we open the phones to ask you: What do you think of the mayor's move? And what do you want from the next superintendent?  Guests include Tamar Manasseh of Mothers Against Senseless Killings and Charlene Carruthers, national director for Black Youth Project 100.

Often we think of wigs as a way to try a new look or take on a different persona. They can do that-for plays or other performances. But for people who have lost their hair because of chemotherapy or other medical conditions, a wig can help them feel a little more like themselves. As part of our Working Shift series, we talk to the on-staff wig designer at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and wig designer John Crager who works primarily with clients who have lost their hair because of cancer or another condition.

New census data released Thursday show that people are leaving Chicago in droves. The trend is particularly strong in African-American communities. Morning Shift talks with WBEZ’s Chris Hagan and William Lee of the Chicago Tribune about what the data reveals. We also take calls from listeners who are considering jumping ship or who have stories to share about friends and family who have already left.

In the past, many Christian colleges denounced LGBT relationships and went so far as to enact school policies forbidding displays of affection between students of the same sex. But since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, they have been forced to grapple with how to address their non-heterosexual students, often crafting policies that those students find even more confusing or restrictive.Freelance reporter David Wheeler joins us to discuss LGBT politics on Christian college campuses and what will come next. We’re also joined by Lora Wiens, chairperson of OneWheaton, an LGBT advocacy group at Wheaton College, the evangelical school in Chicago’s western suburbs.

We talk to photographer Helen Maurene Cooper and designer Suzette Opara, who designs prom dresses in Chicago. Cooper’s photos and Opara’s gowns are part of the exhibit Runway to Reality, which opens Friday at the Washington Arts Incubator.

The name Vir Das may not ring a bell for many Americans, but the actor, comedian, comedy fest organizer and writer is a big star in his native India. And while he may be a stranger to Chicagoans, Illinois is no stranger to him. Das attended Knox College in Galena, and he’s back in town for a weekend of shows at The Improv in Schaumburg. Morning Shift talks to Das about the comedy scene in India and how he’s adapting his stand-up routine for American audiences.

In her new book The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation, WBEZ’s Natalie Moore weaves together her reporting on neighborhoods like Chatham, Beverly and Bronzeville with her own family’s story to illustrate how segregation runs deep in Chicago. Tony Sarabia sits down with Natalie Moore to talk about her book.

In the latest installment in our series What’s That Building? Crain’s Chicago Business residential real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin tells the story of the Bobby Franks house.