In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

On this episode of Morning Shift: We check in with first-time voters to see what’s motivating them to head to the polls on Primary Day. A look at the big races in the suburbs from the Kane County Coroner to Tammy Duckworth’s seat in Congress. A one-man show that explores what it’s like to be Latino in America. We introduce you to Mammal March Madness.

In the current election cycle, first-time voters like college students and newly-minted American citizens are wielding their power.So, what’s motivating them? And how are the current crop of presidential candidates reaching out to them? We discuss the dynamics of first-time voters with Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. We also hear from first-time voters on why they’ll be heading to the polls. And remember, everyone who’s ever voted was once a first-time voter. We ask listeners: Tell us your story of voting for the first time.

From the battle to become Kane County coroner to the race to replace Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth in Illinois's 8th Congressional District, Morning Shift looks at the primary races to watch in the suburbs on Tuesday.a

Brian Quijada’s new one-man show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? examines issues he's spent his life exploring: Namely, his roots and how his family's journey fits into the story of America.Quijada says his parents weren’t very open about how they immigrated to the United States, but he wants to do things differently with his own kids. Jenn White talked to Brian Quijada at Storefront Theater, where the play is up through April 10.

With college basketball fans gearing up for March Madness, a different type of tournament has already begun. Mammal March Madness is a “survival of the fittest” type concept where scientists pit mammal against mammal to determine which one will be the champion of them all. The first round of this annual tournament has already taken place and Dr. Chris Anderson, a Dominican University biology professor, leads us through which mammals have the stuff to reign supreme.

On this episode of Morning Shift Over the weekend, Donald Trump rallies in Chicago, Dayton and Kansas City, Missouri were the sites of various types of unrest, sparking strong words from supporters, activists, and Trump's fellow presidential candidates. We checked in with listeners on their thoughts about what lays ahead for the 2016 election race.A referendum on the ballot Tuesday asks voters whether they want to close some schools, renovate others and build the largest middle school in Illinois. Morning Shift talked with residents of North Shore District 112 on both sides of the issue.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump rallies in Chicago, Dayton and Kansas City, Missouri saw various types of unrest and sparked strong words from supporters, activists and Trump's fellow presidential candidates. WBEZ’s Tony Arnold joined us to explain what happened leading up to Trump’s cancelled rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago and describes the scene. Chicago Magazine’s Carol Felsenthal analyzed how the heightened rhetoric and flashes of violence we’ve seen in recent days could affect the 2016 race going forward. Morning Shift also took the pulse of listeners on the question: How do you think the events of the weekend have shifted the race?

Residents of Highland Park, Highwood and Fort Sheridan are gearing up to vote on a school referendum that has pitted neighbor against neighbor in a fight over the future of their school district. Taxpayers are split on whether North Shore District 112 should issue $198 million dollars in bonds to upgrade some schools and build a state-of-the-art middle school campus. Daniel Weil from the group Moving 112 Forward and Jeff Hamburg from Citizens Against the 112 Referendum joined us to lay out their cases.

On this episode of the Morning Shift:WBEZ’s Jennifer White checks in with listeners about the CTA rider arrested for jamming the cell phone signals of fellow passengers and asks: Do you think CTA trains should have “quiet cars”? Author and activist Shaka Senghor discusses his new memoir Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison where he explains what he learned during his 19 years behind bars for murder.  We take a look inside the selection process for party delegates in Illinois with a representative from an app that helps voters prepare to head into the ballot box.  The co-hosts of the food podcast Chewing discuss why Americans are addicted to wasting food and what we can do to stop it.

A CTA rider in Chicago has been charged with a felony for jamming the cell phone signals of his fellow passengers on the Red Line so that he could enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. It got the Morning Shift team thinking: Should there be so-called “quiet cars” on ‘L’ trains? How would it work?WBEZ’s Jenn White talked with listeners about whether they think it’s a good idea and how they approach noisy situations in the confines of a CTA rail car.